The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Joe Joe Joe-- that steel stud stuff is gonna put all our "up-nawth" loggers out of work! " I just had a chuckle remembering something I saw at a logging show a few years back. I was amazed to see a big burly logger-looking guy wearing a T-shirt that said "EARTH FIRST!" in big letters. Til I got close enough to read the fine print: "we'll log the other planets later".
Tell me more about this ICF business. I take it this is (double) foam insulation panels sandwhiched by concrete? Are ICF walls generally tilt-up, or poured in place? Or maybe factory- made in small panels, hauled to the site, & set in place with a crane?
Something I've seen in magazines & stuff lately is hay-bale construction-- I think they build the wall outa hay bales then coat it with cement. Kind of a modern version of adobe.

Eric

The straw bale construction has been popular with the green people for a few years. Some time when you are in a book store like Barnes & Noble pick up a copy of the magazine called Home Power. There's a little more to the straw bale construction than throwing some plaster on a bale of hay, but you are in the right direction.

ICF is foam building blocks ( more than one version ) that are stacked like concrete block construction and then poured in place full of concrete. The foam layers on both the inside and outside allow for wire runs, etc. Check the website out that I posted in the earlier post. A concrete home once completed can look like any other type of construction, but the walls are airtight, very thick, and nearly sound proof.

I'm kinda intriqued by this ICF. How big are the blocks? How are they held in place prior to pouring fulla cement? And how are the interior & exterior finished?
A big thing for building exteriors in this area several years ago was called "EFIS", I think it stood for Exterior Foam Insulation System or something like that. I worked on several projects that used it, from schools to hospitals to department stores. As I recall, heavy steel wall studs were sheeted with OSB, then the foam was glued & screwed onto that. Decorative grooves, etc were cut into the foam, then a color-impregnated stucco finish ("Drivit" brand) was applied. To the uninformed eye (mine!) it seemed like a pretty good product--looked nice, went up quick (especially with only one coat of stucco required - no browncoat, scratchcoat,etc) ,but EFIS has apparently fallen out of favor around here for some reason.

Eric


Eric

zero.one.victor wrote:....... ,but EFIS has apparently fallen out of favor around here for some reason.

Eric


Eric

Well, ...you know what they say about people 'living in glass houses'.

I don't get the glass house comment, but that's OK I guess.
I was thinking about this hangar construction business, and Joe, if you're wanting to do this project "green", IMHO wood construction is more earth-friendly than steel. After all, wood is a renewable resource & steel is a limited commodity. Of course, steel can be & is often recycled, but so is wood for that matter. Just not as much, except for specialized stuff--a good example is a bowling alley that was torn down near here a few years ago, they recycled the hardwood flooring.
Just a thought I had.

Eric

EFIS is commonly referred to as a "glass cockpit" environment.

gahorn wrote:EFIS is commonly referred to as a "glass cockpit" environment.

Oh, EFIS as in "electronic flight instrument system", NOW i get it. Doh!