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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2004 > May/June
May/June 2004
Concrete Homes Continue to Rule The Roost in Lubbock
The City of Lubbock continues its leadership role in using concrete
wall systems for affordable housing. During the last four years, Lubbock
has demolished more than 80 substandard and deteriorating homes, replacing
them with homes built with insulating concrete form (ICF) exterior walls.
The project is part of the city's Affordable Housing Reconstruction Program,
which is partially funded through a combination of state, federal, and
private partnerships, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), which supplies Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs). Under
the terms of the program, residents are provided with temporary housing
until their new concrete home is constructed. The residents pay a mortgage
based on the cost of the home after available grants are applied. The homes
have proven to be so energy efficient, and disaster resistant, that the
city no longer accepts bids for wood-framed housing. The city, and three
ICF distributors, have trained and certified a total of thirteen local
contractors to build with ICFs. Although affordable concrete homes built
by the city receive most of the attention, the majority of ICF homes in
Lubbock are being constructed for the private sector. The Cement Council
of Texas has documented over 200 ICF homes built in Lubbock over the last
5 years, in all price ranges.
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Homes like this are perfect examples of the type
of affordable housing that the Lubbock is building with ICFs. |
Concrete homebuilding constituted a major part of the agenda as Lubbock
recently celebrated the 30-year anniversary of Community Development week.
Jim Niehoff, PCA Promotion Program Manager, and the Cement Council of Texas
were presented with awards at a Partner Appreciation Luncheon, acknowledging
the continuing support that both organizations have given to Lubbock’s
concrete homebuilding program. The Community Days’ events, April 6–7,
2004, featured a two-day training course in building with ICFs, sponsored
by ICF manufacturer American Polysteel, LLC. The course culminated in a concrete
placing demonstration with over 40 contractors in attendance. Efforts like
this will help meet the rising demand for ICF construction in and around
Lubbock.
Lubbock’s concrete homebuilding program has also attracted national
attention. The House of Representatives’ Science Research Subcommittee
held a field hearing on wind hazards in Lubbock in February 2004. The subcommittee
is gathering information for future legislation on wind hazard mitigation.
Congressman Randy Neugebaur (R-TX), a member of the subcommittee, toured
two ICF homes in the Lubbock area, and later cited the city-built homes as
an excellent example of safer residences being constructed for the affordable
housing sector.
For more information, contact Jim Niehoff of PCA at (847) 972-9108 or jniehoff@cement.org
PATH's Asdal Speaks to U.S. House
of Representatives
On behalf of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in
Housing (PATH) Industry Steering Committee, homebuilder Bill Asdal
spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations last
week in support of FY2005 funding for PATH. Mr. Asdal shared a few
of PATH's accomplishments from 2003 that illustrated the "diversity
of work funded under the program" and
the opportunities that still exist with level or increased funding
in FY2005. Currently, "federal monies are leveraged by industry contributions,
cooperative research funding, and the in-kind activities of companies
...that participate in field evaluations of new products and systems."
|
Bill Asdal presents the PATH testimony to the Appropriations
Committee. |
Many of PATH’s technologies are cement-based
building products because of the inherent value they offer in meeting PATH
goals. Michael H. Weber, PCA’s Director of Residential, currently
serves on the PATH Steering Committee.
To download Mr. Asdal's
testimony, click
here.
Faull to Manage Concrete Home Building Council
Dawn Faull was named manager of the newly formed Concrete
Home Building Council. Faull previously served as marketing director for
the Arizona Masonry Guild. She will handle the day-to-day operations of the
Council and help develop programs, membership initiatives, and other events
on its behalf.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) formed the
Concrete Home Building Council on January 1, 2004. The council provides
NAHB membership access to technical, educational, and training experts
on cement-based
building systems and cement-based product applications. The Council
falls under NAHB’s Building Systems Council (BSC) with funding from
PCA and other industry members.
CHBC Membership Expands
The Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association (AACPA)
and National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) are the newest members of
the National Association of Home Builders Concrete Home Building Council.
Bill Snyder, president of AACPC, and Harry Junk, NCMA's residential market
manager, will represent their respective organizations on the council.
The newly formed council, now consisting of PCA, ICFA, CFA,
PCI, AACPA, and NCMA will provide NAHB membership access to technical, educational,
and training experts on cement-based building systems and cement-based product
applications. The Concrete Home Building Council falls under NAHB’s
Building Systems Council with funding from PCA and other members of the newly
formed Concrete Home Building Council.
To learn more about the council, contact Michael
H. Weber at mweber@cement.org, or Dawn Faull at dfaull@nahb.com.
State Farm Shows Interest in ICFs
The Insulating Concrete Form Association’s Executive Director, Joe
Lyman, and PCA’s Director of Codes & Standards, Stephen Szoke,
met with key representatives of State Farm Insurance in response to their
request for information on construction, detailing, codes, and standards
related to ICFs. State Farm advised that they have seen thousands of building
systems and innovations try to enter the home building market, and none have
had more market penetration or were more readily embraced by the building
community than ICFs. They want to be prepared to insure ICF homes and businesses.
