Logix

Jeff Green | May 01, 2008

Back toHome

Even with the advent of new materials, building custom houses hasn’t changed that much in the last 30 to 40 years - it’s still a matter of taking measurements and framing houses by hammering nails, but some builders would prefer to switch to lego blocks.

Hook’s Rona sponsored a certification course in the use of LOGIX insulated concrete forms at the Barrie Hall last Friday, and 18 local contractors were happy to pay $60 each to learn the ins and outs of a different way to construct houses.

At the heart of the LOGIX houses are 8' long by 2' wide forms that are made up of two reinforced styrofoam panels with metal and rebar inserts.

The forms can be quickly assembled into walls that extend from the foundation all the way to the roof trusses, with inset holes for windows, and once they are filled with concrete the house, or other kind of building, is entirely framed in.

“The drywall can go on the inside and the siding on the outside, that's all there is to it,” said Tracy Hook as Ken Williams, from Logix, conducted the training session.

Hook’s Rona is becoming a distributor for the Logix, which has several advantages over traditional construction methods, according to Ken Williams.

“For the small contractor, there is sometimes a delay waiting for masons to arrive, and with this system they can control their scheduling better,” said Ken Williams, during a lunch break interview.

Logix homes cost about four or five per cent more to build, according to Williams, but they are 40% more energy efficient than “stick built houses”, and they have an impressive four-hour fire rating.

Having a solid wall all the way from the foundation up, with no gaps, makes the houses extremely efficient,” Williams said.

Of the contractors attending the training, only one, Quality Homes of Northbrook, has had experience with insulated concretre forms, and the rest of those attending were loooking to expand the kinds of homes they are able to build.

“We provide a lot of support to contractors the first time they build a Logix home, in addition to the training course,” Williams said. “Once they are comfortable with building this way, they tend to want to continue.”

With heating costs rising each year, and projections of further double digit increases, Logix will be a welcome addition to the building scene in the Land O'Lakes.