Nov 09, 2009: Pouring ICF Concrete

It’s time to pour concrete inside of the ICF blocks to finish the foundation.  A conveyor truck was brought in to make it easy to fill along the wall perimeter.

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Now that the foundation has been completed, the grade around the house can be filled and shaped to the correct levels.  The ground inside the house must also be raised and prepared for the concrete slab to be poured.  The final SIP drawings have been completed and we received word that the panels should arrive this week.

I have mentioned SIPs a few times, but have not gone into detail about them.  SIP stands for structural insulated panel.  It is a sandwich of wood and insulation that creates a very well insulated and sealed house.  We are going with 12″ thick wall
panels from Porter SIPs in Holland, MI.  You can read more about them on their site.

The panels are designed and prefabricated off-site and are assembled in a matter of days to complete the house wall and roof structure.  This creates virtually no construction waste, similar to using the ICF blocks.  The assembly of the SIPs should
hopefully begin next week.

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With the concrete poured in the post holes, the rest of the system will be ready to be installed after a few days of cement curing.  We’ve come a long way in about a month and a half.  From an empty lot to having the basic structures for the house and solar
system completed.  In the next few weeks both the house and solar system should look fairly complete from the outside.  There will be a lot of wiring and interior work left to complete.