Building a House Start to Finish: ICF Construction

[@raymondmills9377]

When I look at the complexity of your foundation And ground water management I can't help but think about the many hundred year old barns nearby sitting on simple stone foundations. I also think with all the effort I see I'm glad I buy my homes finished. They may not be built with love but we fill them later. As always, I enjoy watching your enviable industry.

[@iamwhoiam4410]

You're doing an awesome job guys. My wife and I can relate to all your fails and rewards since we built our own home, and a lot of it is timber framed and in a mountain valley also. Enjoy your rest, you deserve it, and thanks for sharing your build experiences. No doubt you're helping someone that will eventually take on the same challenge.

[@RelentlessHomesteading]

Second it - on the value of sitting and thinking it through. I mentally build each element, often writing down tool lists, parts lists, building tips and sequences. It helps me tremendously !!! Once in the heat of building I often don't see the whole picture and then prone to mistakes - so the time spent thinking it through can be worth lots of time and money. Like your approach as you think your way through it and how close together you work. Kudos!

[@chriscampbell1376]

Nice! I heard the notification just before going to bed. My last video of the night. Thank you.

[@terriwallace9921]

Love watching you all and seeing your progress on your home, thanks for sharing your lives, you two are awsome people love how you are with one another you can see the love and care u have for each other , that's nice. Glad u are taking some time to get away and enjoy friends and relax that is inportant.

[@retiredusmc9090]

Love watching the progress all around, Great job to the both of you.

[@TealHouseFarm]

You guys are awesome. It's so much fun to watch people conquer big dreams and goals. Keep up the great work!!

[@morrow.m]

Its coming along nicely. Happy for y'all. May each day and its challenges find a smooth resolution.

[@Aggie_Fehr]

Enjoy your rest and relaxation! If anyone deserves it it's you two!!

[@beaverrick9789]

Thank you for documenting this progress, I have always wanted to use ICFs, but after watching all the work and problems that you are having I think I will have a bock basement done. Building my own new timber frame home is what I have always dreamed off, but I think that you must pick your own battles as far as what all you can do alone. Great job guys, hang in there.

[@riadozee]

Always great and well made videos . Please keep them coming and I'll keep watching

[@mandbhomestead]

Awesome work, it is coming together. Cannot wait to see the concrete pour for the walls. Thanks for sharing.

[@rabiamarygraney2881]

Love your videos, your documentation of your experiences and explanations. You both work well together. I fully enjoy following along in your journey.

[@Outlawedstranger]

Keep it up guys this is inspirational series watching you both makes me think I could make plans to build a small home in wa state

[@WallaceRoseVincent]

Hey Liteform, send these people some love! I love your product because of them!

[@petejones9788]

That backhoe turned out to be a good investment 👍.

[@kslinthesand]

Good work guys, keep it up. I hope you got to catch up with your friends. Thanks for taking the time to upload the videos.

[@lLykaLyksl]

Holy crap I am so behind on these videos for Jesse and Allysa... been meaning to catch up and I think they are making an insane and very fast progress can't wait to catch up this weekend for sure. Keep at it!!

[@lula_leftist]

Congrats 200k and thanks for fun and informative videos, surely a lot of filming and editing work, much appreciated

[@restawhileyall1781]

Nothing beats a good hard day's work - except of course sticking your toes in the creek.

[@utubetimothy]

Top 20 YAHHHH!! Keep up the good work. Me and my 5-year-old love the videos.

[@brownsnake0400]

that liteform product placement though. keep it up guys. hope the camping trip went well!

[@charlesmiller5078]

Excellent video editing.

[@ozzyfranf]

I give these guys a lot of credit. Most people would never do anything like this. Including myself and 99% of the people in the comment section that are experts in every aspect of this build.

[@stewart51able]

Great videos..Been watching all of them.Great that you have a wife that is such good help. Take care of that.Cant wait to see the end results...

[@farmerrog7816]

Congrats on 200,000 subscribers!

[@thebrianandmikeshow6056]

we know its a lot of work , but thank you for all the videos. I check everyday to see if there is a new one.

