COMPLETE DIY ICF FOUNDATION

I walk you through every step and challenge I had while building my DIY ICF foundation
CHAPTERS
01:07 GETTING STARTED
02:47 FIRST BLOCK
05:39 METABO REBAR CUTTER
07:27 LASER LEVELING
11:13 T WALL
17:40 WINDOW BUCKS
26:51 PLUMB WALL
33:49 POURING CEMENT
35:23 BLOW OUT
37:52 PROBLEMS

[@yvesjolicoeur747]

Awesme job especially as a DIY. I was nervous watching the pour when you said it was your first ICF pour and that they were 12' walls. And kudos to you for adding to your workload by videotaping it all for us to learn. I watch every ICF video I see and this one sure went into my favorite. Thanks for taking the time to share the prep as well as the hard earned lesson's learned. Take time to enjoy....lol... the pump truck had not left and you were already looking at all the other work left ahead. I sure will be following your progress. Thanks

[@bar6builds605]

I sure appreciate that. Yes adding video doubles the work load. I should have poured that in 2 pours but we got away with it.

[@bwillan]

Most rebar supply places will sell pre bent rebar corners at whatever size you require.

[@8thlineenterprises343]

Excellent video. Some great tips and lessons learned. For DIYers who can't afford the Metabo tool, ordering the rebar 90's pre-bent will save a lot of time and energy. Using the standard rebar bender and cutter all day long gets pretty tiring. Having the 2x4s in the corners is a great idea. The forms aren't supposed to move but why take a chance. Two more tips. Make sure you order the right concrete mix as specified by the ICF manufacturer. Also, pay attention to the recommended vibrator size and usage. Ignoring either of these can increase the risk of blowouts.

[@bar6builds605]

Thanks for the tips. I have so much rebar on this job I justified the metabo. The vibrator I was using was way too big and was causing a lot of problems.

[@johnoswald6192]

Good job man. Thanks for pointing out the pitfalls and how you dealt with them. That is a huge pour - you should be proud it came out like it did and you saved it during the pour. It looks great!

[@bar6builds605]

Thanks yes it was to big of a pour for me

[@dammitbobby283]

Is there a reason you didn't use an ICF footer?

[@antowalk2743]

You did well buddy considering you did it on your jack Jones .

[@gerardfenn3988]

1 Guy, Alone, By Yourself in the wilderness pouring ICF walls, for the first time. Those errors could have been so much worse. You handled it. Where was Rocky when you needed him??? Get some laborers Bro. Check and Double Check. Concrete is Unforgiving. Nice Job and Well Done.

[@bar6builds605]

Thanks. ya i learned a lot on this one. I have a hard time paying people to help when i know i can just put my head down and get it done.

[@johnoswald6192]

@@bar6builds605 I hear you! I"m the same way. It's just hard when doing it all ourselves takes months - years.

[@michaelvonfeldt9629]

Strapping at the back of the T wall all the way up would have helped it not to blowout. Great job, I’m learning from your build.

[@bar6builds605]

Yes I totally ignored the t problem until it blew out

[@nrehberg]

Great video. Looking forward to more of this series

[@bar6builds605]

Their coming I'm just super busy. Hang in there

[@jsterling1979]

So with this house is there some down here to certified as a passive house and its crazy when i look on line Are ICF homes worth the cost? Whether it's hot or cold outside, an ICF home can maintain a stable and comfortable temperature at a fraction of the cost. On average, the monthly utility cost for a wood-frame home is $0.10 per square foot, whereas the average ICF home costs only $0.03 per

[@trlotz]

Thank You. Impressive work. I would have been stressed out pouring that high. I'm sure you are glad the foundation is done.

[@bar6builds605]

Thanks

[@mrbmedic1]

So you used the corner bricks. Why didn't you use any T-bricks?

[@bar6builds605]

Amvic stoped making them during the supply chain issues

[@tptwk]

Fantastic series. This is what I dream of building. Does the Fast-Foot system help prevent the water migration (capillary) you referred to? Any reason you don't use the fast-foot leveling feet? Keep up the good work!! Also, why so high on the basement walls? Is it going to be a great room (you may have mentioned earlier)?

[@bar6builds605]

Thanks. I cover the fast foot to wall connections in the next video. I don't think I've seen fast foot leveling feet. The basement is 12' because the land said so. The grade on top to the grade below was 12'. 12' is one of the reasons I used icf. 12' wall labor is extremely expensive so I did it myself.

