ICF: Lighter, Faster, Smarter, Stronger

“I was foreman on an ICF project in 2022. I had experience with ICF going back a few years, but didn’t have the resources to start my own business. I met Paddy onsite – he had just moved home from Australia and was looking to get into something himself. We became friends and both saw the potential in working with ICF. So, Paddy said to me ‘You get the jobs, I’ll provide the resources’. I’m confident in saying we are now among the best ICF builders in the country.”

“I wanted to learn as much as I could about ICF, so I contacted Seamus Kavanagh, who was then at Amvic ICF, and I started a sort of apprenticeship with him to learn about their ICF systems. I worked on a few projects with Amvic, and then I realised there were simply not enough people installing ICF in Ireland. I wanted to pass on what I’d learned, so I became a trainer for another Irish operator, Castleforms. It’s still a small niche in the construction sector, but I was happy to help a lot of people that are now installing ICF across the country.” 

“I started working on building sites when I was just 15, but I only worked with ICF for the first time in 2017. I was really impressed. The systems are lightweight, brilliant for insulation and thermal efficiency, and are easy on the body. I first contacted Seamus Kavanagh, with Amvic ICF, to learn more about it. I then started small-scale developments and have grown over the years, and now I work with around 30 certified installers operating on projects across Ireland.” 

“I kind of knew ICF was around in Ireland, but I thought it was more of a US thing. It only took me building my own house with ICF for me to be fully sold on it. I can feel the benefits every day – the house is so well insulated. In fact, it only costs me around €2,200 per year in heating bills for my 3,000 square foot house.”

“One of the benefits of ICF is that, while it’s a sophisticated system, it’s not too complex if you have the right trainer. My learning as an ICF installer has come from shadowing others onsite and just going into the technical details of how ICF works. That’s not even to mention how easy ICF is to work with. There is no heavy lifting and the technical drawings I need to interpret are easy to follow.”

For Kieran, moving to work with ICF was a step to improve his career. Kieran was working as an Environmental Field Technician near his hometown of Killarney, Co. Kerry when he first heard of ICF. The role “required a lot of driving and I wanted more hands-on work”, and so, when a friend recommended ICF, Kieran jumped at the chance. 

“Because ICF is quicker to install and not as hard on the body, I can better plan time off to be with my daughter and be flexible around her childcare needs.” 

“Using ICF means I can plan and budget my jobs better, so I can take a day when needed to help care for my children. And, as ICF becomes more popular, I am hoping that I can just work on developments locally, cut down on travel time.” 

“When I came back, I couldn’t find a suitable role. So, I went into working in a factory. I was at that for years before I came across ICF and, honestly, I was blown away. I didn’t know if I would ever come back to construction, but ICF convinced me there was an easy way to build warmer, better insulated houses.” 

“We have a lot of carpenters and even a lorry driver now installing ICF! It’s such an easy-to-install system, with the right training, and so energy efficient. It’s definitely the way to go for building houses, particularly in the West of Ireland.” 

“Just because it looks like Lego doesn’t mean it’s child’s play. If you don’t respect the complexities of the system, you’ll run into problems. Formal training in ICF could be more regulated, to ensure installers have the proper know-how to use it. But once that point is addressed, it’s simply really. More ICF means more units being built annually which means more housing.” 

“My uncle was an old-school block layer, and he thought highly of the traditional way of doing things, long after he retired. He was sceptical about me building my house with ICF when I was starting out. He watched me build my house in just seven days. After he saw how streamlined it was, and how comfortable and warm the house was once we had moved in, his mind was totally changed.”