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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2008 > September/October
September/October 2008
Established Ohio Builder Switches to Concrete
Allen Brown of Premier Custom Builders came to the International Builders’ Show in February 2008 ready to build a new model home. Like all the other homes Premier has built during the past 18 years, it would have been constructed with a wood frame. But when Brown walked into PCA’s Concrete Pavilion, he realized he could be building high-quality, energy-efficient homes out of concrete.
Once he learned how to build homes with insulating concrete forms (ICFs), Allen formed Energywise Building Solutions, an ICF installation company, and vowed never again to build a house out of wood.
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Brown’s model home in Ohio, built for Cleveland’s Home-A-Rama Parade of Homes, showcases a total thermal envelope. The 6,380-square-foot house features ICFs, spray foam, and geothermal systems. It was designed and approved by an engineer specializing in concrete building technologies. The ICF system is used on all the exterior walls, as well as the garage. Due to its energy-efficient systems, Brown’s home requires only one 4-ton HVAC system (designed with the help of PCA’s HVAC sizing CD) and its energy costs are estimated to be only $90 a month.
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Premier Custom Builders, with the help of Energywise Building Solutions (EBS), will build only ICF homes in the future. Although Premier has a strong reputation in Ohio, ICFs have very little market penetration in the Cleveland area. However, with a month still to go before the Home-A-Rama show (which will bring in 30,000 people over 16 days) the word is spreading about the energy-efficient home. Premier already has a dozen customers working on plans for concrete homes, and EBS has over a number of builders asking them to install ICF systems. Even though most of the American building market is in a recession, Brown’s new services have allowed him to differentiate himself in the market, appeal to the green movement, and offer a hot commodity in the greater Cleveland area.
To learn more about the energy efficiency of concrete homes, check out PCA’s technology brief Concrete Homes Save Energy. For more information about Premier Customer Builders, please visit www.premiercustombuilders.com or call (216) 591-1291. For more information about Energywise Building Solutions, please visit www.energywisebuild.com or call (216) 292-8600.
Affordable Concrete Homes Offered by City of Rock Hill
In late April 2008, the City of Rock Hill, S.C., began construction on four affordable Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) homes. Following in the footsteps of Lubbock, Tex., which has built 100 ICF homes in five years, the Affordable Housing Program of Rock Hill is hoping to continue to build energy-efficient housing using concrete building systems.
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As the first two homes near completion, Rock Hill’s residents are warming up to the idea of affordable concrete housing. Jason Weil of Housing and Neighborhood Services said, “Most [in the community] were apprehensive at first. There was a perception at the beginning that they would look like igloos when we were done. Once the siding went up, though, our biggest critic asked how she could get one.”
At 1400 square feet and a selling price of $100,000, the homes are a part of the Rock Hill Affordable Housing Program. The town is offering down payment and closing cost assistance of $14,999, as well as several grants to help make the homes more affordable. Besides the reasonable purchase price, residents of the new homes will enjoy lower heating and cooling bills, thanks to the superior energy efficiency the concrete building system offers. Most ICF homes in the Carolinas are large custom-built homes; this is one of the first endeavors to offer affordable, energy-efficient, sustainable housing through a civic program in the Carolinas.
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For more information about the houses and the community, please contact the Housing and Neighborhood Services Department of Rock Hill at (803) 329-8783.
New Plan Conversion Service Offered by CCMA
The Carolina Concrete Masonry Association (CCMA) has begun a promotion for the Carolinas that will make switching to concrete masonry much easier for conventional builders. Interested contractors can have their wood frame plans converted by CCMA, and CCMA will pay 50% (up to $2,500) of the costs, engineer’s costs included.
CCMA has an architect and engineer who can convert plans for an average of 68 cents/heated square foot. However, the builder can also use the original architect and still have part of the conversion cost covered by CCMA.
This new promotion will make it much easier for wood frame builders to try concrete masonry, as it provides both financial help and a plan conversion service. CCMA can also help educate builders on the advantages of concrete home building systems, and help them market concrete masonry to homeowners.
Any interested builders in the Carolinas can contact Richard Saba, Residential Manager at CCMA, for more information. His office phone number is (336) 852-2074.
Thanks to the Carolina Concrete Masonry Association for this article.
ICFA Targets Local Builders to Form the Future
ICFA will kick off the 2008 Insulating Concrete Form Association Annual Meeting/EXPO in Portland, Oregon, from September 29 to October 1. The theme this year is “Forming Our Future,” which focuses on the increasing market acceptance and bright future of the ICF industry.
