Insulated Concrete Forms Lower Insurance

Insurance Premiums may be down about 50% if built with ICF construction, depending on the location of the home. If the home is built with ICF in a hurricane friendly location then Insurance won't be a problem. Why? Well, because ICF homes are well-structured disaster resistant homes.

What are the reasons for the lower insurance costs? A Research Study by the Portland Cement Association involved utilizing a hydraulic ram to transfer lateral load to the beam at the top of each wall. Then a calibrated instrument measured the increasing magnitude of this load. Any damage was observed and recorded. Frame walls showed damage at a light loading and had a much lower maximum lateral resistance.

However, the ICF walls resisted a maximum lateral load 6 to 8 times the maximum loads resisted by the frame wall panels. This higher strength of ICF walls enables ICF homes to resist winds and earthquakes of higher magnitude.

Concrete is resistant to hurricanes and wind. After Hurricane Katrina a concrete house was the sole house left standing in a Pass Christian, Mississippi neighborhood. Investigators have learned that concrete block walls perform well. Debris driven by high winds is the most significant hazard to homeowners and their homes during hurricanes and tornadoes. Tests show that concrete wall systems normally suffer no structural damage when impacted by debris carried by hurricane and tornado-force winds.

As another example, in 1967, a series of deadly tornadoes hit northern Illinois, killing 57 people and destroying 484 homes. Damages at the time were estimated at $50 million. Two concrete structures, a grocery store and a high school, were in the direct path of two tornadoes that struck almost simultaneously. Repairs to the structural system of the grocery store were less than $200. In the high school, structural damage was also very limited.

One of the benefits of building earthquake resistant buildings with ICF walls is the ability to select what degree of earthquake protection is appropriate for the area you're building in. Your structure may be built to conform to Seismic C (the regular normal strength of new houses), Seismic D1, or even Seismic D2 standards, the highest International Building Code standard that exists. Seismic D1 and D2 standards use more steel reinforcement, different techniques of bending and placement, and additional fittings to increase strength.