Originally posted by tim60 You have almost done the Realtor's wordsmithing for them.
After reading hundreds of listings for property one gets an idea what makes for good ad copy.
Originally posted by tim60 BTW: that picture made me think - is that the Realtor's picture or the real picture? Makes the place look nice.
Thank you for the compliment Tim!
That is an HDR image I made about 6 years ago.
Here is the non HDR image:
A shot just after we finished the home in 2008:
Our first winter we had a white Christmas:
And just last February we had 18" of snow:
One more recent shot, made about three years ago:
Originally posted by tim60 Sounds tough enough to withstand some pretty big storms, not like those ex-houses we see on news fairly often after storms went through the mid-west.
The ICF design was developed for home construction in areas with frequent tornado and hurricane activity. When outfitted with shutters for the windows and doors, the structure usually stays pretty much intact, even the roof which is stick framed remains, with little to no damage, save for shingles getting blown off.
The solid nature of the design, coupled with insect resistance (termites and carpenter ants don't care for styrofoam), a high R value (measure of insulating factors), and the fact that concrete, steel and the styrofoam wall exterior make the use of ICF a great alternative for home construction. The costs aren't any higher than that of a conventional stick framed structure, so it is a no brainer.
Properly maintained, this home should last hundreds of years.