[@National757]

Awesome to see your dreams taking shape! When you shoot a video with out your beautiful wife present, you can definitely notice her energy absent! You two make a great team! :)

[@dominicbaglione8691]

I should be doing summer math, but I love your videos so much!!!!

[@scuzzbecuzz]

Good job! You guys continue to amaze me!!!!!

[@stevewolf2886]

wish i could do all that work like you guys. keep it up, love your vids.

[@BAM62]

You know I've been watching you for a while now and just want to say. I can't wait to use alot of this for my own future home. Thank you for all this time you've taken to video your progress

[@MarthaMedicare]

200,000 subscribers... Congrats!😎👍

[@darlacurry1312]

Jesse and Alyssa the two of you deserve an award for most tolerant people EVER! You have the highest concentration of know-it-all a-holes on you tube trolling your channel every day! Hats off to you!

[@timmattison6553]

You will need to get 2x4 bracing on your outside corners. You will find that you'll have a corner(s) that are falling out of plumb. Also were your common block/ cut blocks are they will need 2-32" pieces of furring strip inside and out for support. Also on your short side corner block it doesn't hurt to put furring there if you don't do corner bracing. The project is looking good

[@mattjames8683]

2 videos in one day ... Like who are we!!

[@DaybirdAviaries]

I enjoy watching your progress.

[@charliefoxtrotthe3rd335]

You guys are doing such a great job. And the video editing/shooting is top shelf. There are sooo many "experts" who are so full of themselves and full of shit that the fact you don't call them out is a tribute to your cool, calm natures. Enjoy your camping trip, it's well earned

[@mrmiz2547]

Great videos. Have you guys thought through your doorways. Specifically how the thresholds will sit on your ICF's. First off your wall is thicker than standard so you have to pick where your going to mount your door. We choose flush with the interior wall. Which gave us an eleven inch gap between our exterior door and outside wall. Not only do you have to figure out which material your going to finish that with, but you have to figure out structurally how it will react with the weather. for example if you tile the 11 inches remember that your tile could be going over 3 different materials, wood, foam, and concrete. If you just thinset your tiles on then the difference in expansion and contraction of the 3 materials will cause them to break, and even with a backer board over the 3 materials it might still cause shifting so you might start looking at a membrane that disconnects the structure from the tile so that all surfaces can expand and contract as they need without ruining your finishing material. That ALSO mean your door frame must accommodate the additional substrate high... if the backer is 1/2 and your tile with thinset is 1/2 then your door is going to be up in the hole an inch and if you frame your doors in within and inch your going to be too tight and might be redoing your framing. I did tile and PVC Siding boards, but we had to do this AFTER the fact because we didn't consider the change in surfaces. After talking with another ICF owner I really wished I would have done a full through door option. Either pouring a solid concrete base for the threshold to set on and then have 1 material to build from or framing the floor all the way out to the outside edge and finishing it with exterior rated materials. Everything turned out fine mind you one year later and none of the tiles have broken out, but I really wish I would have thought the doors through better. Sorry for the long comment. You probably don't even have time to look at these, but I was just hoping to give you a tip before you have concrete poured and are stuck like I was. built 3 houses with ICF, and I got certified to install it before I started. My previous experience before the build was only remodeling. I love ICF's, but I wished I had somebody to tell me what to watch out for while I was building as there is a real lack of experienced ICF builders in my area.

[@milestogotilisleep]

If you are worried about blow outs during the concrete pour, use a vibrator when pouring the walls. When you order the concrete ask if they will rent you the vibrator and if not rent it somewhere. Vibrating the concrete as you pour will keep the concrete from blasting through the walls. Also you have to work fast and know what you are doing...maybe you should hire an help the day of the pour.

[@WesleyAring]

Congrats on 200k! 👍👍

[@ArthurBegiato]

Love your videos. First one I watch when I open my feed - period. []'s from Brazil! Yeeah!

[@norman3605]

Every queen needs her castle.

[@Parlusk]

I always thought the holes of the drainage pipe goes on the bottom not the top? I hope that pipe has holes on two sides!

