Direct Answer: In Massachusetts, there are two types of houses: those that have termites, and those that will have termites.
Subterranean termites live in the soil and eat cellulose (wood).
Carpenter ants live in wet wood and make nests.
A standard wood-framed house sitting on a damp block foundation is an "All You Can Eat Buffet" for these pests.
An Element ICF house is made of rock and plastic. Even if the bugs get in, there is nothing for them to eat. The structure is immune.
The "Sill Plate" Vulnerability
The number one failure point in New England homes is the "Sill Plate"—the piece of pressure-treated lumber that sits on top of the concrete foundation.
1. It sits near the ground.
2. It gets wet from splashback.
3. Termites build mud tubes up the foundation to reach it.
Once they are in the sill plate, they move up the wall studs into your roof. You often don't know until the wall becomes soft.
The ICF Solution:
We pour concrete from the footing all the way to the roof line. There is no wood touching the ground. There is no wood sill plate to rot or be eaten. The path is blocked.
Rodents (Mice and Squirrels)
It's not just insects. Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Squirrels chew through cedar siding and fascia boards to nest in your attic.
* Wood Home: Vinyl siding and fiberglass insulation are easy to chew through.
* ICF Home: A mouse cannot chew through 6 inches of 4,000 PSI reinforced concrete.
Conclusion
Pest control companies love wood houses. It guarantees them a subscription customer for life.
Building with ICF is permanent pest control. It removes the food source from the equation.
Why fight the bugs when you can just build a house they ignore?
