Project Showcase: Louis Saekow Estate Part II
September 29th, 2009 | Project Showcase
Hopefully you’ve been following along from the previous post on the Saekow Estate. It’s clear the builders and the architect knew what they wanted when they designed this house.
Privacy Wall with Insulating Concrete Forms
This home also used insulating concrete forms in a way the installers and builder have not done before. The challenge was to provide the customer with over 600 linear feet of privacy wall 200 feet of which was “S” shaped, so as to adapt to the natural surroundings, without showing grout lines in hot and cold weather. The solution was ICFs. Since ICFs are insulating, they used them along with ready mixed concrete to build the walls, even the “S” shaped wall, and then simply applied stucco over the ICFs. The result was fantastic and a success.
Green Attributes
Energy efficiency is the most obvious priority when building with ICFs. You can spend a little more up front with materials cost, to save a lot in the future, especially when costs can be reduced along the construction cycle. With energy costs being uncontrollable, ICFs help customers control those costs by simply using less energy.
ICFs were chosen to meet the sustainable construction goals because of their durability, their resistance to the elements, i.e. bugs, water, wind, etc. The goal of this project was to create an Estate. The goal of an estate is to have longevity and durability as cornerstones, for the building to be around for generations to come. This home, also installed 3,800 sq. ft. of bamboo flooring…the fasted growing grass on the planet.
After one year of living in this house, Louis’s average monthly electric bill is $135 and his average monthly propane bill is $145. More specifically, his total one-year usage of electricity is 19,433 kilowatt-hours and his total one-year propane usage was 1,188 gallons (since cost of electricity and propane differs everywhere). His neighbors, who live in stick-built homes that are around 2,500 to 3,500 sq. ft. — way less than half his home — pay almost exactly what he pays for electricity and propane. And if you consider cubic-footage instead of just square footage, it’s even more impressive because his ceiling height downstairs is 12′ 4″ and upstairs is 10′ 7″ (There is no neighbor whose house has ceilings over 9′).
Since P&P has been building with ICFs for more than 10 years they have found a method to build an ICF home for the same cost as a traditionally built home. Over time they have been able to cut down on construction time which cuts down on construction costs. They have also been able to use materials such as zip ties and the Reward bracing and scaffolding in one piece to cut down on time. P&P strongly believes that efficiency on the job and in the office are the best ways to save time and money for both the customer and the company. They also believe that other builders who overprice ICF structures haven’t been able to realize the efficiencies, P & P have come to learn. Good planning and not over-ordering materials, as well as demanding quality materials from suppliers, helps with cutting down on costs. This was part of the decision to use ICFs; the enormous benefits both long and short term sealed the deal.
Project Showcase: Louis Saekow Estate
September 24th, 2009 | Project Showcase
A few projects come along every so often that every time you look at the pictures or hear background of the home, you are just in awe of the size, or the architecture and of the energy efficiency. The Louis Saekow Estate is one of those projects. He’s been living in the home for almost a full year now on top of Camano Island, Washington. The entire 8,200 square foot home used Reward ICFs INCLUDING the 600 foot privacy wall.
The 8,200 sq/ft Louis Saekow Estate is perched on top of one of the highest points on Camano Island. The home has an unobstructed 270 degree view of the San Juan Islands, the Cascade mountain range and the Olympic mountain range. This pristine setting provides some of Washington’s best sunrises and
sunsets and is an ideal location for a home with many windows for viewing all of Mother Nature’s glory. With that glory also come the fury; wind speeds in this location have been clocked at over 90 miles per hour on several occasions and observe some of the fiercest storms in Western Washington. So durability and safety was the first key point to address when designing this house, the second was Sustainability, and the third major criteria this house was built under, was the need for design flexibility and project aesthetics.
Durability/Safety- The home was constructed to withstand the harshest elements without reducing the quality of living inside the home. The home needed to be comfortable and quiet inside regardless of what the weather was like outside. This home was designed and built to last more than a lifetime; it needed to outlast all of the surrounding structures to earn the title of a true Estate. The permanence of ready mixed concrete and ICF’s was definitely the best option to achieve this lofty goal.
Sustainability- The home was designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly without sacrificing the luxuries modern technology has provided us with. Like many people, the owner realized that energy prices were uncontrollable; customers are forced to pay the energy rates set by the companies themselves. To harness these uncontrollable energy costs consumers must simply use less energy, and that is why insulating concrete forms were the clear choice for this home. The owner is expecting to lower the estate’s energy use by 60%, thus finally harnessing the uncontrollable costs of energy and satisfying this second objective.
