Page - Letters

LETTERS

The following are a few examples of letters we receive from clients and other ICF Professionals.

Everything Outdoors

TNN Outdoors

RTM Productions, Inc.

783 Old Hickory Boulevard

Suite 300 West

Brentwood, TN 37027

Dear Ian:

I am sincerely grateful for your participation with our Ultimate Log Lodge project. I reviewed the video footage gathered during the three-day event and it looks terrific. I was concerned about all of the "ultra white" forms, but our videographers did an excellent job.

The Everything Outdoors segment which will feature the ICF system will air January 13, 2001. This episode will be broadcast at least two times during the first run, and it will repeat two more times approximately 18 weeks later.

Once we complete our 10 Ultimate Log Lodge segments, these features will be edited into a consumer video which will be sold on the Nashville Network (TNN/CBS Cable) and possibly through large retailers. Additionally, I will include information about the ICF system on the Everything Outdoors web site.

You went way beyond the "call of duty" and I am very thankful for you efforts. You drove a long ways and worked hard on our project and I can't thank you enough for your efforts.

Best Regards,

Scott Liles

Producer - Everything Outdoors TV Series

Pieter VanderWerf

President

Building Works, Inc.

675 Massachusetts Avenue, 8th Floor

Cambridge, MA 02139

Ian:

I finally got to meet the guru of insulating concrete forms in the flesh. thanks for giving me so much of your time last week to discuss the details of different systems with me. There is no other way on this planet I could have gotten so much information in such a short time.

Thanks also for all the good commentary you've been posting on the web site discussion page. You keep setting people straight when they go off with outlandish statements. I'll probably continue stirring things up to keep you busy.

Sincerely,

Pieter VanderWerf

Billy Brazier

Brazier Construction, Inc.

PO Box 395

Rt. 1, Hwy. 380

Bridgeport, TX 76426

Dear Norman:

Brazier Construction was hired to construct an eleven thousand square foot Lodge on Lake Bridgeport using the ICF Blocking Systems with steel framing. Not having used the ICF System before we started to research the product contacting several different companies and contractors which took us on a journey from job to job seeking information to determine which product was the best and had the least amount of problems that often occurred using these systems. We spent over two months exhausting ourselves and frankly were very disappointed on several occasions because of problems occurring on certain ICF Systems and the poor quality of workmanship on some of these projects. We finally decided visit our last ICF distributor on our list which took us to Norman Williams and to a construction site in the Cedar Hill area where he was using his ICF Blocking System. After visiting several of his sites, seeing the product perform and the workmanship that he and his workman displayed, he sold us on the System. We hired them after they reviewed our project and submitted a bid to our office. One of the things on our project that concerned me was the height of the walls we would be pouring and making sure the consistency of the concrete flowed continuously through the walls. All of these concerns were put to rest and were handled very professional and our project went very smoothly and we had no problems. I would highly recommend Norman and the ICF Blocking System for their knowledge and assistance on the ICF Wall System.

Best Regards,

Billy Brazier

Brazier Construction, Inc.

Paul M. Dienstbier

4723 Sherman Road

Richmond, VA 23234

Atlantic Drafting & Design, Inc.

Dear Mr. White:

A few months ago, we met to discuss my ideas for building a house addition. In the course of our conversations, you told me about an alternative to the normal wood frame construction, namely, 'Foam Block'. At that time, I didn't have a clue what you were talking about! You made claims of how this was the "State of th Art" construction technology and that this building material would provide the highest R factor of insulation possible along with its sound proofing capability. Believe me, I was pretty skeptical of these claims. Even after you showed me samples of the foam blocks, I still had my doubts. A week later, I saw a program on the Discovery Channel that highlighted the use of these "State of the Art" foam blocks in building Tornado-Proof homes in the mid-west. This was impressive! So, I went with this. You created plans and began construction.

My new addition is now complete, and I just want to provide you with some feedback about the "State of the Art" foam blocks and my new addition.

1) Each day last week, the temperature ranged between 21-39 degrees. Tuesday night, the temperature in my new addition was 71 degrees. (Note: I did not open the new addition to my existing home at that time. It was still isolated from the existing structure.) I turned the heat unit off at the breaker. Two full days later, I checked the temperature. It was 64 degrees! This was unbelievable.

2) Even with the four large custom windows in the 36' x 24' addition (also the 5'glass door entry) noise from the outside is very, very minimal. I noticed that while in my new addition, I cannot hear the commercial jets flying overhead. I still can hear them in my existing structure. (I love quiet!)

3) As a general observation, when I walk into my new addition, I can actually feel a big difference...like night and day. The atmosphere, warmth and quiet is nothing like what I even expected.

I would like to thank you, Mr. Ray White and your staff for your help and assistant in building the "State of the Art" addition for me and my family. Please feel free to use me as a reference. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Paul M. Dienstbier

Ian:

We are progressing with our house project, and I want to express to you how much I appreciate the very professional job you did on constructing our ICF walls. Your work crew was well managed and efficient. We appreciated the fact that your crew cleaned up the construction site after completing their job. even though we chose to use a new-on-the-market ICF block, your experience provided you the expertise necessary to produce the result we wanted. During construction, you detected and corrected several flaws in our plans that would have caused us heartache later on in the finish out of our house. When we measured the rough openings for our windows, we found them all to be within 1/16 inch of the specification. Everyone who has seen our house has been impressed. They all asked, "Where did you learn of this method of construction?"

I would be happy for you to give my name to anyone who contacts you and is interested in ICF construction. I will be glad to share our experience and thoughts with them.

Ennis Hill

J. Philip Davis, Jr., D.D.S.

1500 S. 31st Street

Temple, TX 76504

To Whom It May Concern:

I found Ian Giesler and his ICF Builders to be the most enjoyable subcontractor to work with on my new 4800 square foot home. He is very knowledgeable in all areas of the construction business. If I ever had a question about anything concerning my project, Ian was ready and willing to either call me back or come out to the job site to explain to the other subcontractors (electrician, plumber, drywall installers, etc.) or myself.

Concerning the quality of my insulated concrete form walls, there were the usual problems with the walls being slightly out of square or plumb, but no more than what is acceptable with conventional "stick-framed" houses, He was able to instill confidence in me with his ability to provide a quality product in a house on the scale of mine. One might think that building a house out of ICF's would lengthen the build time; Ian and his crew were finished with their work in a few weeks' time.

I would highly recommend Ian if you are considering a structure built with steel reinforced ICF's.

Sincerely,

J. Philip Davis, Jr., D.D.S.

Ian - My home is so nice and comfortable - truly amazing! It is all worth it! Would do it all over again!