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Insulated concrete form (ICF)

Have you ever thought of living in a concrete house? It may be more welcoming than it sounds. These forms are hollow blocks, planks, or panels made of plastic foam that are joined and then poured with concrete, to create the exterior walls of a structure. The foam serves as insulation once the walls are in place-providing better energy-efficiency and sound insulation than traditional wood-frame construction. Building an ICF house is generally more labor-efficient as well, since a separate insulating step is not required. As with many building decisions, you'll want to weigh the energy-efficiency of ICF against the environmental impact of cement and plastic and decide what's most important to you. Look for new ICF products, composed of recycled plastics and cement composites, which are starting to come on the market.

 

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