Building with Concrete & Insulated Concrete Forms

Concrete has a number of green incentives. It can be produced locally anywhere, which eliminates the emissions that come from transporting materials. It can also be made with recycled materials from old concrete structures, and recycled once again when the structure is no longer in use. Due to its high density, concrete is also a better natural insulator than wood, particularly when used with ICF’s, or Insulating Concrete Forms. ICF’s are made of plastic foam and are used to hold concrete in place during the building process, but that’s just the beginning of the benefits of using ICF’s. Insulating Concrete Forms as their name suggests add a significant amount of insulation over regular wood framing. In the Rio Grande Valley, where a comfortable home means it must provide a welcomed escape from the intense heat, this is especially important.

An ICF-built home can be as much as 50% more energy-efficient and tremendously reduces noise pollution. Additionally, ICF provides a much sturdier structure than you get with wood. “An ICF-built home can withstand hurricane force winds up to 250 miles per hour,” says Kemp Dubea, owner of Sun Valley Enterprise in Harlingen, Texas, the leading builder of Insulated Concrete Forms in South Texas. For more information on the benefits of building your new home with Insulating Concrete Forms, call Sun Valley Enterprise at (956) 423-2224 – you’ll be surprised at how competitively priced it is! Also recently introduced into the U.S. is Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC). This innovative concrete material is a precast structural product made with all-natural raw and abundant materials and reduces the amount of concrete used as well as the negative impact of concrete on the environment. It performs like typical concrete with some additional benefits due to its light weight. Shipping and handling costs are less. It is easy to handle on the job site and can be cut easily with a regular saw. In addition, AAC is strong, fire resistant, and provides excellent sound insulation. This unique building product can be found locally at Xella in San Juan, Texas. Aurelio Flores, a Xella representative, states, “Aside from being extremely energy-efficient, our AAC products are mold and insect resistant and will provide tremendous savings in the long run due to reduced fire insurance premiums and low to no maintenance.” This construction material is also easy to finish. Exterior walls can be painted, stuccoed, or finished with a variety of accent materials. Use of this product results in additional savings by eliminating the need for traditional insulation products and other layers in the construction process such as plywood or sheetrock.