| When a small child draws a picture of a house, he or | | | | almost entirely made of concrete. No, the traditional |
| she usually draws a square shaped bottom half and | | | | cement wall is not replacing the traditional wood wall |
| triangular top. The square bottom represents walls | | | | because by using insulated concrete forms (ICF) |
| built out of wooden studs and wooden trusses are | | | | contractors give their customers a new type of wall |
| the frame for the triangle top. This is the norm; this | | | | that is strong and saves a great deal of energy. |
| is what children and most adults understand. The | | | | Contractors are able to take an ICF block, stack it on |
| traditional home in the United States is made of | | | | top of another one and pour the wet cement |
| wood. Wood is in the walls and in the roof. For years | | | | creating a new and improved cement wall. |
| wood has been the material of choice to construct | | | | The foam blocks that are stacked together create a |
| homes because it was not overly expensive, | | | | steel reinforced concrete wall that is very well |
| provides decent strength, and has been easy to use. | | | | insulated. Literally, the ICF concrete wall starts as a |
| As modern technologies offer us new ways to | | | | foam wall, resembling a large Lego set. The foam wall |
| construct residential homes we must question the | | | | is hollow in the middle leaving room for the cement |
| use of wood as the main construction component. By | | | | and steel reinforcing. After the cement is poured into |
| developing better ways to manufacture cement, and | | | | the middle and dries, it is permanently bonded to the |
| by making cement easier to use in the creation of | | | | foam. A super strong insulated cement wall is much |
| walls, contractors can now build homes that are | | | | better than a traditional cement or wood wall. |