Lite-Form workers lift the lightwieght pre-assembled wall section into place over the cement slab foundation. The foam formed walls will be reinforced with steel rebar and may be built into new housing or added inside or outside to existing structures at a relatively low cost. Dave Gatley/FEMA

Insulating concrete forms provide energy-efficient buildings; resistance to fire, hurricanes and tornadoes; and are quiet and make mold and drafts much less likely, Murray Snider writes. Commercial builders also find ICFs make jobsites more efficient.

For builders, ICFs roll six separate construction steps into one simple process: concrete, steel reinforcement, insulation, air barrier, vapor barrier, and firring strips.

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