[@Ary-vd5jo]

Congrats on 200k subs

[@shaverdave3644]

It's amazing how a simple product can be made to look so difficult. I hope you are alternating each row of rebar, as you will have to push one length every 16", from the finished height of he wall.This ties all the rebar together. If the wall has a bump up at the end run a chalk line at the top and keep the concrete to that height. This like a lot of other products are made simple for the diy 's

[@matthewcrosson9124]

I stayed up till 3 in the morning to watch this because I couldn't wait till tomorrow to watch it love ur vids

[@MarthaMedicare]

Matthew Crosson, where are you that it's 3am? Guessing yer summers in Europe cause it's just past 2200 here in FLA😉👍

[@MarthaMedicare]

g2macs, sorry to hear that. Insomnia sux. I hear that the sun doesn't go down until 930 @ night in the summer in Scotland. Is that true?

[@aries171717]

BST here also. 03:16 am I love these two.

[@bakaariiim]

hey man I wait till 5 in the morning (İSTANBUL / TÜRKİYE "Turkey" ) Because I love your to do awesome work and selamün aleyküm "God bless you".

[@MarthaMedicare]

g2macs... Wow

[@thomasbrooch8697]

Before you bury those drains I would suggest that you install clean outs at the corners and extened them up above grade, you'll also have a place to put your down spouts that way if you ever have trouble with silting in ( yes I saw the fabric) you have a chance to snake and flush without digging it up.

[@teekianhan]

hope that with all the challenges and effort you will succeed and be happy in life...

[@phillips.english1442]

All that foam squeeking would drive me nuts !!! How do y 'all do it ?

[@TheDuckAndRogerTheHorse]

Down time looks lovely!

[@dgarza1]

Congrats on the 200K subscribers. And Jesse...you need to wear some sunglasses dude.

[@courtneyinutah]

Do you ever just wish you'd gone with a pier foundation???? . . . . Nice to have a basement, but man! . . . never knew so much work & complexity was involved with a poured foundation . . . Love the videos! . . . you guys have incredible patience & work ethic . . . all the best!

[@brianjennings3172]

Looking good Jesse & Alyssa. I think I would have some egress windows and a door in that "soon to be" basement. Dunno, maybe those are in the works and I just can't see them yet. Hang in there.

[@edbenson98]

Hang in there, you have a long way to go and you're just getting started! #PureLivingForLife

[@lyricgod9543]

I don't understand how these guys do this everyday all day. I would die. But I guess if you have a dream you go with it .

[@rookm13]

saying you work those hours but dont?

[@0623kaboom]

they have a choice .. not do it and live in a trailer .. or suck it up and get at it ... for not being regular labourers in these many different areas of expertise .. they are not doing too bad ... mistakes and all

[@rookm13]

its a reply to c.w p

[@RJM1011]

You need to have an inner will and way not to just give up I have been made homeless seven times had my little baby killed and in 2009 I was left with less than $1.00 now in 2017 things are a lot better because I did not just give up. My best friend John gave up and shot himself and he was still worth more than $900,000.00 ! The same with my friend Frank needed an eye op and the Doctor told him to stop smoking and cut down 1/2 the drinking and he just gave up and drank him self to death in a very short time.

[@gusargoan]

I have worked 13.5 hour days, 7 days a week for 9 months straight, doing heavy construction while 300+ feet off the ground.. Deadlines have to be made sometimes. You suck it up and do it.

[@tietziano65]

finally 200k subs, congrats, folks!

[@craigtpat]

Could you do an attachment just to the foam with the external support member, then finish with a final tie in to the wall internal structure?

[@tommytmt]

I loved the music you chose in this episode :)

[@benjaminpeters2518]

Does the heat make the blocks grow like other plastic products? Having installed plastic decking and pvc conduit heat has to be considered. Like your site.😎

[@TheRealTonyCastillo]

Love the videos keep them coming!!

[@_inabox]

1. Research 2. More research 3. Mix all your research 4. Do the job 5. More research 6. Undo the job 7. More research

[@kenputer56]

I did not put the blue skin on until after the pour that way you can shim the bottom panel to keep the wall level and after just sprayed foam to fill the gap at the bottom. If you get a blow out on the outside the blue skin is not going to hold it.

