|
GREEN BUILDERS SNAPSHOT - ICF
creative, environmentally-friendly construction
Article reprinted from “Both Sides of the Bridge” (May-June 2007 Issue)
When Chris Jordan saw the problem solving potential of using Insulating
Concrete Forms (ICF) to build his new home, he turned to Mark Bennett of
Koinonia Builders, LLC. Bennett is a second-generation
builder with over 40 years of “stick-built,” traditional wooden home building
experience.
 In
recent years he has become enamored by construction possibilities when using
ICF. “As the head of a household, we view our homes as shelters,” Bennett said,
“We would like our family to have the safest, healthiest shelter there is.”
Bennett believes use of ICF in construction is a giant step to providing those
benefits. (Among other benefits, ICF touts the ability to withstand 200 mph
winds, stabilize interior temperature, and reduce noise transfer.)
Bennett said the “green” Lego-like building material has been around a while,
but is being rediscovered because of its benefits to builders and the homebuyer.
And the cost? “As a general rule you can add five percent to the cost of your
walls,” he said. But that can be weighed against other possible cost savings and
long-term benefits, Bennett said.
“There was a lot of interest when it was introduced 20 years ago," he said,
“I think resistance from the lumber industry and a general misunderstanding of
the material in building codes made the interest fall off.” Bennett said he has
used an outside engineer to confer with state and local engineers about the
material and its use in the building process to address and satisfy the concerns
of all parties.
 Koinonia
has been using ICF in partial construction for some years, but Bennett built the
Jordan home, top to bottom, so to speak, using the Styrofoam combined with
poured concrete material. To Bennett, it was an exciting opportunity to
incorporate all the many benefits of the material into solving the needs of
their family.
Besides using nontraditional building materials, what also drove the project
to a successful ending was a careful problem solving approach to the needs and
life style of the home’s future occupants. It was not a one-size fits all
project.
“We did a lot of family research and had a lot meetings,” he said. Bennett
was certain he was putting his best foot forward at working to match the
construction process to family needs, but a chance incident made him intensify
his efforts.
“I was watching my grandchildren playing on the floor one day when I started
thinking about Chris’ family,” he said. “It might sound funny but I thought to
myself - his family will be living and moving around everyday in the house I’m
building -- just like my own family is doing today.” The epiphany of the moment
helped mentally animate an inanimate building project. He decided to further
reinforce his focus on solving the needs of his client’s family.
Jordan validates the caring Bennett put into the job. “I am real happy with
Mark,” he said. “He took the time to do the job right.”
The Special Touches of Million Dollar Homes At Reasonable,
Affordable Prices
Talk to us about Your New Home!
|
