How to Use Insulated Concrete
While discussing reincarnation one night a friend told me that he wanted to come back as a Styrofoam coffee cup because that way he'd last forever. Polystyrene is light, durable, sound absorbing, and renowned for its insulation. Bond it with concrete and you have a superior building material called insulated concrete. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Know that insulated concrete combines the synthetic stone's durability with two layers of foam to make a building material that is highly energy efficient at a cost that in many cases is comparable to wood construction.
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Grasp how energy efficient insulated concrete can be. Six inches of concrete combined with inside and outside layers of 2 ½ inch foam can give you a value of R-23; far better than the average home in the US today. The higher the R value, the higher the insulation.
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Understand the construction basics. The most widely used method is to replace the typical wooden forms for pouring with those made of Styrofoam. The forms are left in place when the concrete cures. They act as a barrier against outside temperature and sound. Externally, stucco, brick facing or siding can applied. Inside, sheet rock or wood paneling finishes the surface.
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Learn these insulated concrete terms. A flat system is as described above where the walls have a continuous, uniform, concrete layer. Grid systems employ a waffle pattern where the thickness varies. Post and beam systems mimic wood construction with its series of columns and beams all encased in foam. Choose the method you favor based on cost, R factor and local building codes.
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Realize where this kind of construction stands ahead of the competition. Because the walls are so quiet, when they are coupled with double windows and tight doors, insulated concrete is great for noisy environments such as lots close to superhighways or airports. The Styrofoam is treated to resist flames. Add that to the concrete core, topped by fire resistant tile roofs, and you have a building material that is perfect for the wildfire prone canyons of California. Finally, you'll never have to fumigate for termites, nor will the material ever corrode or rust. The steel reinforcing is buried within the walls, far from the elements.
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Grasp the environmental impact of these homes. Compared to building with fiberboard or plywood, internal emissions of volatile organic compounds is nil. You're not using trees in the framing, keeping them growing and working as carbon sponges. With IC you're burning less energy to heat or cool your home. The construction material is all natural with the exception of the polystyrene which is derived from petroleum. Carbon dioxide is used to form polystyrene, so with each piece of insulated concrete that you use, you are actually trapping a green house gas within the walls of where you live.
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