[@Patriot3791]

As someone who plans on DIYing my own ICF, this is a great video man thank you. Have you ever thought about replacing the rebar with Helix? It would eliminate a lot of the rebar work.

[@bar6builds605]

Awesome I was really hoping it would help someone. I stayed with rebar because of all the complex bends between the house and the shop. Watch the shop footing videos, that rebar was insane

[@fredbentkowski8128]

Thank you so much for making this video, learned a lot. We are looking into self building a new home on our property and are very much leaning towards doing ICF vs a steel building. Have you built any barndominiums and would you recommend ICF over a barndo steel building?

[@bar6builds605]

Those are completely different animals. I will tell you steel building are very hard to make energy efficient. They are very drafty. You can't beat icf but it's going to be a lot more. Bardo is cheap square footage but icf is far superior. If you do your own icf you will save a ton. Feel free to ask questions if you go that route

[@bigmoneycarlos8947]

Pick up a few tips thanks for the video

[@bar6builds605]

Anytime

[@warrenwalker8170]

razor to get it plum level is horizontal

[@DrInQTel]

4-5 ft at a time down to 2ft.... limit on instruction manual I read once was 4ft at a time. My recommendation is stay around 3.0 to 3.2 ft. when pouring into ICF blocks. Would be curious to know how much time it took to do all these steps.

[@bar6builds605]

I assume you're talking about lifts. I started 3-4' but only did 2' lifts after that. Took all day

[@mcchupka9718]

Amazing. I am envious because I have been dreaming about building my own 100% ICF house from footer to roof ridge. Any advice?

[@bar6builds605]

Biggest lesson is watch plumb and level every course. I got relaxed a few rows up and at 12' my corners were out about an inch. It took massive force with turnbuckles to get them plumb. Holler if you have any questions. You can do it!!

[@iamyk1593]

Thank you for sharing great tips. May I ask what kind of laser level tool you are using? My husband and I just started building ICF home in AZ.

[@bar6builds605]

I have been buying the 209$ spectra lasers but they seem to break a lot. I'm searching for something better. My advice is don't spend a lot because they are fragile

[@iamyk1593]

Thank you for your reply! We will look into that. 👍

[@morokeiboethia6749]

Do you have to pour all of the walls at once or can you stop for the day somewhere and continue the following day and be ok?

[@bar6builds605]

You can pour them in as many lifts as you want. I'm actually pouring the last 6' of My Master wall tommorow. It is 16' in total

[@morokeiboethia6749]

@@bar6builds605 Do you have to use a concrete bonding agent if you pour wet on top of already dried concrete thats inside the ICF insulation blocks?

[@ronniebaker1989]

Where is this location. Looks awesome.

[@bar6builds605]

Central Utah

[@DrInQTel]

@@bar6builds605 what did the acreage and permitting cost? Also what are you all paying per yard out there? Los Angeles they want ~$120/yard for 3500 PSI 3/8' aggregate+ delivery charge over 20miles.

[@tdmallet]

No blowouts with all of the gaps with foam?

[@bar6builds605]

No blowout on the spray foam it's very strong. I had a couple blow outs at t's in the wall where I cut out the supports.

[@screwydrewy7027]

I was thinking that spray foaming the corner or T sections might have helped in that respect but still great work

[@meowmeow1733]

I wish he would have said how long each stage took...hours/days/months

[@bar6builds605]

It took a long time because I could only work at night and weekends. I probably had 40 hours total by myself

[@gerardfenn3988]

Without checking Google, I'm curious what the temperature swings are in that location? 102 degrees in the day and snow in the winter, in the desert. That's real Cowboy Land.

[@bar6builds605]

Occasionally we can hit 105-106 and winter goes below zero a lot. We see it all

[@cyranthony]

Just throws down a stabila level lol, also I would have spent way more time getting that footing dialled in, would have saved you a ton of time. Lastly 12’ is a big pour, maybe should have split the pout

[@bar6builds605]

Definitely should have done 2 pours. I love stabila but a bubble always has a little debate about when it's perfect. Lase no questions

[@mcchupka9718]

You probably saved $50k by doing the foundation yourself. How much was the bock? Concrete?

[@bar6builds605]

I literally saved 50+. I can't remember the total cost but I had a bid from an ICF contractor and I saved a ton. 12' walls are very expensive so icf saved me a lot