Announcement

Collapse

TBH Maintenance


Ongoing TBH Website maintenance this evening to whenever. Your TBH visit may not be optimal during this service window.
See more
See less

Residential Cinder Block Construction?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Residential Cinder Block Construction?

    Since lumber prices have gone insane, has anyone converted to using cinder block construction? Seems like it would be much cheaper and stronger than lumber and have none of the downsides lumber has. It seems like they use this building type in old Mexico but I could be mistaking.
    Is there any downsides to building a home out of cinder blocks?
    (I’m bored and the wheels are turning so I thought I’d ask)!

    #2
    You still have to use wood under the drywall if you want to run electrical and plumbing on the walls. Cement is also expensive. Rebar and concrete fill the walls in those cases. May not be too cheap.

    It is used quite a bit in Florida for the windstorm codes. They use about half CMU and half wood.
    Last edited by captainsling; 07-27-2021, 04:49 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      Some of the most expensive homes here in the Florida panhandle are cinder block (Alys Beach). Lots of stem wall foundations here also which have blocks around the perimeter. No idea which is cheaper to build and I'm sure they probably have pro's and con's.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by captainsling View Post
        You still have to use wood under the drywall if you want to run electrical and plumbing on the walls. Cement is also expensive. Rebar and concrete fill the walls in those cases. May not be too cheap.

        It is used quite a bit in Florida for the windstorm codes. They use about half CMU and half wood.
        But the wood would only need to be furring (sp?) strips, correct? Just to space the Sheetrock off the blocks a bit?

        Originally posted by shark79 View Post
        Some of the most expensive homes here in the Florida panhandle are cinder block (Alys Beach). Lots of stem wall foundations here also which have blocks around the perimeter. No idea which is cheaper to build and I'm sure they probably have pro's and con's.
        Interesting.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by shark79 View Post
          Some of the most expensive homes here in the Florida panhandle are cinder block (Alys Beach). Lots of stem wall foundations here also which have blocks around the perimeter. No idea which is cheaper to build and I'm sure they probably have pro's and con's.
          That Alys development is absolutely beautiful

          Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

          Comment


            #6
            I’m interested to see where this one goes

            Comment


              #7
              We are going to go ICF when we build.

              Comment


                #8
                You need a waterproofing membrane between the CMU and the wood/gypsum board.

                Comment


                  #9
                  It is common in Florida to build the first floor with cinder blocks for a couple of reasons. It helps with bugs (termites), helps with storms, and the contractors there are used to using it.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by glen View Post
                    We are going to go ICF when we build.
                    These look interesting. What’s the cost difference compared to current wood prices?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      CMU block will definitely be stronger than wood but you still need furring strips for drywall/utilities. You also still have to sort out where you are going to get your insulation from.

                      ICF as glen mentioned solves the insulation problem and you can run utilities through the foam with a hot knife but even at lumbers absolute peak pricing, ICF still came at a cost premium.

                      I would for sure look at ICF over just standard CMU construction if you want to go that route but it will definitely cost more than just stick framing your home.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        My neighbor built a house using ICF. It is uglier than a double handful of A**holes. Just the way he built it. But I think you could put a ice cube on the counter and keep it cool.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Residential Cinder Block Construction?

                          I looked into ICF when we built our house and it was significantly more expensive than conventional framing and foam insulation.

                          Plus finding contractors (plumbers/electricians) that wanted to work with it was a challenge as well.


                          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

                          Comment


                            #14
                            If you are coastal ICF has some advantages. Insurance is major savings. Your heating/cooling is less than 1/2. Another advantage is it noise. It was about 1/3 more on original build but was just told it was within $15 sq foot right now. Im sure when i pull the trigger it will 3x more expensive than traditional just because Im lucky like that

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I wired a house a few years ago thst was a hybrid ICF and SIP structure.

                              Very open concept, and the energy to heat and cool the house was little of nothing (2,500 sqft house, 2 ton hvac kept it comfy)

                              The ICF was used as the base (pier and beam) and the SIP for the house. The whole house was dried in within a week of delivery of the SIP panels. Pretty cool stuff



                              I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

                              Henry David Thoreau

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X