Design Flexibility and Project Aesthetics- The home has very large windows with 12 foot ceilings downstairs and almost 11 foot ceilings upstairs. The main house is 7,300 square feet with an additional 600 sq ft of conditioned garage, and also a 1,200 sq. foot detached garage. The design of the home was to take on the look of a Mediterranean estate with large pillars and numerous arches. Large open spaces were also a necessity on the interior of the home along with barrel ceiling and many other intricate ceiling treatments. In order to provide the durability required by the weather while at the same time allowing for large windows and doors, insulating concrete forms were again the best choice.
Just to keep everyone on edge, the finished photos will be posted on Thursday so come back then. Also we’ll report to you on the types of energy use this massive estate is using. Unbelievable numbers. I’ll give you a sneak peak to keep you interested until then…
The New Standard of Sustainability. Tell the World.
Have Fast Can You Unload a Truck?
September 22nd, 2009 | From the Field
Unloading your building in 20 minutes.
We recently visited a jobsite last week in Michigan and was able to catch on video the ICF install crew, of ICF Building Solutions, accepting a truckload of Reward ICFs on the jobsite. We thought it would be interesting to share to help conceptualize with people who have never worked with our ICF, how lightweight they are. It surprises some people because of the strength and all of the benefits of ICFs, they expect something that must weigh a ton.
That was the old way to build. This is the smarter way, the sustainable way. Why risk injury lifting CMU or spending more money bringing in extra unloading equipment? There’s no more need struggling to carry large pieces of lumber in order to erect the walls.
Reward’s insulating concrete forms weigh approximately 5.5 pounds a piece. That’s about as much as a full grown Chihuahua. So when the crew is unloading and stacking, it’s like lifting chihuahuas all day long, only without the barking and biting of the ankles! The square footage of one of our forms is equal to 6 CMU blocks, so really that’s 5.5 pounds versus 120 pounds for the same amount of wall area.
Are you starting to see some efficiencies of ICFs?
So here is the video we took. The ICF install crew unloaded 50 cubes of our 17″ iForm, enough for 3,000 square feet of wall. Each cube weighs around 60 pounds. To put that in perspective you would need over 3,400 CMU blocks weighing in at over 20 pounds a piece, to put up that same amount of wall. All this was done in 20 minutes as well.
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TimberLake Lodge
September 17th, 2009 | Project Showcase
Project
Timberlake Lodge
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Overview
Timberlake Lodge, a destination hotel, in Grand Rapids built this 84-room, 3-story hotel with full amenities including a banquet hall, a large pool and sauna entertainment area, and full restaurant and bar.
The main reason for choosing Reward ICF’s was to accelerate the building schedule. With reducing material lead time, early occupancy was accomplished. Early occupancy, meant making money quicker for the owner.
Also by using Reward ICF’s for the interior partition walls they were able to use them as bearing walls for Hollow Core plank, experience increases in fire rating (4 hours), and demand a higher STC rating to improve guest experience.
No more staying the night and hearing the “argument” of the vacationing couple next door, or the partying of the fraternity group down the hall! ICFs are ideal for hotel and condo guest experience because of their ability to sound proof.
Challenges and Unique Install Techniques
For building the pool room ICFs were chosen for their mold resistant properties and ICF construction was able to continue through the winter without interruption.
Gable roof framing was also easily cutout and poured using Reward ICF’s and overall they were versatile enough for tall wall construction of 20’ to 54’ high.
Project Specs
42,640 Sq. Ft. of ICF wall
8,000 Reward Forms
Fiber Cement Board Siding
PreCast/Hollow-Core Plank Floors
All Interior Partition Walls
13” iForm = 8” poured concrete
REAP the Rewards with Guaranteed Energy Savings
September 15th, 2009 | Marketing
Reward Energy Analysis Program
Program Overview:
Reward Wall Systems will give you a promotional code to give EnergyWise. They will perform an energy analysis at half the normal price on the home you will build, and will GUARANTEE you an energy savings (of heating and cooling costs) of 50-70% versus a conventional stick built home. Just purchase the Energy Analysis from EnergyWise to get started and Reward Wall Systems will reimburse you for the out-of-pocket cost of the analysis upon delivery and payment of Reward Wall Systems forms to your home construction site. EnergyWise will issue and manage the energy guarantee. See energywisestructures.com for details and more information.
FAQ
Why should I do this?
This program is set up to give you information on saving energy and money, and is 100% guaranteed by EnergyWise, if program details are followed. This is virtually risk-free, as you can reduce your carbon footprint at no cost to you!
Is this just for residential building?
