Breckenridge Home

At an elevation of 10,700 ft, the Perkuno Namai residence in Breckenridge, Colorado faces sub-zero temperatures, up to 200 in. of annual snowfall and significant sloping topography, all of which impacted the design and construction of this new single-family home. 
 
The homeowner, Kreg Obergfell, who also served as the architect, selected Nudura Insulated Concrete Forms for the foundation and 75% of the exterior walls. This decision was based on ICFs’ superior thermal performance, structural integrity and fire resistance, given the potential for wildfires with the surrounding trees. The strength of the ICF walls also accommodated the extensive windows to maximize natural light and visibility to the outdoors.

Nudura’s ICF system also provided the high R-value, continuous insulation and thermal mass that enabled the home to accomplish a remarkable blower door test score of 0.97 ACH. This airtightness and energy efficiency was critical for the home to meet the stringent 2021 Prescriptive Building Code and a net-zero-ready design.

Accessory building materials, such as Prebuck Framing and air barriers from Tremco Sealants, were also incorporated due to their proven compatibility with Nudura products and single point of contact. “It really streamlined the process. As a builder, having to navigate different products from different suppliers and trying to make sure they all work together, this removed a lot of that headache and a lot of that stress,” explained the contractor, Jim Van Der Kar with VDK Custom Builders.

Despite the difficult jobsite, this Colorado ICF project highlights what is possible with modern concrete homes by achieving a beautiful, resilient and energy-efficient house in some of the harshest environmental conditions.