Concrete Homes

We recently returned from a trip to Germany and found that most, if not all,
of the houses are concrete.

Is this type of material something that is available in the States?

If so, would the price be comparable to that of ahome that is built using sheet rock for the walls? Lisa

Lisa,

I'm not familiar with German residential construction except I do know that concrete blocks with some form of rigid foam insulation are common.

Here in the US, so-called "concrete houses" are growing in popularity, thanks to aggressive marketing of ICFs which stands for "insulated concrete forms". These are rigid foam blocks with hollow cores which are stacked into walls on site. Steel reinforcing is woven through the cavities which are then filled with concrete. In our area, ICFs can be used for basement construction or extended above grade to form the exterior walls.

While ICFs have been promoted as a "green" and inexpensive alternative to site formed concrete walls, I think a finished ICF basement would be more expensive than a poured concrete basement although it would be better insulated. Above ground, an ICF wall is considerably more expensive than a traditional wood frame wall.

Try this link to learn more: Concrete Homes.

Good luck with your project,
David Moore, AIA

Dear Readers,
Do you have a question for David?
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Carl
PS.
Hi Lisa,
There are many concrete homes in the USA. You just don’t know they are concrete.

Courtesy of Quad-Lock Building Systems
There's more than one way to build your home with concrete. Check out Insulated Concrete Forms on byoh.com.
Carl Heldmann