John Vogstrom

"It would have been more convenient to start the home earlier," admits John Vogstrom, president of the company, "But by using ICFs, we were able to reduce the construction timeline and complete this house in just 6 months while keeping winter heating costs to a minimum."

Plus, it can withstand winds up to 400 mile per hour," says John Vogstrom, co-owner of Vogue Homes.

Cemstone again formed an alliance with Vogue Homes, but this time the house would be built and eventually occupied by John Vogstrom, Vogue's president.The successful combination of the construction crew and the marketing machine were fired up once again.

In April, construction began on the nearly 5,000-sq.-ft. home."Granted, building a 2,200-sq.-ft. home inside a convention center in only four days was a definite challenge, but both our patience and persistence were tested with this project," says Vogstrom.

The spring saw record rainfall in Minnesota, which brought the Mississippi River to 100-year highs - causing flooding and chaos.On top of that, Minnesota had an unusually active tornado season.One twister went right over the concrete house on its way to completely demolishing the town of Siren, Wis. "It was unbelievable," affirms Vogstrom.

Traditionally, concrete homes had a bad reputation, and many homeowners perceived a concrete home as a standard square "box" home with little design, says John Vogstrom, owner of Vogue Homes, a third-generation design/build custom home company in Eagan, Minn. However, as demand for ICFs increases, consumers, builders and architects are discovering that nearly any design they can dream of can be built with concrete.
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These savings are echoed by Vogstrom.He lives in a concrete home he built and says that a homeowner will typically pay about 3 percent more up front in building costs for an ICF home.However, he points out that the homeowner quickly makes up the additional upfront costs through energy savings and insurance reductions.

"I pay half for my insurance due to discounts.More insurance companies are realizing the advantages of ICF-built homes and giving better rates.The money you save on insurance washes out the 3 percent in initial costs, and you break even," he explains.

Vogstrom's previous residence, which was framed, was smaller, and actually cost him more in energy bills than his larger, concrete home.

"You save a lot on energy costs.I've cut my heating and cooling costs by 50 percent or more," he states.
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However, even with the increased interest, Vogstrom's team still had to do a lot of explaining and educating about the material, the process and the benefits of an ICF home. Demand for concrete homes increased, and in 2002, due to that demand as well as increasing liability and mold issues in the industry, Vogstrom transitioned the company to building 100 percent of its homes with ICFs.

While business has been successful, and the company now has a waiting list for its homes, Vogstrom admits there is still the challenge of the learning curve.

"Even though the building industry has changed so much over the last 50 years, I think people are slow to make the leap.They're not sure about things and are concerned over costs," he explains.

Owner: John VogstromGeneral Contractor: Vogue Homes

"Having three ICF homes be chosen for the Peoples Choice Awards clearly shows that the public is recognizing that concrete homes are the better choice and that they are here to stay," states John Vogstrom, owner of Vogue Homes and winner of two Peoples Choice Awards.

John VogstromDirector of Sales

... Im finding that concrete homes are the answer for those who want cheap heating and cooling bills and a draft-free, quiet living environment, says John Vogstrom of Vogue Homes.After 30 years of ... http://www.cement.org/hom ... sletter2005-11&12.asp