ICF Walls of the Ozarks’ Story: Innovative Construction
ICF Walls of the Ozarks was founded in 2014 by David and Nancy Samples. The Samples had been in the construction business for more than 20 years when approached by a customer with a plan for an Insulated Concrete Form home. They were hesitant at first, due to the issues some ICF builders had faced, along with taking on the challenge of learning a new building style. This was the turning point for their roles in residential construction; from that point on they chose to only build with insulated concrete forms. In the 9 years that ICF Walls, LLC has been operating, we have completed over 100 ICF projects ranging from 1,(417) 507-1020,000 square feet.
ICF construction is leagues above the highest-quality wood-framed home due to the sustainability and safety features it presents. Over the years, the Samples have honed their ICF building style to help it outshine even your standard ICF building methods. With our Legacy System we offer:
1. Walls that withstand 250 MPH winds
2. An engineered truss system to match the resiliency of your walls (a real weak area in standard ICF building)
3. A bracing system that allows us to ensure your walls are square, straight, and plumb.
4. A footing system that allows for a monolithic pour.
Storm Resilient Walls
In layman’s terms, ICF construction consists of Styrofoam “Legos” that are stacked and braced. We then fill these Legos up with concrete, remove the bracing, and leave behind the shell, continuous insulation included on the inside and outside of your walls.
Our standard wall ends up just shy of 12-inches thick, 6 inches steel reinforced concrete. This provides you with a home/building that will be able to stand up to Mother Nature. Our walls have been rated to withstand winds up to 250 MPH. The 2011 Joplin, MO tornado had winds just shy of 200 MPH.
Storm Resilient Roof
Standard roof systems have a major weakness. While your walls would withstand up to 250 MPH winds, your roof would come nowhere close. Just like a wood-framed home, you could expect the roof to be ripped off during major winds, leaving the inside of your home vulnerable, and sometimes, unsalvageable. What good do storm resilient walls do if the inside can still be ruined by the loss of your roof? What safety would we be able to confirm if your roof could still lead to endangering your loved ones?
As a company, we strive to provide the safest home imaginable to our customers, so providing a roof that could not withstand 100 MPH winds was not even considered. David took to finding a truss manufacturer who could help up obtain a roof system as strong as the walls we build.
Our truss system is designed by an engineer to be able to withstand 200 MPH winds. This is a truss system that is specific to ICF Walls of the Ozarks. We take this one step further by embedding tie downs 3 inches into the top of your concrete walls. These tie downs wrap around our truss system (or any truss system) to provide more resistance to wind speeds.
A Better Bracing System
In the ICF industry, the standard bracing system is placed vertically on the walls every 5 or 6-feet. How can you ensure that the wall space in between this bracing stays straight? How can you use this system to correct any issues that may arise during the build or on pour day? You can’t.
We found a company that offered a bracing system we could place on our walls vertically and horizontally. It allows us to adjust the walls as we build up and pour the project. With a bracing system that spans most of the wall and allows us to adjust, we can keep your house square, straight, and plumb. The issue of wiggles being apparent in an ICF wall is not an issue that we face when using this system.
A Monolithic Footing System
A lot of ICF builders will pour a standard footing and then stack up with ICF from there. We use a footing system that allows us to build the footer, build the walls, and then pour them both at once. This method eliminates the cold break that can exist and keeps rising damp at bay. This also helps eliminate pests!
ICF structures can have any exterior finish that you wish. Most ICF manufacturers make a brick ledge form that allows the homeowner to brick on the exterior. These forms are not made to be used with a monolithic pour, so our crew designed their own brick ledge. Our personal brick ledge will allow you to have the exterior look you want without having to let go of some of the amazing benefits of ICF!
Here at ICF Walls of the Ozarks, we boast crews made up of certified block installers. They are trained in our method and can effectively and efficiently help make your dream home not only a reality, but a structure that will stand the test of time. With very little cost difference, one that can be made back in 3-4 years, please reach out and see if we can help you make your dream a reality. We want you to be able to leave a legacy to future generations, a home that becomes a vault for memories shared with you and your loved ones.
