ICF - Idiotproof Construction Fun, or Incredibly Costly F**kup?

[Mulberry View]

I've always been a fan of traditional building methods, mainly driven by the old-school idea that fixing and chasing fixtures/fittings is much nicer with brick/block walls, rather than having to hunt out joists/noggins etc.

 

Our last house was a 1929 built red-brick Bungalow, where the brickwork was in, what I'd call unsalvageable condition, meaning the render was the only option. We had it done with K-Rend and whilst the job was done to a good standard, I was never truly happy with it and said that I'd only render again if I had to and deliberately ensure that it wasn't designed in to our build!

 

We plan to be very hands on during our build, I'm in a cr@ppy work situation at the moment thanks to COVID, so this could well be my full-time occupation for a while. I am confident in my DIY ability, most things I have self-taught, but not brick-laying. I'm also conscious that the bricklayers are the one significant part of our project that will essentially hold us to ransom. We can't do it, so we're at their mercy, not just financially, but from a timing standpoint also.

 

Enter ICF. Contradicting both of my core values! But certainly very compelling. I'm certainly not trying to cut corners, but am interested in a building method that rules out the need to depend on a bricklayer, when I have a substantial amount of time on my hands.

 

So, what's the low-down? Do you lot like it? Given that I do not put a cost on my own time and will probably be able to get the main structure up myself, how is this likely to stack up against the brick/block "shell build' method that I'll otherwise probably have to resort to?

Edited November 25, 2020 by Mulberry View
Typo

[Dave Jones]

theres a reason zero large housebuilders use it.

[Gav_P]

8 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

theres a reason zero large housebuilders use it.

What’s that reason? Cost? Availability of materials? Not enough experienced labour? Changing business model? Unknown buyer perception? Environmental impact? 
 

Completely different to the self-builder, who has a completely different set of needs/requirements. 

[nod]

34 minutes ago, Dave Jones said:

theres a reason zero large housebuilders use it.

COST

[Mulberry View]

1 hour ago, Dave Jones said:

theres a reason zero large housebuilders use it.

 

I accept that if you're a brickie or a developer, this might not stack up, especially from a mass-build perspective, but if I can save some of the labour, which I can't do with a brick/block method, that might make the cost viable?

[PeterW]

It’s not cheap when you factor paid labour into it but it’s very cheap when you do it yourself. I went on the Beco course a few years back and that was like Lego - dead easy and fun but not cheap.