Methods
Six systems on the sheet. A library behind them.
The comparison below is the short list we score first: SCIP, ICF, ICCF, CMU with foam, SIP, and FORTIFIED frame. The library holds the rest — roofs, openings, foundations, moisture, fire, insects — and it is built to keep growing. A cell that says “Not scored” is waiting on a source. We will not print a number without one. Head-to-head pages, also unscored, are on the compare list.
How a score will work
When a source is attached, a system is marked from 0 to 10 on a hazard. A 5 means ordinary code-minimum construction. A 10 means nothing else in the set clearly beats it on that hazard. Your lot then moves the baseline. This paragraph describes the scale. It is not a result, and it is not a reason to treat the six as a closed catalog.
Side by side
| System | Hurricane | Flood | Fire | Mold | Termite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCIPStructural concrete insulated panels | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
| ICFInsulated concrete forms | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
| ICCFInsulated composite concrete forms | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
| CMU + foamCMU with continuous exterior foam | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
| SIPStructural insulated panels | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
| FORTIFIED frameFORTIFIED framed construction | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
The six, in one line each
SCIP
A foam core with welded steel mesh on both faces, sprayed with shotcrete on site. Walls, roof, and floors can be the same system. Crews and shotcrete workmanship decide whether it is the right shell.
ICF
Reinforced concrete poured inside a stay-in-place foam form. Mass, continuity, and continuous insulation in one wall. It costs more than frame up front, and crew familiarity varies by region.
ICCF
Stay-in-place forms that are not all-foam, filled with concrete. The form material varies by manufacturer. This note does not prefer a product line.
CMU + foam
Concrete block with a continuous insulation layer, usually outside the block, so the masonry is not a thermal bridge. Openings and the attachment of the foam still have to be detailed.
SIP
A foam core bonded between structural facings, often wood. Fast to crane into place. Wind, wetting, and insects are the questions a finished note has to answer with sources, not adjectives.
FORTIFIED frame
Wood or light-frame construction built and verified to an IBHS FORTIFIED designation: Roof, Silver, or Gold. A standard for a conventional house, not a product we sell. Insurer recognition varies by state and carrier.
Which one is right?
It depends on the lot, the order of your priorities, the budget, and who can build it nearby. The free plan runs that against your inputs. The library is where you read the systems themselves, including the ones that will never win on your lot. We would rather show you the rejection than hide the method.