Has anyone been building window walls for ICF construction in one piece?
In the morning I’m headed over to talk to the engineer about the construction details of the great room wall of windows for an ICF house we’re working on. There are ICF walls on both sides of the great room, not unlike many ICF houses with a view.
What I’ve been thinking is that we need to have the window wall framed and in place as we set block to assist with block end support during the pour as well as alignment in general. No rocket science, however most engineered designs are such that it’s attached after the fact and built in place. I’m wanting to build it on a flat surface, flash, install windows, cover with plywood on both sides and lift into possition in one piece.
To make the framing as stiff and rack resistant as possible, not to mention easy to build and lift into place, I’m wanting to build it with torsion-box construction: 1-1/8″ ply on both sides of 2×8 doug fir framing with ridgid foam filling the voids, pl construction adhesive between ply and framing, 10d nails 4″oc on edges, 8″ oc in field, blocking at ply edges, grace ice and water wrapping it all, blaw, blaw.
With the design in snow country (85 lb snow load) and seismic zone d2, a primary purpose for the framing is to hold the side walls together during a shake so there will be stout simpson sheer/seismic anchors used horizontally and bolted into the concrete top middle and bottom. Short sheer walls are built into the ICF so the wood framing is just for lateral support and doesn’t need to be designed for sheer other than it’s nice if it’s really stiff for the concrete pours.
The ply we protect the windows with would also contribute a great deal to resisting any sheer during construction.
It should cut the construction time in half if we build it on the ground, windows and all and stack the ICF block to it. This way we also know for sure the side walls are aligned where they need to be before and during a pour.
Has anyone been doing this with ICF’s and had any good or bad experiences? In the past we braced it, then pieced it in off scaffolding and slowly put the windows in, but it seems a no-brainer to build it on the ground and use the wall itself for bracing.
The following pic isn’t of our wall, but is illistrative of what I’m talking about.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn’t rule the world.
Replies
looks like the vertical mullions are only about 9" wide.
do you really need to fill them with crete ?
i mean, i know it's an icf house, but this seems like a spot where you could bend the rules and fill those with spray foam
carpenter in transition
do you really need to fill them with crete ?
The framing around and between the windows isn't ICF, but wood.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Idaho Don,,
I don't think so.. Windows that are done that way around here they make the wooden buck for it with the normal 1/2 inch clearnance and then center brace the bucks to ensure they don't bow under pouring .. Don't forget to drill the holes in the bottom of the bucks to pour concrete underneath the bucks
It's not a matter of if the framing of the majority of the gable end wall will be wood, it will be wood, it's a question of building it in one piece or build it in place.
Trying to build a series of bucks for tightly placed windows in ICF construction would be a challenge.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Sounds right to me. The 1 1/8" ply seems like over kill though. I'm no expert but like building real strong and it sounds like that is what you are doing.
Have you figured out how to attach the framing to the ICF wall?
Metal straps over the exterior sheathing that turn and go into the center of the ICF so when they are filled they are lock in?
Edited 3/7/2008 7:36 pm ET by popawheelie
Have you figured out how to attach the framing to the ICF wall?
The side ICF walls are attached to the wood framing with cast in place J bolts and sheer brackets.
The 1-1/8" ply isn't so much for sheer strength, but for trim and siding to have something to hold onto.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Edited 3/7/2008 8:17 pm ET by IdahoDon
There was a post about a month back of a wall in a vacation cabin on a lake that vibrated badly when the wind picked up. Your wall is going to be very strong the way you are doing it.
It would be nice to sit just inside the windows during a storm and laugh at mother nature.
I really dislike owning a house and not knowing if it will stand up to something.
Edited 3/7/2008 8:25 pm ET by popawheelie
Edited 3/7/2008 8:32 pm ET by popawheelie