Orange Beach is a small city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The city is vulnerable to severe weather, including hurricanes, so the owners of this 12,776-square-foot single-family home located just 300 yards off the water opted to build their new home with Fox Blocks by Airlite Plastics Co. for extra protection. Total construction time was 78 weeks, and ICF installation time was only 45 days. The Claunch Residence was the Unlimited Residential 1st Runner Up in the 2024 ICF Builder Awards.

Construction and Site Considerations
Mike Kennaw, a representative for Fox Blocks, explained that the design featured many challenging architectural details including expansive openings for oversized doors and windows, archways within the interior and exterior, radius walls of the lower breakfast area and upper rotunda, and more. The outdoor chimney is built with ICF with CMU on the interior, and finished with stucco for a cohesive appearance.
Ono Island, a part of Orange Beach, is a prestigious area with many building restrictions. “Because of the home’s location and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, it was designed with 100% ICF exterior walls and exterior porches to ensure it would withstand any weather including hurricanes, heavy rains, and high winds as well as wear and tear from the salt water,” says Kennaw. Using ICF means the homeowners don’t have to worry about rotting wood or rusting steel.

No detail was spared in the design of the Claunch Residence. The grand home boasts a four-car garage, a floating bridge, and koi pond at the entryway. A covered outdoor kitchen and living area look out over an in-ground pool with a view of the gulf. The saltwater pool features an elevated spa and swim-up bar stools with lighted stone stairs. An outdoor shower and cold plunge spa sit alongside the home to complement the private gym. Above the garage is a separate guest suite. Inside are three brick fireplaces, a custom wine room and bar, a library with oak walls, and custom gun storage cabinets with matching oak beams across the library ceiling. Primary suite amenities include a custom, oversized sauna, and limestone enclosed aromatherapy steam shower. Even the family pets get luxury treatment including a private pet room with access to a designated pet courtyard. The entire home includes aromatherapy throughout. Landscaping features were designed to incorporate seamlessly with the neighboring properties and waterfront and include a custom water management system.

Sustainability & Impact
Building a sustainable and energy-efficient home was very important to the owners, says Kennaw. “While ICF construction maximizes thermal efficiency and provides a high level of airtightness to the building’s envelope, additional features were included in the Claunch Residence in order to maximize the home’s efficiency,” he says. Spray foam insulation adds an additional layer of insulation. The entire home features LED lighting, tankless water heaters, and an 18 SEER HVAC system, which is one of the highest energy efficiency ratings.

To build a home of this size and complexity within code, especially considering the strict building codes of Orange Beach, which Kennaw says are similar to Miami-Dade County in Florida, would be extremely difficult without the use of ICF. “According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, framing materials for coastal homes should be resistant to flooding, intense winds, wind-driven rain, corrosion, moisture, and decay,” says Kennaw.

The owner and architect, McCollough Architecture, made the decision to build with ICFs thanks to prior familiarity with the product. McCollough Architecture has a longstanding relationship with the ICF installer, Paul Hubble with Force 5 Walls, and general contractor Loper Construction. “Fox Blocks is the ICF block of choice for the team at Force 5 Walls due to its consistent reliability, ease of installation, and outstanding customer service,” says Kennaw.

The Claunch Residence has served as an example for the builder’s potential clients, and ICF is rapidly growing in popularity in this region for its reliability and strength. Kennaw says the owners are “very pleased with the home and continue to brag on the use of ICF” for contributing to the home’s quietness, safety, quick construction time, and precision. They “could not be happier with how the completed home looks and feels,” he says.