Durable Concrete Home – Protective Concrete Walls

In 1844, William Goodrich constructed what is believed to be the nation’s first house built with above- grade concrete walls. The house, located in Milton, Wis., was designed to protect its inhabitants from arson and attacks by outsiders, according to the Portland Cement Association. These days, homebuyers are considering concrete homes for different reasons — they’re energy efficient, durable and resistant to pests and noise.

Tim Reagan, director of the Aggregate and Ready Mix Association of Minnesota, said Minnesotans are increasingly looking at concrete as an alternative to the more traditional stick-built residential construction.

“Awareness is going up dramatically,” Reagan said. “There’s a critical mass of consumers out there who are saying, ‘I’m interested in this.’”

According to Reagan, more than 65,000 people toured a Cemstone concrete house at last spring’s Home and Garden Show in Minneapolis. Surveys later showed that the home got mostly favorable reviews, he said.

Those who missed it will have another chance to inspect the latest in concrete home construction at the upcoming Parade of Homes Fall Showcase. Sponsored by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, the event runs from Sept. 8 to 30 and features more than 800 model homes, including two concrete structures.

Both homes were designed to use energy efficiently, with resistance to mold, mildew, airborne pollens, pests, fire, noise and wind.

One of the homes, located in Oak Grove, is a $529,900 walkout rambler built by Mark D. Olson Quality Construction. Built with tinted and textured concrete blocks that were scaled for home construction, the house features double-foil back, polyfoam insulation covered by a vapor barrier. An engineered rafter roof tops off the house, which has oak floor finishes and granite countertops.

“The inside looks just like a traditional home,” said Dan Hatch, a real estate agent who represents Mark D. Olson homes. “The outside looks like a brick home, except the brick is bigger.”

Hatch said the concrete construction makes the homes up to two-thirds quieter than traditional homes.

“You don’t hear the snowmobiles, lawnmowers,” he said. “It’s just dead quiet.” Another concrete home, located in Mendota Heights and built by Vogue Homes, was created with insulating concrete forms that were filled with concrete. After the concrete hardened, expanded polystyrene forms were left in place to provide insulation.

Steel beams were added for reinforcement, and the interior and exterior were finished with standard building materials.

The $599,000 home showed off its durability when violent storms invaded the area. The storms, which spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, knocked down the newly installed roof trusses but did no damage to the concrete walls, according to the builders association. “They’re practically tornado-proof,” Reagan said. “This house is a single structure — there’s no weak points, no joints that can break apart. It’s a single, poured entity, with the exception of the roof in most cases.”

Concrete homes typically cost 3 to 5 percent more than houses made of wood or brick. However, Reagan said improved energy efficiency more than offsets the higher construction cost.

A homeowner survey sponsored by the Portland Cement Association — which represents cement companies in the United States and Canada — appears to support that claim. The study revealed that homes built with insulating concrete forms use about 44 percent less energy for heating and 32 percent less for cooling compared with other homes.

About 10 percent of new home starts nationwide are for concrete houses, according to the Portland Cement Association. Recent projects include a 256-home development in Green Bay, Wis., a 73-home development in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and a 46-home development in Reno, Nev. Although concrete homes appear to have many advantages and are gaining popularity throughout the United States, they’re still a distinct minority in Minnesota. Only about 1 percent of homes built in Minnesota are made of concrete.

“Wood is so plentiful here,” Hatch said. “They’ve always built with wood.”

Reagan’s theory is that builders who don’t offer concrete homes tend to steer consumers toward other options. Also, when the home-building industry is thriving, builders have little incentive to offer nontraditional choices.

That could change, he said, if the economy continues to cool.

“The economy’s down a little bit and (builders) are looking for advantages to differentiate themselves from the competition,” Reagan said. “The guys who are (using concrete), they’re seeing a lot of requests coming in. Their only problem is they can’t build them fast enough.”

About The Author:

Mark Harris is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.home-n-house-plans.com. The best place to find new home plans, home designs & houseplans is the Internet.