Yes this is only for residential single family homes using Reward ICF’s
How much will it cost up front?
It will depend on the size of the home plan, but remember you will only pay 50% of the cost up front, and Reward will reimburse the cost to you if the Reward Energy Analysis Program rules are followed. Listed below is the estimated pricing breakdowns for new houses:
| Square Footage | Normal Cost | Up Front Cost with Reward Discount * | End Cost after Reward Reimbursement** |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 2,999 | $600 | $300 | $0 |
| 3,000 – 4,999 | $800 | $400 | $0 |
| 5,000 – 6,999 | $1000 | $500 | $0 |
| Every 2,000 after | $200 additional | $100 additional | $0 |
*Please contact EnergyWise for final pricing
**Order must be placed, delivered and payment received
How do I let EnergyWise know I get the 50% discount?
You will need to call Reward Wall Systems and we will give you an exclusive code to give to EnergyWise. By doing so they will knock 50% off the initial fee and that code usage will entitle you to full reimbursement upon placed order and payment
When will I be reimbursed?
Reward will issue a refund or a credit to your account upon delivery and payment of Reward forms to your jobsite, in the full amount paid to EnergyWise
Who administers the guarantee?
EnergyWise will issue and manage all guarantees based on their program rules.
I want 50-70% Guaranteed energy savings where do I start?
Call into Reward Wall Systems at 1-800-468-6344 to receive your promo code to get started!
Who Is EnergyWise?
In Summary EnergyWise has developed the MOST comprehensive, easy-to-understand construction plan review and modification program available anywhere. Their proprietary software was derived from the experience of NASA thermal consultants on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs. This unique tool allows them to create a detailed energy analysis report from each building plan they review. The report accurately projects the heating and cooling consumption, comparative savings, and the optimal heating and cooling system sizing for your unique home or building. Best of all, the energy usage calculations and incredible energy savings are GUARANTEED in writing!
Check them out at www.energywisestructures.com to see their program, their guarantee in writing and more information on their company.The Guaranteed energy savings is based on savings of heating and cooling costs only, which accounts for over 60% of a home’s entire energy use.
Remember the Victims of 9/11: Project 2,996
September 11th, 2009 | Holiday, Marketing
This is written as a memorial as part of Project 2,996. On this day 8 yrs ago 2,996 people were ripped from their lives. But as the media and society tend to do, they have focused on the killers. We’ve all learned more about them than we wanted to. On that day many of us made a pledge to never forget what happened. This is about the victims.
Staff Sgt. Ill with Company A of the 854th Engineer Battalion of the Army Reserves was stationed in Germany, Guatemala, and Panama as a builder and constructor of churches and schools. He saw first hand the importance of America’s freedoms, liberties and wealth.
Those were the values and qualities he had to be a man who loved a wife and three children, and who was willing to take service in the military and as a firefighter. Those same attributes gave him the courage to storm through the doors of those twin towers on September 11, 2001.
As described by his son, Capt Frederick Ill has monumental pride, and was humble and fair to his colleagues. A colleague recalled he always claimed he was “just a firefighter. The rank is for payroll purposes.”
He always made time for his family even after 24 hour shifts and left his legacy with is son Fred Ill III, who is serving the communities of New York as a New York City Firefighter.
Capt Frederick Ill, it’s been 8 years since you have left the midtown firehouse, Ladder 2, in New York. 8 years since you have been stolen from your friends, family and civilians ready for your rescue. America is grateful you were at our side. New Yorkers and the survivors of the World Trade Center still think of you through memorials, prayers, and the success and lives of those lucky enough to walk out that day.
On this anniversary of the dreadful day when ordinary people became heroes, when their actions are now tattoos of strength and fearlessness, we would like to thank those who lost their lives and thank the servicemen willing to do it all over again.
Everyone enjoys a good beer. Our next is to you.
Thermal Imaging of Insulated Concrete Forms
September 8th, 2009 | From the Field
It’s one thing to say that a house built with insulating concrete forms (ICFs) is energy efficient, but it’s quite another to be able to visually prove it.
Thermal imaging is a type of infrared imaging science. Thermographic cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 900–14,000 nanometers or 0.9–14 μm) and produce images of that radiation. Since all objects emit infrared radiation based on their temperatures, thermography makes it possible to “see” one’s environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature, and thermography allows one to see these temperature variations (hence the name). When viewed by a thermographic camera, the presence of heat stands out against cooler backgrounds, day or night.