The event will feature two major keynote speakers, two educational tracks, an AIA CEU course, and an expo. Participants can either purchase the full registration or an introductory-level registration that includes the AIA CEU course and admission to Monday’s expo. New to the 2009 expo are live demos of exciting new products and innovations in the industry and a networking event on Tuesday evening.
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Opening the three -day event will be a presentation from Bob Drury of the Northwest Walls & Ceilings Bureau and Tim Spencer of BASF Wall Systems, who draw from their experience in the walls/ceilings industry to provide insight into growing the ICF market and the association/industry partnership. At the conclusion of the conference, Luke Pustejovsky, VP of Business Development for CalStar Concrete, will present the case for integrating sustainability in a business model, illustrated with examples from several green building product manufacturers.
Tuesday will feature two educational tracks. The contractor track tackles topics such as “Rightsizing HVAC Systems,” “Tools for High Performance Homes,” and “Combining Forces with ICFs, SIPs and Steel.” To keep updated on the new Prescriptive Design for ICFs, Donn Thompson, PCA’s Residential Technology Manager, will offer step-by-step design examples of this new standard’s simplified engineering requirements for homes.
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The market development track will offer tools to reach the lucrative ICF markets of green building and commercial construction. Dr. Pieter VanderWerf will release the findings of his new study on Production Builders View on ICFs. And to help make sense of modern marketing technology, Glenn Ochsenreiter, Senior VP of Marketing for theNational Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), and Bruce Cody, concrete promoter of Pennsylvania Aggregate Association (PACA) will share their experiences with online marketing and the time-tested success of personal networking.
Based on its success last year, a post-conference session will once again be offered: the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) course on Building with Insulating Concrete Forms. Conference fees for these sessions and registration options are provided on the Conference Registration form on the ICFA website: www.forms.org.
For more information on ICFs and other concrete building systems, visit the building systems page of PCA’s Concrete Homes website.
Thanks to the Insulating Concrete Form Association for this article.
CFA Unveils Certified Cast-In-Place Foundation Contractor Program
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) has unveiled a new industry program this summer to certify foundation contractor firms in the residential cast-in-place industry. As more building codes and regulations continue to increase accountability, the new CFA program will help contractors increase their knowledge and credibility and differentiate themselves in a tough market.
The CFA Certification involves seven elements: basic knowledge of concrete and foundations, minimum insurance requirements, safety program requirements, continuing education (annual requirement), financial soundness of the business entity, related certifications or verifiable training for specialty equipment, and experience. Company representatives must take a pre-qualification exam, receive continuing education, and undergo annual audit reviews of company operations. Also, to eliminate conflicts of interest, a certification board separate from CFA will oversee the program, and a board of appeals will be available to resolve conflicts over certification denials.
Aside from furthering their foundation education, certified contractors will receive continued support from the CFA. They can use the CFA-certified logo on their letterhead, business cards, trucks, etc. CFA certification could help qualify a contractor for certain municipal jobs, and will help differentiate them from non-certified builders in job bidding. CFA will also soon be launching an online database of certified contractors, where homeowners and general contractors can search for qualified contractors in their area.
This program is a great opportunity for concrete foundation contractors nationwide. Right now, many contractors have a little extra time due to the slow economy, so it’s a good opportunity to get certified. When the market starts picking up, concrete foundation companies that have taken the time to strengthen their credentials can take off running.
For more information on the CFA Certified Cast-In-Place Foundation Contractor Program, please visit their website at www.cfawalls.org, email them at info@cfawalls.org, or call (319) 895-6940.
Thanks to the Concrete Foundation Association for this article.
PCA YouTube Channel Broadcasts Briefings
This spring, PCA launched a YouTube channel featuring brief videos on industry issues, cement and concrete topics, and trends and applications. The video spots are each five minutes or less and feature different PCA experts, including Residential Director Jim Niehoff.
The videos are on PCA’s YouTube channel, Concrete Thinker, and can be accessed at www.youtube.com/concretethinking. Current videos cover many topics: the difference between cement and concrete, concrete homes, economic updates, sustainable development, waste treatment, codes and standards, and market research.
Upcoming Events
PCA/PCI Precast Housing Concrete Video
New! Homebuyers, architects, homebuilders and developers can see how sustainable, beautiful and marketable precast concrete homes can be in this DVD. Each chapter covers a specific aspect of residential precast construction:
Click here for the DVD.
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