[@frankmnowickl9010]

You guys hang in there it will be so rewarding for your job well done thanks for the visa peace out

[@TheDarrenc1973]

Bugger.... watched it in the wrong order.... lol... please don't beat yourself up for not knowing something, you are NOT a house builder which is why this is such an amazing journey... can't wait to see each episode...

[@arlynelauro9872]

I always thought you put the pea gravel under and over the drain pipe. Maybe different in different areas of the world. Love your videos.

[@grantoyamaha]

Great vid , good bloke Jesse.

[@alec4672]

I hope your greasing that backhoe! Rule of thumb is to grease every time you fuel up. Love the videos! Great progress and great content.

[@royamberg9177]

You can use strapping tape to hold the forms together. Works good

[@pepper669]

Yay - a Lego house!

[@drichard12]

If your Case 580k leaks that muck oil that you're filling it frequently, maybe consider making some type of diaper for the backhoe out of that Pig mat absorbent material to keep it from getting to your ground water if you have a well. I can't tell from these videos, maybe it's not such a big leak? Good work by the way, love to watch your videos.

[@WubWubLuv]

Notification crew

[@markn2904]

You will do it!

[@insidedianeslife2456]

This made me laugh and hope it makes you laugh also. Something got on my computer screen and while I was watching your video I was cleaning off my screen. But this one mark wouldn't wipe off. Of course I found out it was the discolor of your dirt on your video.Just thought I would share this story. ...... Hang in there. Slow and steady wins the race.

[@paradigmshift5279]

Next time you need to tranfer fuel to the digger or any where really. Get your self a 'superjiggler' syphon makes the job faster and super easy. I have used them since last century :) simple tool very effective. Keep up the good work, I enjoy the progress.

[@markbernier8434]

noticed you filling diesel from jerry cans. That sucks. get a fuel transfer pump (really cheap rotary ones are fine) and a saddle tank for your pick up or trailer. Believe me way easier.

[@floydferguson5366]

Great video!

[@darinmbicknell]

Weep holes down not up... oops! But monumental effort on the French drains keep reviewing this all the right info is out there on KZbin. Great catch on the pipes though. Hope it all works out for you.

[@mikerichardson1843]

good job you 2

[@JohnAvantiBK]

You should test the system by soaking it with a hose and see how much water drains out of the septic pipes?

[@michaelgregg9139]

It looks like you have the drain pipe installed incorrectly. the pipe has two rows of holes. They go at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock. With the hole on the top of the pipe will eventually fill with silt. And if you were not told, filter fabric does eventually clog with fine silts, and tree roots do grow thru some fabrics.

[@SeptrothFFXI]

Michael Gregg and filter fabric just placed over top of gravel does nothing, most of the water rises from the bottom and that will fill the gravel with fines

[@johnhendricks5876]

If the holes where on opposite sides of the pipe or 180 degrees apart you are right it wouldn't work. If you look at the video or the look up the product they are using the holes are about 120 degrees apart.

[@daves.9479]

It'd work w/ 180 (3 and 9 o'clock), but not as effectively because the water level outside the pipe would need to rise half-way up the pipe before draining would begin instead of 1/4-1/3 of the way up, and the pipe would be unable to drain the water to a level lower than half-way up the pipe.

[@johnhendricks5876]

Dave i was trying to reply to the comment by vancouver about the holes being directly across from each other when they aren't. With holes offset to one side of the pipe 5 and 7 is not only possible but recommended by many manufacturers

[@0623kaboom]

dont forget he changed the pipe the day they were installing it ... and the holes in the pipe are 180d apart not a 10 and 2 setup ... completely different pipe style than what is being mentioned.

[@brett9860]

You probable already have your blocks all placed, but using a string line to keep your courses level and plumb is the only true way to lay block. Keep your eye on your slump when pouring your grout. To wet could blow forms and to dry mean rock pockets. And of course make sure to do the grout in lifts of no more than 3 to 4 ft.

