If you live in the Midwest or the Northeast with all the snow and cold weather, ICF house plans can reduce or eliminate cold drafts.
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You’ll find ICF-designed homes in almost every state. The one-story, four-bedroom home with country touches has an appealing brick façade and features lots of space for a bonus room and a basement. You can turn this rendering of a delightful ICF home plan into reality. In addition to their energy-efficiency, concrete block homes are also fire resistant and long-lasting. Because the CMUs slow down the heat transfer due to their thermal mass, the homes tend to stay cooler during the day in the hot summer weather. The concrete block design is popular in places with warm climates like Florida and other southern states. Masonry is also a preferred finish for many architects and builders. These units are made from high-strength concrete mixtures that make them durable and resistant to demanding weather conditions. Concrete block designs use CMUs (concrete masonry units) as the primary material for construction. Wherever you are, these styles offer several advantages. You don’t have to live in an area affected by typhoons and tornadoes to consider a concrete block or ICF (insulated concrete form) designed house plan. This one-story, four-bedroom Mediterranean-style house plan – with concrete block exterior walls – is perfect for coastal living or areas where tropical storms are prevalent ( Plan #107-1144).Īdvantages of the Concrete Block / ICF Home When all the debris was cleared and the order restored to the ruined area, my brother built a new concrete block kitchen in place of the old one. It was fortunate that no one was in the kitchen or anywhere near its vicinity when disaster struck. While the house remained intact, an outdoor kitchen made mostly of wood and other materials was destroyed. During one particularly nasty storm, some of the trees fell to the ground – without inflicting any damage to the house – which withstood the gale winds and heavy rains. Perhaps memories of the durability of that home spurred my brother to build a concrete block house in the Mediterranean style – surrounded by native trees and shrubbery. While some houses were battered by the rain and winds, with roofs and windows flying, we were sheltered in our “fortress” – warm, comfortable, and mostly unthreatened by the elements.
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But within our home – located on the second floor of a concrete building – all of us always felt safe. I still remember the torrential downpours, the frightening winds, and the flooded streets.
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I grew up in an area of the world whereas many as 20 tropical storms can hit the country in a year. Practicality and Appealing Architectural Styles Merge in Concrete Homes