Yes. There are three parts to the below grade waterproofing: French drain (foundation drain), waterproofing, and a drain board ? protection course. An ICF approved spray-on or roll-on liquid waterproofing membrane such as AquaSeal Eco-Flex is recommended from 6 inches above the finished grade to 6" down the footing. A French drain tile system should be installed at the base of the footing and covered with coarse drain rock.

AMVIC ICF's are the most recently designed blocks on the market, and builders are consistently giving them strong reviews for ease of use and enhanced speed of assembly. The design of the AMVIC blocks makes them the easiest to use of any system available. The blocks arrive on site pre-assembled, and the straight block and 90 deg and 45 deg blocks provide for almost all shape requirements. If additional angles or curves are required, they can be constructed on-site using straight blocks.

AMVIC ICF’s are the most recently designed blocks on the market, and builders are consistently giving them strong reviews for ease of use and enhanced speed of assembly. The design of the AMVIC blocks makes them the easiest to use of any system available. The blocks arrive on site pre-assembled, and the straight block and 90 deg and 45 deg blocks provide for almost all shape requirements. If additional angles or curves are required, they can be constructed on-site using straight blocks.

A - No. Conventional house plans can be used; you must simply have the exterior wall dimensions increased to accommodate the Amvic walls. Top

ICF is the acronym for Insulating Concrete Forms. There are multiple types of ICF's but in general ICF's are rigid plastic foam forms that are filled with reinforced concrete to create structural walls. They hold concrete in place during curing and remain in place afterwards to provide thermal insulation. ICF's are used to make structural concrete walls, and can be used to make either foundation or above-grade walls.

A - Amvic ICF structures require 30-50% less energy to heat and cool when used in conjunction with other energy saving products. They are also wind, fire and insect and rodent resistant as well as provide a safe, quiet and comfortable atmosphere for homeowners for many years.

A ? Concrete walls built with Amvic ICFs may last in excess of 100 years with minimal maintenance required to the walls. This is at least 4 times longer than traditional construction.

A - Amvic comes in 4, 6, 8 & 10" concrete cores, please see our Product Catalog for more information. Top

A - A structural engineer should design multi-storey structures built with Amvic, but the sky is the limit.

The building will use 35 up to 70% less energy to heat and cool; it will be quieter and will keep out more unwanted noise than a conventionally constructed home; the house will have superior wind and fire resistance; the exterior walls are essentially impervious to rot and decay, and overall you will experience a much more comfortable living environment.

Multi-story structures can be built with AMVIC, one story at a time. At present we've built to 8 stories. Each story is stacked 9' to 12' and poured in 2' - 4' lifts in a continuous pour.

Yes, however some local officials may have more experience with this than others. Most of the Northern California and Nevada counties have approved ICF projects recently. Most building departments have dealt with ICF construction previously and are knowledgeable about it. AMVIC's system has been approved by the ICBO Evaluation Service, the primary construction product certification organization in the country. The ICBO report number is ER-5948. Download this ICBO Report.

A - Yes. Amvic offers 3 standard radii forms custom radius forms and custom radius forms can also be ordered. ny angle that is required can be made by miter cutting the form at the proper angle and using foam to join the edges.

A - Generally walls will require 3000 psi concrete or as specified by your engineer or code. Maximum aggregate size is 3/4" and placed at a 5-6" slump.

A - R-Value is a term given to the property of any material to "resist" the conduction of heat. R-Value as a property is legitimate. The functional design of the laboratory determination of this property, relative to commercial insulation and building materials, is flawed at a fundamental level since performance predictions using heat transfer calculations based on tested and published R-values alone do not accurately predict real-world performance.

A - With the proper roof configuration, Amvic ICF homes are very resistant to tornados and hurricanes. In most cases, damage is to the external finishings only. A - Mold and mildew are not a problem when building with the Amvic system. Mold and mildew are fungi that grow in a moist atmosphere. They tend to form on the interior/exterior of walls where moisture condenses as a result of surface/air temperature differences.

A - No. EPS Foam is a poor conductor of heat and cold. Therefore, water vapor that may be present in the structure will not condense on the walls.