The Difference Explained

A typical home is constructed with ICF, metal frames or wood frames
These homes are constructed with building materials that aren’t always as reliable as concrete
These homes aren’t durable, safe, energy efficient, sustainable, quick to build or affordable as a tilt-up concrete home
Homes build with solid concrete sandwich panels accomplish all this and more

Tilt-Up Concrete Homes

Tilt-up concrete homes are made of concrete sandwich panels. The concrete provides longevity, durability and safety. The continuous layer of insulation is the secret weapon, ensuring high energy efficiency.

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF)

ICF homes are a reversed version of tilt-up concrete homes, with an insulation-concrete-insulation wall panel. ICF construction is more expensive than tilt-up and it requires additional material to cover and protect the insulation.

Steel Framed Homes

Metal framing systems are popular in commercial buildings. They’re safer and more durable than wood-framing, but these walls still need to be finished with exterior cladding and drywall that is less durable than concrete.

Wood Framed Homes

Wood-framed homes are popular because they’ve been around for a long time, but they have problems – water and moisture damage being among them. Repairing these homes, especially after fire or flood damage, is expensive, lengthy and complicated.

Durability & Safety

Tilt-Up Concrete Homes – HIGH
Concrete tilt-up homes are highly resistant to physical damage, with a 3-hour wall fire rating. Tilt-up concrete walls were invented in the early 1900’s and buildings utilizing this method are still around to this day with minimal maintenance required.

ICF Homes – MED
ICF homes’ concrete core is tough but the soft Styrofoam blocks are not. The concrete core has a high fire rating, but the Styrofoam blocks are highly flammable.

Metal Frame Homes – MED
The metal frame itself has high fire and damage ratings, but the fire rating for the exterior cladding is much lower.

Wood Frame Homes – LOW
With wood-frame homes, the framing relies on the exterior cladding to prevent fire from getting into the structure and the interior drywall. The typical fire rating for these homes is 45 minutes.*

*Source: Ontario Building Code, Section 9

Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability

Concrete Homes – HIGH
Tilt-up concrete homes produce roughly 10% more CO2 than wood-framed homes during construction, but their energy efficiency cuts building lifecycle CO2 emissions by approximately 30% thanks to a very tight building envelope and thermal mass.*

ICF Homes – HIGH
ICF homes produce a similar amounts of CO2 during construction, when compared to tilt-up homes. But their reverse sandwich panels (insulation/concrete/insulation) provide lower efficiencies than tilt-up construction.

Steel Frame Homes – MED
Steel-frame homes use high levels of spray foam to stop air leaks. But they also have multiple layers of air & water vapour proofing, which will leak air if damaged. Currently, there is no viable data on the CO2 footprint of steel-framed homes. But if you find some, let us know.

Wood Frame Homes – MED
Wood-framed homes have a higher chance of air leak failures than steel-framed homes. Their CO2 footprint may be lower during construction, but the increased demand for lumber is linked to deforestation and their draftiness leads to higher energy demands.

* Source: MIT Study – Methods, Impacts, and Opportunities in the Concrete Building Life Cycle

Construction Speed

Concrete Homes – 3-4 months
Tilt-up concrete home construction is fast and easy, just like a 3D puzzle using a crane. A crane assembles the exterior and interior wall panels. All electrical and plumbing are embedded in the concrete, while still being serviceable. Lastly, the roof is constructed off-site and placed by a crane.

ICF Homes – 6-12 months*
ICF homes use fast block assembly. Some ICF homes use special Styrofoam blocks to construct floors and ceilings, but this requires special labour and engineers. Styrofoam blocks must be cut for electrical and plumbing. Finally, carpenters and masons are needed for interior/exterior wall finishes.

Steel Frame Homes – 6-12 months*
Steel frames are built in factories and assembled by hand on-site. Construction involves assembling rigid insulation panels and prefabricated metal frames. Cladding, insulation, electrical, plumbing and drywalling are completed by separate trades.

Wood Frame Homes – 6-12 months*
Wood-framed homes take the longest time to build, produce the most waste and require the most amount of labour. The wood frame is cut on-site and assembled by hand. Cladding, insulation, electrical, plumbing and drywalling are completed by separate trades.

*Source: Conversations with Ontario based General Contractors and Home Builders

Costs

Concrete Homes – $225/sq. ft. and up
Tilt-up concrete homes require the least amount of materials and labour hours. They also have lower maintenance, heating and cooling costs. The future price of concrete is fairly easy to predict since all the concrete in Ontario is produced locally without any tariffs.

ICF Homes – $345/sq. ft. and up*
These homes require specialty labour and engineering. There’s the potential for wall blowouts, which can lead to unexpected the repairs and delays. Also, additional skilled trade workers must be hired to complete drywalling and build the interior walls.

Steel Frame Homes – $350/sq. ft. and up*
Steel is an expensive building product. The future price is difficult to estimate because steel is highly susceptible to international tariffs, supply and demand. Additional skilled trade workers must be hired to build the interior walls and complete drywalling.

Wood Frame Homes – $300/sq. ft. and up*
Wood is a fairly inexpensive building material. But it’s also the least durable and energy-efficient way to build a home. Its future price is hard to gauge because timber is affected by global supply and demand. Wood is also susceptible to global environmental conditions like forest fires, which further impact supply levels.

*Source: conversations with Ontario based General Contractors and Home Builders