A reference point, ’R’, is a temperature point on the building determined by the thermal imaging that is considered normal at the given time and conditions the image was taken. Based on the laws of physics (heat loss/flow), the reference point is then assigned a color. The change in temperature and color from the reference point indicates a thermal loss. A thermal loss of < 2° is acceptable. A thermal loss greater than 2° is unacceptable and shows some anomaly causing excess thermal loss.
Thermal Imaging of ICF vs “Stick Built” in same neighborhood.
The photos of the two houses above were taken in the same neighborhood within minutes of each other. The house on the left is wood framed, while the house on the right has exterior walls constructed with Reward ICFs. The ICF house shows less than < 2° temperature change. This indicates little to no heat loss. The yellow, orange and red colors indicate heat loss at >10° and up to 20° temperature change.
Thermographic photography provides us with visible thermal information, thus allowing us to identify distinguishing heat patterns. These heat patterns can then be measured to reveal building, equipment or environmental flaws (i.e. heat loss through the roof or windows). Ultimately, these thermal images show that an ICF structure delivers a significantly tighter enclosure than that of its wood framed counterpart.
The two photos below show the heating and cooling cost differences that can be directly attributed to the heat loss. The following pictures are merely a visual representation of heat loss. This is not scientific data
Further Thermal Imaging Comparison
| Stick Built Conventional Home | ICF Constructed Home |
|---|---|
| Shows heat loss through exterior walls | Shows NO heat loss through exterior walls |
| 800 sq ft ranch = Average heat bill $200 a month | 3,500 sq ft 2-story = Average heat bill $80 a month |
Even though the homes above are located in the same climactic region, the Reward built home (on the right), which is more than 4x bigger than the wood framed home (on the left), spends 60% less on an average heating bill.
“I have not seen any house that compares with the Reward ICF house for being thermally efficient as this one. Even the roof vents were cold when all other houses that we have inspected the roof vents were releasing heat from the attic, the ones on the ICF house were not.” ThermaScan Solutions photographer, Bryan Dring.
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New Marketing Tools and Medium
September 3rd, 2009 | Marketing
Thought i would take a post for myself, in marketing, and let you know of some things we are wrapping up and things we’ve just started doing in the last few months. It is my goal to make sure we try our best to stay in front of potential customers and try to get our technology out there for home builders and consumers to find.
We Have our Own Facebook Page!
We have this up and running so if you are part of the Facebook community please Become a Fan! I post updates for when new blog posts are available as well as use it to highlight some recent trends in the marketplace. Not quite sure what Facebook and the building industry can do for each other but I figure at least we can stay in touch with current customers and maybe branch out and meet someone new! Just in case you prefer real time a little more than Facebook…
Reward Wall Systems | Promote Your Page Too
We are on Twitter!
Once again we let you know when we update our blog and new and exciting product offerings, Follow us on Twitter. Its amazing to see the types of conversations I get from organizations in the “green” industry, trying to learn as much they can about ICFs as people are recognizing the superiority of building with them. Plus if your are all visual…
We are on YouTube!
We have our own YouTube Channel now as well. So far we posted some clips of some conferences and a few fun videos of some photo shoots of our insulating concrete forms and the NoricF4 Custom Metal ICF Frame. Our plans for this, is to tour some job sites and highlight some unique features, plus give you a more personal look at Reward and our Product lines. If there is something specific you want to see let me know, and I can put it on a list for things to highlight. So Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Below are a couple videos posted right now as well.
Here’s our most recent video on a Pixels Photography photo shoot of the NoricF4 in our back warehouse.
Green Building
Here is a similar video but this one is a photo shoot of our insulated concrete forms. We needed some updated photos and some rebar closeups, so thought it would be nice for the scrapbook to catch it all on video.
Those are our main highlights for this post. we are currently redoing our marketing materials as well, to fall in line with our new color scheme of gray, black and green. Here is the new and improved iForm Overview! Soon to follow will be all of our products. Let me know what you think!!!
The New Standard of Sustainability. Tell the World.
Reward Insulated Concrete Forms as a Vapor Retarder
September 1st, 2009 | Lets Get Technical!
Reward iForm wall acts as a vapor retarder.
• Vapor retarders are used to prevent condensation within walls.
• Reward iForm with an inside finish of gypsum wallboard painted with latex paint is adequate to prevent condensation within walls for buildings in the continental U.S.
• Avoid the use of
> Low-permeance wall paper such as vinyl on the inside surface
> Low-permeance and unvented exterior finish materials on the outside surface
Vapor retarders (also called vapor barriers) are used to prevent, or more correctly greatly reduce, water vapor (moisture) from moving through building materials and condensing on cold surfaces within the wall. The rate of moisture flow through walls by vapor diffusion is called permeance and is measured in perms.
