RWW,
This is a great discussion and everyone has made great points about costs. ICF stands for insulated concrete forms. There is a website
www.icfweb.com and click on the link "Talk". It has a lot of information about this excellent method of building. I think it is a great alternative to SIPS for an owner/builder since you can do a good bit of the labor yourself and end up with a very energy efficient home. My home is designed to be 100% heated by hot water solar radiant floor heating. (I live in Northeast PA) I do have a back-up system (masonry heater). I wouldn't even consider doing my house with anything else but an ICF exterior shell. I learned about building with ICF on the above site and found a local distributor/ICF builder who let me help with a few of his projects and now I am fairly comfortable in doing a good bit of the labor. It of course will save me money. Labor costs on a home can easily make up 50% of the cost depending on the size of the home and type of construction. As I complete my project, I hope to document how much I have saved by doing the work myself. I have kept very meticulous records so far and am ready to do my first report on costs. I hope to have my shell done withing the next 2 months.
I will be happy to share that information with anyone after I have compiled it. Good luck on your project RWW and on yours, Thomas.
Haz
