Insulated Concrete Forms: Building a Competitive Edge PATH Case Study

Click here to visit the PATH website. The Builders: Ross Rains and Ann Crocker Energy Smart Solutions LLC Flower Mound, Texas Founded in 2001, Energy Smart Solutions LLC is dedicated to using insulating concrete forms (ICFs) in residential construction. The bulk of the company's business is in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Cofounders Rains and Crocker focus on high-end, single-family custom homes, and more recently, multi-family vacation homes. Energy Smart Solutions homes start at $400,000. Builder Type: Small custom builder The Technology: Insulating concrete forms Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are rigid plastic foam forms that hold concrete in place during curing and remain in place to serve as thermal insulation for concrete walls. The lightweight foam blocks, or planks, are energy efficient and highly durable. ICFs are gaining popularity as an exterior wall choice for their durability, speed of construction, higher R-values and lower air-infiltration rates. Energy Smart Solutions lets these qualities drive the company's approach to marketing. They believe ICFs contribute to better homes — and better business. Rains and Crocker estimate that a home built with ICFs will save the homeowner between 60 and 70 percent in energy costs. The Project: A single-family, 13,300 square-foot home in Forney, Texas. The structure features concrete floors; expanded polystyrene ICFs, which form the main structure; and an elevated foundation. Why They Use ICFs: "We can build a better product. It puts us ahead of our competitors," Rains says. "Using ICFs, an experienced crew can assemble the same wall in a shorter amount of time. Time saved is profit earned," Crocker adds. Their story "We have two types of competition: builders who use traditional wood frame/fiberglass batt insulation methods and builders who use energy-efficient products other than ICFs," Ann Crocker says. "But all the test data currently available show that ICF construction has the best combination of energy efficiency and strength for building external walls. We have increased our market share by educating consumers who have an open mind about technological innovations in the housing industry. "A traditional builder sells what you can see: kitchens, master bedrooms, all the elements that have nothing to do with the structure. The value we offer is in the structure itself and what it will do from day one for the occupant. As a result, our marketing is more educational than that of a traditional wood builder. "Consumers have been easier to reach than builders. We have conducted outreach to builders through local home builder associations to tell them about the benefits of ICFs, because having more builders using ICFs will guarantee that they remain available in the marketplace. If the supply of contractors using ICFs cannot satisfy demand, the customer will drop the idea. Many of our customers are educated about energy efficiency and seek us out."   1 | 2 | 3 | 4  NEXT