[@kohouty1]

congrats on your 200,000.00 subs

[@mattthenewfie1]

you guys are well and over due for a little R&R! take some time, dont over do it and get burned out

[@Buster7031]

I'm sure you guys have gotten this question before but why did you build the walls first before pouring the slab? Love your videos :)

[@salmonhunter7414]

Whem you bought the hoe you said you would never use the extended part. Sure comes in handy. Sometime I wish it was longer. Thanks for taking its along.

[@Fungusamnguss]

oh yeah early squad!

[@drakeryan3650]

I apologize, I am sure this question has been asked before. Is that creek on your property? Either way it is beautiful. I love everything that both of you are accomplishing. :)

[@johndehoog5567]

As I'm watching the basement walls go up I'm wondering if you are putting windows in the walls to catch daylight? Not to be insulting but I'm surprised you guys aren't wasting away with all the physical labour in the heat. Thanks for sharing the journey. Looking forward to seeing the build progress.

[@beachlife1411]

Nice work again

[@adampatterson]

I hope you guys are making a time lapse!

[@aquasurfer9]

Looking at this video it looks like the perf pipe has the holes up and down. I guess you turned them so they are sideways afterwards. I guess this would work if there is a space for water to collect under the pipe. I always had them where holes were on the lower part of the pipe. The holes were on the bottom half. The idea is to have the water collect some on the botton and then go up to the holes, go into the pipe where it has a unobstructed flow down the slope of the channel next to the footing and away from the foundation. regardless, the gravel will also act as a transport mechanism for water. It acts as a barrier so dirt can't get to the walls and an easy path for water to drain. I have done alot of thinking on drainage on many commercial and personal projects. I think it is incredible that you got that base within 1/8" . Those ICF's are very time consuming. A normal wall those inconsistent bases don't matter as the concrete flows and is in effect self leveling. The ICF seem very unforgiving for an imperfect world. All of this structure is simply to make it easy to dump all the concrete at once. A wall can be built with much less bracing by simply pouring 6 to 10 inches at a time and waiting 30 minutes for it to set up a bit. The next layer totally bonds to the first layer but won't blow out the forms. That is how dams are built. Love watching you guys build this house. It will be beautiful when you are done and a great place to live.

[@jamesmartinez9206]

i've enjoyed your series of building your own home. You guys are very hard workers and I am sure once you are done there will be a tremendous satisfaction in your accomplishments. I haven't seen the entire series yet, but I have 2 questions, maybe you answered them in a previous video. One, why in the world are you using such a complicated building system, ICF, etc. Wouldn't traditional wood framing or some other traditional method of building been much easier, cheaper? I am at a loss as to why to "newbies" would tackle such a complex build? Secondly, aren't you afraid of that carved out mountain side up against your home. Why did you build it in that location? It seems that any heavy rain will collapse that mountain. The rock seen on your property is basically river rock, meaning lots of water movement. Anyway, good luck with the rest of your project.

[@mattpelz986]

If you get diesel fuel delivered to the site it should be cheaper. Fuel might be around same price but you don't have to go get it or use the cans, you could get an electric pump or just the hand pump.

[@eosjoe565]

Diesel is very low vapor so the fire hazard is very minimal. That's why pumping from a 55-gal drum is so popular. Money doesn't seem to be a problem with this crew.

[@TheSoloAsylum]

If you guys get bogged down or discouraged, just go watch a video from a month ago....you have come along way and already done harder things.

[@barthamburg4351]

When you're done stacking do the ICF walls get filled with concrete at the end?

[@thomascrouch6135]

Great job!

[@briankarlsen6676]

im thinking if you cut a recess in your common seem and fill that with that spray foam adhesive it should bond them as good as the tongue and grove if not better

[@regenerativelife991]

You mentioned about how you have a lot of impediments. the reason for this the waterfall effect of the project which is ok as it is a house :) Maybe you can have a look at agile scrum methodologies used in production and software development. might help you organise better have to find impediments earlier in the stage of the project.

[@jesperdahl1486]

I am wondering where you got the instructions that say ! Tie Zonts to ICF with wire or zip tie the manufactures website says use 1 1/2" #8 flathead screws