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About ICF Builds Explaining ICF The Benefits of ICF House & villa designs Previous Projects Building services Traditional Builds Reforms Swimming Pools Terracing and Gardens General Building Work	The Benefits of ICF Insulated Concrete Forms are the fastest growing segment of new home construction, and for good reason - The benefits of the ICF building method include: Up to 70% energy savings over conventional built homes Eco-Friendly Materials Tornado, Hurricane and Fire Resistant A Virtually Soundproof and Healthy Environment Flexible Designs With ICF both internal and external walls are insulated with polystyrene panels. Walls do not heat up during daytime and therefore cannot give back the heat during the night. This is especially beneficial in European countries such as Spain. With ICF it is not necessary to install expensive central heating, a simple under floor or low watt density electrical heater will be more than sufficient to give you a very comfortable and economical heating source, by the same token in summer you will only need to run your air conditioning minimalistically - if at all. Although ICF is a high performance product, it is not a high cost product. The speed of build produces cost savings throughout the construction phase - and beyond! Beneficial cost savings of construction include:- • Lightweight materials reduce the need for heavy lifting equipment • Reduction in skilled labour requirements • Speed of construction means less time lost to weather conditions • Cost effective basement construction • Roof is in place at a much earlier phase • Reduced requirement for scaffolding • No special lintels, cavity closers, or wallties are required • Special shapes are easily formed from standard parts • Smaller heating systems can be specified • Service chases are easily formed using a small router • Rails allow easy fastening of exterior finishes • Rails allow quick fixing of plasterboard linings • Most internal fixtures can attach to the horizontal rails • Lower occurrence of shrinkage cracks to remedy Possibly the greatest saving will be found by the early occupation and the consequent reduced cost of capital! Cost savings once the property is occupied include:- • Solid construction • Reduced heating costs - for ever! • Reduced air conditioning costs • Lower maintenance • Noise reduction As outlined above, there are numerous benefits to building with ICF, for more information on this alternative building method for Spanish property, as well as traditional building methods, please contact us.