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Questions and Answers
01 What is a “concrete”, or ICF home?
Insulated Concrete Forms (or ICFs) are polystyreneforms or molds that have a built-in plastic web for structural support, and insulate reinforced concrete poured into the mold. The first patent application for an ICF was registered in the late 1960’s. Since then, and particularly in the last 4 years, ICFs have been fast-becoming the mainstream preferred building product worldwide for all of the right reasons. These large, hollow polystyrene blocks are stacked right off of the truck and filled with reinforcing bar and concrete. The end result leaves you with a high-performing wall that is structurally sound, insulated, strapped, has a vapor barrier and is ready to accept final exterior and interior finishes.
02 What makes an ICF home safer that a wood frame home?
A concrete home is structurally designed to be ten to twenty times stronger than a stick framed home. An ICF can weather a tornado, earthquake or hurricane virtually un-scathed. Standard wood frame homes consist of thousands of independent components, fastened together by mechanical means, creating hinge points of weakness throughout the building. Cast-in-place concrete designs, like ICF, creates continuous and unbroken structural shells which are far stronger than any wood structure. What is that deadbolt doing for you? Chances are it simply provides you with a false sense of security.
A wood frame home can be breached in under 60 seconds with:
- A Chainsaw
- A Reciprocating Saw
- An Axe
- A Sledge Hammer
- and just about anything larger than a steak knife.
In some high-security residential areas, statistics show that a burglar will enter a house through a wall – usually the wall between the garage and the home – to avoid setting off glass break alarm. Adding to the structural integrity of the concrete home is the very nature of its components. The basic components of an ICF home don’t rot or rust. You can expect your concrete home to remain structurally sound for 200 years or more.
03 How much can I save on my utility bills with Imagine, Inc. services?
How much can I save on my utility bills with Imagine, Inc. services? Energy savings and comfort are built into every ICF system. ICFs start with a high R-Value. Four inches of polystyrene foam insulation, combine with a six inch concrete wall make up a typical ICF system. This combination is rated above R-17 at 75 degree mean test temperature. Other insulating form configurations and materials also exhibit high R-values.
But that’s not all! Air infiltration in an ICF Home is minimal due to the continuous air barriers provided by the foam insulation and the concrete. Likewise, there are no convection currents within wall cavities. The concrete walls of an ICF home have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24-hour cycle. This reduces both peak and total heating and cooling loads. This combination of high R-values, low air infiltration, and high thermal mass is believed to account for the amazing 25% to 50% energy savings of ICF versus wood or steel-framed homes.
04 How is the health of my home and family improved by Imagine, Inc.?
Specifically with ICF, nothing blows through reinforced concrete. There will be absolutely no drafts or cold spots. ICF homeowners have commented on how constant temperatures stay within their homes. Because of the tremendous thermal mass of the exterior wall envelope, temperature peaks are smoothed, and therefore homes are noticeably warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. There are no CFCs, HCFCs, or formaldehydes, and also no wood to rot and mold. ICFs are the answer for allergy and asthma sufferers. They have a two-hour fire rating and are termite and pest resistant. But most importantly, these structures can withstand a severe storm hit.
With Truseal foam insulation in a wood frame structure, the walls are completely sealed. The foam fills all voids, seams, and conforms to the structural design, prevents condensation in walls due to air transfer, and inhibits support mold growth. Foam insulation also creates a more stable climate in the home/building so there are no cold/hot spots . The insulation seals the walls so that there is no air transfer which leads to dust, poor air quality, and keeps pests from entering the home.
05 How can I learn more about Imagine, Inc. services?
You are invited to contact Imagine, Inc. at:
- for Stonecraft: danesh@uimagineit.com – 256.509.3800
- for Truseal: navid@uimagineit.com – 256.679.1981
For Real Estate Assistance contact dianaforoughi@kw.com – 256.679.1000
You may also email Imagine, Inc. at imagine@uimagineit.com In addition, please feel free to browse the information contained on this website, as well as the web sites of our partners.
Testimonials
“Our experience with Stonecraft and Danesh Foroughi has been extremely positive and rewarding. Danesh’s knowledge, experience, professionalism and unquestioned honesty are the qualitites that have made working with Stonecraft an absolute pleasure. Every project comes with technical problems, schedule pressure and costs issues. Danesh provided solutions to problems, delivered on schedule and met cost estimates. Stonecraft invoices were detailed and accurate.
