Steel on hand

Steel for ICF arrived on the day of the septic installation. 200 lengths each of two sizes of rebar to reinforce walls and with extra reinforcement for lintels above windows and doors. Also in the load were 20 12 x 8 feet grids for the basement floor, 5 x 5 post material and the pièce de resistance, literally and figuratively, a 47 foot long, 1 foot wide beam.

The thicker rebar is particularly crucial for lintels of large openings such as the kitchen windows that extend 10 feet, an unconventionally wide opening. Same goes for the garage doors, the corner window, and all areas where normal reinforcement is insufficient. This rebar involves not only extra straight lengths, but also stirrups that connect one bar to another to give a type of weaved reinforcement.

The steel beam will cover the entire length of the house to support the main floor. Given the design of the basement, with but two places where support could be provided along the span, the walls of the workshop and studio, the truss company engineer specified LVL would composite beams would be insufficient. A steel I-beam had to be used instead. Dennis and others have said that the house could hold up two armoured tanks in the living room. It is an impressive piece and will be supported at two points by 2 5×5 inch steel posts.