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We are now looking at a the post-pandemic construction environment. While lumber prices on the commodities market are back to pre-covid levels, it will take a little while for this to work it’s way through to the retail level; but it should eventually. The issue now is the highest inflation  rates seen in decades which is translating into skyrocketing prices for subtrade labour such as carpenters. The result is that the overall cost of wood framing including materials and labour has not retreated from their recent highs, which still results in ICF construction becoming less of a premium product and more of a no-brainer. This is even more the case when you consider the current and forcast cost of energy to heat and cool your home. Building to energy efficiency levels above the code minimum have very real benefits and much shorter payback time frames. Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are typically purchased from a local building supplier or distributer. As of November 2022, styrofoam ICF blocks have continued to rise due to higher oil prices resulting in higher cost of eps resin beads as well as the plastic ties commonly used. Currently, the purchase price of a regular 16” x 48” styrofoam ICF block is in the $32-$40 range, depending on what region/country it is purchased in. This translates to about $6.00 – $7.50 per SF of wall area. With concrete and rebar, total material costs will be approx. $12.00 – $15.00 per SF (depending on the design and location). But Styrofoam is not the only option in Insulated concrete forms. There are materials like Nexcem cement bonded wood fiber that offer a better ICF solution. Building with a non-EPS ICF like Nexcem costs about $10.00 – $13.00 per SF for the block, uses 25% less concrete and approximately the same amount of steel. Total material costs with Nexcem are in the $14.00 – $17.00per SF range. Although Nexcem blocks are smaller and heavier, the stronger Nexcem material results in less bracing and pre-pour preparation over the polystyrene insulated concrete forms.

Overall, building with Nexcem is an roughly works out to an extra $5.00 per SF of wall area. At first glance, this seems like a large premium (almost double the material price) to avoid the polystyrene, but in fact it works out to be a fairly reasonable premium for what we think is a much better product.

Let’s take an example of a home that has a 2500 SF footprint (say 50ft x 50ft). This would mean there is 200 linear ft. of wall. if the walls were 9ft high and had the normal 15% window area, you would need 1530 SF of ICF per floor. At a $5.50 premium, The extra cost of building with a product like Nexcem would be $7650 per floor. Our clients find this to be worth it for a product that:

  • Doesn’t burn
  • Doesn’t melt
  • Not petroleum based
  • Doesn’t have VOCs or offgasing
  • Doesn’t dent (Impact resistant)
  • Has better thermal performance (R-36+ with exterior oriented insulation)
  • Provides a regulated humidity level (breathable / hygroscopic)
  • Can be left exposed on the interior
  • Has no fire retardants
  • Is termite and insect proof

So, how much will it cost to build with ICFs compared to regular wood frame construction?

Every designer, builder and homeowner is different, and there are many variables in play that make it difficult to arrive at a general rule of thumb to accurately answer that question. If you ask most builders, they don’t actually know the cost of their perimeter walls separated from the rest of the wood package. Nonetheless, here is an example that illustrates general ICF construction pricing given typical lumber prices and prevailing interest rates:

 

  • Below grade, i.e. for your basement, the overall cost of an ICF-constructed basement  should be similar to a conventionally constructed one that is framed and insulated to R-20 or better. Based on our experience, at the most, Nexcem basements would be a $5000 premium (based on the 2500 SF footprint example).
  • Above grade, walls built with Nexcem ICFs can cost in the range of $8 – $9 /sq. ft. of wall area more than ordinary 2 x 6 stick-framed walls. Again for a 2500 square foot plan, that would translate to an extra  $12000 – $14,000 per floor