ATLANTA - Builders and consumers will get a firsthand look at the best in concrete homebuilding systems at the International Builders Show in Atlanta on Feb. 8-11. During the show, which includes an opening address by Rudolph Giuliani, attendees will be able to tour "The Hideaway," a 7,416 square-feet home built with insulating concrete forms (ICFs), located 30 miles from downtown Atlanta in Snellville.

ICFs are hollow foam blocks or panels that are stacked into the shape of the walls of a building and filled with reinforced concrete to create a solid structure that is strong, quiet, fire and pest resistant, and energy efficient. The Hideaway also features a variety of other concrete products including a precast concrete floor system, ICF safe room, stamped concrete patio, porches, sidewalks, street, and basement floor, retaining wall, stucco finish, countertops and more. The ICFs for The Hideaway were supplied by Polysteel Southeast and it was built by Steven Miles, Three Crown Construction.

Homes built with ICF walls are reportedly more energy efficient, allowing homeowners to save as much as 44% on energy bills, and solid concrete walls reduce noise by as much as 66%. ICF systems are also flexible enough to accommodate any home design.