The most often asked question has been ‘How does ICF compare in cost to wood construction?’ Sorry, we don’t know, all of the data is not in. It won’t be for years to come. To date, industry estimates of 6 to 10% in initial construction cost appear to be accurate. For us, using Stonecraft, we believe it will be closer to 6% than 10.
The test for quality in a builder or subcontractor is, ‘If you had known then what you know now, would you hire this company?’ For Stonecraft our answer is ‘YES!'”
“Danesh, Please let me express again how much I appreciate your professionalism, patience and effort throughout the entire duration of this project. Although I am not going to proceed with the house, I feel your time spent deserves compensation, and, as we discussed on the phone, I am including a token of my appreciation. I wish you and your family much happiness and success.”
“Working with Danesh (and the whole Stonecraft/Imagine Inc. family) was a pleasure from start to finish. We’ve developed a friendship to last beyond the building process. We met with several builders before finding Danesh and we knew immediately we’d found the person to build our home, because of his commitment to building energy efficient/green homes. …We could not have asked for a better experience. Our many questions and concerns were always given immediate attention and we felt like our home was his number one priority. Thank you so much for building our dream home!”
“The outcome of our experience in building with Stonecraft was not only a pleasurable experience of building a beautiful well-crafted, solid built energy efficient home, but in the building of a bond of trust and friendship that will last a lifetime.”
“Danesh is very knowledgeable and honest.”
“It was a pleasure building with Stonecraft Construction, after interviewing a dozen others we finally found a builder who builds from the heart and with a passion.”
“Dear Danesh, We wanted to send you this letter and thank you for the wonderful job you did in building our home in Ardmore, Alabama. We most appreciate you building our home on time, on budget and to a high standard of quality. The home is absolutely beautiful and everyone who visits raves over the high level of crafsmanship throughout the home.
Usually building a home is a stressful experience. However, your professionalism and expertise allowed us to have very few hiccups throughout the process. Each and every step of the process you worked with us to ensure that we would be happy with the final product and indeed we are!
We are looking forward to celebrating our first Christmas in the new home. If we ever come to a point where we would need a builder to do another project for us, our first phone call will be to you. We would be happy to recommend you to thers to build their home for them.”
About Us
Imagine, Inc. is a family-owned and operated solution for building your dream home from concept-to-counter-top. Our goal is build you the strongest home possible, cut those utility bills in half, and give you a healthy and secure home for your family. We stay on top of the cutting edge in residential construction. We can help you locate the perfect lot, design your dream home to your specifications, build your home to resist the strongest of storms, and insulate your home with foam. We are the only EarthCraft builder in Alabama, the Distributor for NUDURA Insulated Concrete Forms for an area that covers north Alabama and lower Tennessee, and we are constantly importing the latest in energy-saving technologies.
StoneCraft Construction, operated by Danesh Foroughi, and TruSeal insulation, operated by his son Navid Foroughi, are the arms of Imagine Inc. With a mission of ensuring the customers comfort and a healthier living environment, Imagine Inc. has delivered satisfied customer after satisfied customer. Having lived in the Huntsville/Madison area for over 25 years, the Foroughi family understands what is needed to provide every customer with their dream home. Focused on providing better methods, customer service, and products for all homes, Imagine, Inc. strives to meet all your needs. Our Family is here to serve you in making the home building & home remodeling process as carefree as possible. Call on us with any concerns and questions about how to create your dream home.
Danesh and Navid Foroughi have both earned the designation of Certified Green Professional™ (CGP)*
from the National Association of Home Builders. 
*This designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who incorporate green building principles into homes— without driving up the cost of construction. Classwork leading to the designation provides a solid background in green building methods, as well as the tools to reach consumers, from the organization leading the charge to provide market-driven green building solutions to the home building industry.
Imagine the Possibilities.
Imagine, Inc. founded in 2004, has been designed with the dual focus of satisfying the customers needs and providing the healthiest homes available in all of North Alabama. Through a variety of services, Imagine Inc. has created a one stop shopping point to fulfill all your homes needs.
If you are looking for a custom home builder or someone to remodel your home take a look at Stonecraft Construction. At the forefront of residential construction Stonecraft is sure to fit your needs.
Or if you are looking to save on energy, with the services provided by Truseal Insulation you not only will save on energy but increase the air quality in your home. There are more benefits to be found with spray foam insulation and we would love to discuss details with you.
Working to satisfy our customers, to build strong lasting relationships, to provide you with the best home your money can buy, Imagine Inc. is here to create your dream home.
