ICF, Insulated concrete forms.

Finished externally with paneling/ cladding and finished internally with plaster board, fully inslated with awesome thermal qualities and termite proof. Excellent strength and reduced build time with reduced labor.

I think this system is great, have a look, share your thoughts.

Consider flammability with charcoal, oil or gas stoves, and mosquitoe coils left burning overnight.

Not sure about flamability, the foam is not naked so direct contact with flame isn't possible. I think you'd have to have a serious amount of heat to make the foam combust underneath a plasterboard sheet and without oxygen. Aparrently in the US, homes constructed with ICF's are cheaper to insure in comparison to traditional timber stud wall homes.

Edited September 2, 201213 yr by damo

ICF, Insulated concrete forms.

Finished externally with paneling/ cladding and finished internally with plaster board, fully inslated with awesome thermal qualities and termite proof. Excellent strength and reduced build time with reduced labor.

I think this system is great, have a look, share your thoughts.

I think the big advantages of your system, thermal ability, quick build, storm resistance, easy electrics etc, are not of such importance here where labour is cheap as in the US. Add to that it's still unfinished either side. I'm not sure why I'd want it.

Edited September 2, 201213 yr by cheeryble

Not so new (20+ years), and not so relevant for Thailand.

Ambient temperatures are here high during the whole day. ICF's work good for countries that have a big difference in temperature during the day and a big difference between the temperature you feel comfortable with and the mean ambient temperature.

For instance if you need to heat a house to a comfortable 23 celsius and outside it is -10 celsius you need to overcome a difference of 33 degrees. Insulation will help a lot with that.

If you need to lower the temperature from 35 to 26 (and dry the air) it is only 9 degrees. Still insulation can lower your airconditioning bill but the difference is not that big when compared with the need for heating in cold countries.

ICF is not really available in Thailand and importing it will make it too expensive, you are actually importing more than 90% air. I have looked into this a long time and came to the conclusion that it is not really a viable option in Thailand. You have to consider the tools that are needed, A concrete pump is not that common, watch out for blowout as that is a big problem when icf's are not used properly and without the necessary materials, knowledge and experience for bracing. Air pockets is another problem common with that style, all solvable by an experienced team, which you will not find in Thailand. The one in the video is the most simple one and most prone to problems while constructing.

It looks simple but a small error and the whole build can be in danger with difficult repairs and even demolition work needed for the failed parts.

The standard posts and beams from concrete is an excellent framework. It is a very flexible style of building and every builder can do it.

The gains to have a better house can be made elsewhere. Like high ceilings, ventilation, prevent sunshine on walls, the right orientation etc.

These are just design considerations and not add much cost.

Of course the quality of doors and windows is important, but that would be the same for any construction type.

At the moment i am studying dry stacking of concrete blocks and surface bind them. It looks easy and i am trying to find out if that is really so.

I even have made a design of an interlocking block that can be drystacked, just to get a feel for what is possible.

Here is an example: http://www.haenerblo...st_housing.html

If a mold is made the blocks can be made close to or even on the building site. That would reduce costs a lot.

Edited September 2, 201213 yr by Khun Jean

Hmmm Kh Jean

the Haener blocks look interesting though for me ugly would certainly have to be rendered or something for domestic buildings. Some thoughts....

1. I looked at the video and noticed a brief glimpse of a T wondering if they botched it together do u know how that's done?

2. Would be interested to see a mould how that works......and how many does one need?

3. The blocks would need to be very uniform as when you're dry stacking you can't adjust levels as with mortar. Backward and forward lean would be even more critical, do the blocks have a front? If they are not turn-roundable and are all the same way round an error could build up rather than be evened out by randomness.

Edited September 3, 201213 yr by cheeryble

Dry stacked have to be surface bound otherwise it not has the strength.The block being ugly is therefore unimportant.

A mesh with cement rendering will make it presentable. In that layer you could add features with stamping, or other surface finishing that are available.

A concrete block is often only dimensional correct in one plane. As the holes are from top to bottom there will be height differences as not one block will go out of a mold exactly the same. The way to correct that is to turn the blocks around every layer, for that you have to know the front and back of a block, i presume it has some marks to be able to tell which side is which.

The block itself looks nice and easy to work with but i think a better one can be made that has more contact between the blocks. More like a jigsaw puzzle piece. I also would like it to be high, like at least 60 cm. Using grout to correct for plumb is then not difficult for a not so experienced worker.

If you google 'interlocking block' and click images you will see a lot of different designs, some have interesting features to simulate rocks, or brickwork. The interlocking blocks are however not dry stacked but use poured cement to bind them.

There are so many ways to build, in the end it comes down to your own preference.

As said before i lean toward the post and beam system and concentrate on how to fill it to make walls.

The concrete boards with a wood finish are also easy to use. Just connect them to the beams on both sides and fill the cavity with spray foam. Easy and cheap, going to do that for a small 45 m2 one bedroom holiday bungalow this winter. I expect to build it for around 100k baht.

Edited September 3, 201213 yr by Khun Jean

Those Haener blocks look interesting KJ, I have seen simmilar in Oz, except the bloks in Oz have a notch inside of the blocks to sit 13mm reo. The blocks are then filled wil conc. Strip footing with starter bars ect. Great for small retainers.

I'm not sure with Haener what your going to have in years to come, your peir and rafter type slab will need to be well engineered and well cured otherwise you'll have some nice surface cracking across your render. Chook wire will only help to a point, maybe an acrylic texture coat and re-coat in years to come may make it work or external cladding and plasterboard internals.

I know with my house in Thailand we have some decent cracks, the house is of solid construction and only 8 years old.

Are the Heaner blocks available in Thailand?

This building method has been featured in Grand Designs several times in building domestic houses . I cannot nominate what episodes tho without going thru a lot of the episodes , but i remember one about a underground house employing this building method .

Dry stacked have to be surface bound otherwise it not has the strength.The block being ugly is therefore unimportant.

A mesh with cement rendering will make it presentable. In that layer you could add features with stamping, or other surface finishing that are available.

But the website shows finished building showing the individual blocks. They also talk about pouring concrete inside and rebar to add strength.

A concrete block is often only dimensional correct in one plane. As the holes are from top to bottom there will be height differences as not one block will go out of a mold exactly the same. The way to correct that is to turn the blocks around every layer, for that you have to know the front and back of a block, i presume it has some marks to be able to tell which side is which.

...yes, that's why I wondered if it was turn-roundable.

The block itself looks nice and easy to work with but i think a better one can be made that has more contact between the blocks. More like a jigsaw puzzle piece. I also would like it to be high, like at least 60 cm. Using grout to correct for plumb is then not difficult for a not so experienced worker.

If you google 'interlocking block' and click images you will see a lot of different designs, some have interesting features to simulate rocks, or brickwork. The interlocking blocks are however not dry stacked but use poured cement to bind them.

...will have a look

There are so many ways to build, in the end it comes down to your own preference.

As said before i lean toward the post and beam system and concentrate on how to fill it to make walls.

The concrete boards with a wood finish are also easy to use. Just connect them to the beams on both sides and fill the cavity with spray foam. Easy and cheap, going to do that for a small 45 m2 one bedroom holiday bungalow this winter. I expect to build it for around 100k baht.

Small?........ the main part of my CM house is 36 sqm!

Khun Jean,

Please post photos when you build your house.

This looks like an interesting building block:

Edited September 13, 201213 yr by Khun Jean