Winter Construction Now Possible with the Help of Nudura
For any build team, the winter months and colder climates pose additional challenges, such as excess moisture, difficult working conditions, and frozen building materials. Nudura ICF systems can lessen these challenges and ultimately speed up your construction timeline.
Cold Weather Challenges
Cold temperatures and inclement weather are a hindrance for a lot of building materials and can often set back a project’s progress. Traditional construction with brick and block or timber frame is especially vulnerable to potential issues caused by winter weather. After a snowfall, for example, subfloors must be cleared for wall framing, snow and ice should be removed from materials for assembly and bottom wall plate locations should be scraped if ice is present to alleviate wall settlement.
Contractors also need to watch out for moisture saturation on the studs and wall sheathing. Excess moisture can lead to mould or warping of the studs. Cold weather can also create “pops” in drywall, which could incur movement in the stud phrases, resulting in a defect in the finished build.
Advantages of ICFs
ICF construction, such as Nudura, offers dual foam panels and a concrete core to insulate the building almost immediately. The inherent thermal mass requires very little heat to climatize the structure for interior finishing. The blocks themselves are lightweight which speeds up the build process for contractors, and because no additional air barriers or cladding is required to make the structure weather-tight, the sub-trades and interior finishing can begin sooner.
In the winter months, minor precautions must still be taken to protect the top of the wall to prevent snow or ice from accumulating within the wall cavity. ICF construction does not require space to be cleared on the subfloor so time can be allocated to erecting the structure versus the removal of snow and/or water.
Conclusion
Building in the winter months is unavoidable and cold temperatures can complicate material application and slow down a project significantly. But, when utilizing ICF for external wall construction, architects and contractors can now rest assured that during the winter months, construction will not be hindered.
To find out more about the Nudura system, contact a member of the team today.
