Icf walls involving a larger cavity that is with a thicker layer of concrete often strengthened with reinforced steel are stronger and will have a better seismic and wind resistance.
Is a concrete wall more expensive than stick.
It s important to always look long term in all aspects of life.
Other features with impact on prices.
The addition of reinforcing steel to either wall system complicates the issue.
Concrete prices may increase in areas far from a supplier since this heavy material costs more to ship than wood.
The hollow block wall is depending solely on the strength of the thin mortar bed between each concrete block.
The same thinking can be applied to when investing in your next condo.
Concrete buildings although generally more expensive than wood frame buildings are worth it in the long term.
The type of cavity flat waffle also matters.
But in reality you may actually save money by building with concrete when you factor in life cycle costs utility and insurance savings maintenance requirements and overall health of the occupants.
Concrete block is considerably costlier than stick frame construction.
The poured concrete wall has more mass or interlocking cement paste crystals to resist the cracking force.
In their 2004 study insulating concrete forms construction cost analysis the portland cement association found that icf walls cost double what a conventional 2x6 insulated wall cost.
According to concrete homes magazine a concrete block home with a stucco finish usually cost around 6 per square foot in 2002.
But they will cost a bit more.
For instance an exposed poured concrete foundation may be colored or faux finished to look like stone.
According to a 2017 article from curbed written by lauren ro a 1 722 square foot home was built for only one hundred and nine thousand dollars.
Extras can drive up the cost of both a concrete foundation and concrete block.
Second the cost of cmu rebar mortar concrete fill etc are more expensive than plywood sheathing.
Many homeowners assume that a concrete home will cost considerably more than a comparable stick built house.
But that being said it is quickly becoming apparent that most concrete homes are significantly cheaper than homes made of more conventional materials such as wood.
For example you can make a concrete block wall.
First the labor pool for block masonry is much scarcer than the labor available for stick frame construction.
The study found that projects using concrete masonry units with precast concrete floor were the least expensive structural system over structural steel or wood frames as of may 2017.