Water vapor permeance of building materials. The water vapor permeance of the Reward iForm wall system with 1/2-in. gypsum wallboard varies from 0.2 to 0.3 perms depending on the wall thickness. A material or system with a permeance of less than 1 perm is generally considered “nonbreathable” and a vapor retarder.
Materials such as cast-in-place concrete, polyethylene, and aluminum foil qualify as vapor retarders since they are low permeance materials when joints are properly sealed; whereas fiberglass insulation and unpainted gypsum wallboard do not. Building materials have water vapor permeances from very low to very high. Actual values for a given material vary depending on the moisture content of the material.
Two commonly used test methods are the water method (wet cup) and desiccant
method (dry cup) methods in ASTM E962. Specimens are sealed over the tops of
cups containing either water or desiccant, placed in a controlled atmosphere usually
at 50% relative humidity, and weight changes measured. The change in weight
represents the rate of moisture passing through the specimen.
Water Water Vapor Permeance for Selected Building Materials
Vapor retarder placement. The location of a vapor retarder within the wall is just as important as its permeance. A vapor retarder should prevent moist air from entering the wall but also allow moisture that gets into a wall to escape. Two vapor retarders within a wall, or a “double vapor retarder” should be avoided since this would not allow the moisture between the vapor retarders to dry.
Reward iForm with an inside finish of gypsum wallboard painted with latex paint is adequate to prevent condensation within walls for buildings in the continental U.S. The concrete acts as a vapor retarder and does not allow moisture to pass through the wall. In winter, the painted gypsum wallboard and concrete prevent moist indoor air from condensing within the wall. In summer, the concrete prevents humid outdoor air from passing through the wall to the cool air-conditioned side. The concrete is allowed to dry either to the inside or outside. The concrete and expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation in the Reward iForm are not compromised by being moist, and the iForm has no cavities for moisture to collect.
Since the Reward iForm acts as a vapor retarder, low-permeance finishes that do not allow the wall to dry to the inside or outside surfaces should be avoided. For this reason, low-permeance materials on the inside surface such as vinyl wallpaper should be avoided. Low-permeance and unvented exterior finish materials should also be avoided. Masonry or brick veneer should be vented and/or have weep holes. Vinyl siding or other exterior finish materials should have a permeance greater than 1.0 perms.
Continuity. A vapor retarder must be continuous to be effective. The Reward iForm Wall System provides this continuity. Sheet materials such as polyethylene can act as a vapor retarder in a frame wall system, but all joints between sheets of material must be tightly sealed. The concrete in the Reward iForm is continuous around the
building and does not have these types of joints.
Buildings with high humidity. The above recommendations are for temperatures and relative humidity’s found in typical buildings: indoor relative humidities may be as high as 35% in winter and 80% in summer.6 Special recommendations provided by a building scientist or other design professional are recommended for other
conditions or where an indoor pool, hot tub, industrial processes, or other high humidity applications are present.
Here’s the bottom line on the Standard of Sustainability. Save Time, Save Money and increase the comfortability of the building.
Due to manufacturing processes, EPS thickness, EPS type and the uniqueness of the Reward iForm, this analysis, information and report is only to be used with Reward iForm and is not to be used with any other ICF system
Green Building
Reward ICFs with painted gypsum wallboard acts as a vapor retarder to prevent moisture from condensing on cool surfaces of a wall.
ICF Construction
The New Standard of Sustainability. Tell the World.
important as its permeance. A vapor retarder should prevent moist air from entering
the wall but also allow moisture that gets into a wall to escape. Two vapor retarders
within a wall, or a “double vapor retarder” should be avoided since this would not
allow the moisture between the vapor retarders to dry.
Reward iForm with an inside finish of gypsum wallboard painted with latex paint is
adequate to prevent condensation within walls for buildings in the continental U.S.
The concrete acts as a vapor retarder and does not allow moisture to pass through
the wall. In winter, the painted gypsum wallboard and concrete prevent moist indoorVapor retarder placement. The location of a vapor retarder within the wall is just as important as its permeance. A vapor retarder should prevent moist air from entering
the wall but also allow moisture that gets into a wall to escape. Two vapor retarders within a wall, or a “double vapor retarder” should be avoided since this would not
allow the moisture between the vapor retarders to dry.
Reward iForm with an inside finish of gypsum wallboard painted with latex paint is adequate to prevent condensation within walls for buildings in the continental U.S.
The concrete acts as a vapor retarder and does not allow moisture to pass through the wall. In winter, the painted gypsum wallboard and concrete prevent moist indoor