While many of State Farm’s concerns were addressed at the meeting,
they identified a need for information on repair and retrofit of ICFs in
the event of damage.
ICF Construction Highlighted at Carpenter Open House
The Chicagoland District Council of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC)
held an open house at their Carpenter Training Center in suburban Elk
Grove Village, IL on Saturday, May 22nd. Featured prominently were displays
illustrating
insulating concrete form (ICF) construction. The Insulating Concrete
Form Association (ICFA), and seven of its member companies, displayed
their products to the
thousands of apprentices, architects, contractors, and general public
attending the day-long event.
Recognizing the growing need for qualified ICF installers in residential,
commercial, and governmental markets, the UBC formed an alliance in
2002 with the ICFA to provide training and estimating courses at the
UBC’s national training center in Las Vegas, Nevada. UBC trainers
attending the Las Vegas courses are authorized as instructors to teach
ICF construction through their local and regional training centers,
which includes the Elk Grove Village facility. To date, more than 450
UBC carpenters have received training on constructing with ICFs.
For
more information, contact the UBC Carpenter Training Center at (847)
640-7373 or the Insulating Concrete Form Association at (847) 657-9730.
Team Concrete Triumphs in Buffalo
Habitat for Humanity Buffalo and Riefler Concrete Products LLC are teaming
up to build one of the non-profit’s next houses in Buffalo, New York.
Habitat’s construction crew recently broke ground on a 1,200-square-foot
home incorporating insulating concrete form (ICF) walls for both the basement
and first story. The home will use approximately 50 yards of ready mixed
concrete in the walls alone. Riefler is a premier supplier of concrete products
and ICFs in Western New York. Other companies providing discounted or donated
products include Amvic, Inc., Wind-Lock Corporation, Vinyl Technologies,
Inc., Zelasko Construction, and Cosella-Dorken Products. The Buffalo project
is an official part of PCA’s Team Concrete community relations/education
program encouraging companies in the cement and concrete industry to partner
with affordable housing entities. Buffalo’s Team Concrete sponsors
plan to host educational seminars at the jobsite during and after construction
of the home.
For more information about Buffalo’s Team Concrete, and other Team
Concrete projects, visit www.teamconcrete.org.
Weber Honored With ICFA Excellence Award
Michael H. Weber, Director, Residential, for the Portland Cement Association,
was named the winner of the 2004 Excellence Award by the Insulating
Concrete Form Association. Weber earned the recognition due to his efforts
in creating
the National Association of Home Builders Concrete Home Building Council,
and his commitment to advancing the use of ICFs.
|
Joe Lyman, Executive Director of ICFA, presents
the 2004 Excellence Award to Michael H. Weber during the recent
ICFA annual meeting. |
Upon receiving the award, Weber said, "I'm pleased to have received
ICFA's 2004 Excellence Award. It's great to be a part of the exciting growth
that is taking place in the concrete homebuilding market. Efforts like those
from ICFA members are changing the way homes are being built in North America.
The formation of the National Association of Home Builders Concrete Home
Building Council is a perfect example of how working together provides outstanding
opportunities for all of us."
Joseph Lyman, executive director of ICFA says, "It has been a pleasure
working with Michael the past several years to promote the use of better
building systems like ICFs. I cannot think of a more deserving individual."
Weber accepted the award on April 27 at ICFA’s annual meeting.
Awards for Concrete Industry People and Projects
Triangle Sales and Marketing Council of North Carolina of the Home Builders
Associations recently held its tenth annual Triangle-Wide Major Achievements
in Marketing Excellence (MAME) Awards gala. The annual event recognizes those
who have made major achievements in designing, building, marketing, and selling
new homes. This year, several key people associated with concrete construction
garnered the highest level of recognition.
Jon Rufty, of Rufty Homes, Inc., received a Gold MAME Award for his 12,000-square-foot
cast-in-place, removable-form-constructed, all-concrete home in the Birklands
neighborhood in Cary, North Carolina. The Rufty home, currently the Birklands’ sales
center and model, won the Best Parade Home over 4,000 heated square feet.
Creedmoor Partners, developers of Birklands and many other upscale Triangle
communities received a Gold MAME for Development Company of the Year. The
Fonville Morisey Builder Marketing Group, whose communication and design
firm is Shannon & Company, owned by Wendy Shannon, accepted the Gold
MAME for Best Newsletter for their publication, Grand, which promotes the
upscale Creedmoor Partners communities.
|
This 12,000-square-foot removable form home, constructed
by Rufty Homes, Inc., received the Gold MAME Award at the Triangle
Sales and Marketing Council of North Carolina’s awards gala. |
Each MAME entry is evaluated on its own merits by a distinguished panel
of highly qualified judges from across the country. Judges are selected for
their expertise in the New Home marketing field. The awards are more than
just an opportunity for the New Homes community to pat itself on the back;
they also provide recipients a well deserved marketing tool. Regional winners
can also go on to compete at both the state and national levels.
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