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ICFs PROVIDE VALUE-ADDED HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOMES
Released: October 01, 2002

ICFs PROVIDE VALUE-ADDED HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOMES

Omaha, Nebraska, October 2002-Five months ago dental assistant Tammy Gholson and her four children moved into a brand new home in Ettrick, Virginia. Her home was built with a wall system that normally is available only in higher-end homes.

"I definitely couldn't afford an expensive home," laughed Gholson, "but I wouldn't trade this house for one twice as big if it didn't have this type of wall system." Gholson went on to say that during peak air conditioning season last summer, she was paying approximately $75 per month less than her mother, who lives in a wood frame house about the same size.

Gholson's house was built using insulating concrete forms (ICFs) for the walls, and is the result of a cooperative effort among the Virginia Ready-Mix Association, Habitat for Humanity, and the local Reward Wall Systems ICF distributor. This type of cooperation is occurring throughout the country as ICF manufacturers, distributors and contractors become involved with the Habitat for Humanity organizations in their local communities.

"The simplicity of construction with ICFs allows more people to participate in the actual construction of these houses," said John Moylan, national sales manager of Reward Wall Systems, Inc. "ICFs are 'volunteer friendly.' Even volunteers who have no construction experience can quickly learn the basics of installing ICF walls."

Reward Wall Systems, Inc. offers discounted form prices to any of its distributors who wish to participate in the Habitat projects in their own communities. The Omaha, Nebraska, based company has been heavily involved with the Omaha chapter of Habitat for Humanity since 1999, and has donated or deeply discounted Reward ICFs for 17 complete homes in addition to approximately 25 foundations and crawl spaces. Two more complete houses and four foundations are currently under construction in Omaha.

Moylan listed some examples of areas where Reward distributors throughout the country have donated forms and labor to their local Habitat organizations:

Through volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of money and materials, Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates simple, affordable houses with the help of the homeowner families. Habitat houses are sold to the participating families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments go into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.

Reward walls are built using a stay-in-place concrete forming system that consists of individual lightweight foam blocks. Each hollow block is made of two pieces of expanded polystyrene (EPS) held together with plastic ties. These foam blocks are stacked like building blocks, aligned, braced, strengthened with steel rebar and filled with concrete. The resulting wall is a solid, continuous airtight, steel reinforced concrete wall surrounded by several inches of insulating EPS. The forms stay in place after the concrete cures to provide insulation. Reward ICF walls achieve outstanding energy efficiency, storm safety, air quality and noise abatement.

Located in Omaha, Nebraska, for the past 14 years, Reward Wall Systems, Inc. was the first national manufacturer of two complete and diversified lines of insulating concrete forms used in residential and commercial structures. Reward's customers include general contractors, residential contractors, concrete contractors and construction supply distributors. To learn more about Reward Wall Systems, Inc. go to www.rewardwalls.com.