I don't know how possible this answer will be to get.

I have an ICF home design made for us by an architect. I have the complete blueprints.

BUT I don't see anywhere that he spells out the rebar schedule so we'd know where to place the rebar in our walls.

This is my 1st time working with an architect to design a home, 1st time building an ICF home. Can an ICF architect/engineer please tell me: is this what I should have expected? Is it possible for my plans to be competent/complete and not show anything about rebar to the contractor? Can an architect just say 'follow code' specify the code for our area, and be done with it?

OK, second part to the question. We have a large sliding glass door in one exterior ICF wall with less than 2 ft above it to the ceiling height (1 story home) and we have a door opening elsewhere that is only 9 inches from the corner of an exterior ICF wall. Aren't things like these not in the code because the code tells you to have 24" around the openings/overlap rebar 24"? So if you have these sorts of openings don't you need an engineer to calculate the structural support needed around them? If, again, the architect mentions nothing special about them, isn't he being negligent? (the only reason we know it is a subcontractor told us we needed them engineered) And if the architect is negligent does it affect the value of the plans we bought? If so, how do I word that?

This architect has been found guilty by our state licensing board of passing himself off as an engineer and he is not a licensed structural engineer (nor does he have the qualifications to be one.) he also didn't hire one to work on our plans. We have a small claims suit against him and I am trying to figure out how to explain the problems of our house plan to the judge who is probably not an architect, but a layman like me.

Can you please tell me how to explain that if the architect didn't even recognize the need for structural engineering in the wall openings that did not allow for the proper rebar overlap according to code that he was negligent and incompetent? And can you explain a way to justify our not having to pay him for the plans? (we don't intend to build this home.)

Finally, can you tell me how much of the following sort of thing is 'expected' or common in your industry? Maybe we are overreacting since we've never worked with an architect before and don't know what to expect:

We are already 50% overbudget ($6000 up from $4000 on a 1500 sq ft home. We've already paid him in full and picked up the plans) after the only changes made from the original rough floor plan were to reposition a laundry room so that we didn't have a 17 ft run to an exterior wall and to put the dining room and bedrooms on the side of the house where we'd originally asked them to be. We've been told we now need another $350 for engineer review of a truss he 'engineered' in our roof before he found out he wasn't allowed to do that without a license and this is not including any engineering/review for the wall opening problems. We'd need to resize the house because he exceeded the set backs as well, even though he got all the info he said he'd need to design it properly from our local city hall. We also have a problem where his front elevation shows a cute bi-level roof where the front of the house roof drains onto the garage roof but problem is the ceiling heights on the other pages of the plans show the roofs are in actuality the same height so one couldn't possibly be above/drain onto the other.

Will we just be expected to alow this architect to FIX the problems and should he be allowed to charge us even more for doing that? (He's the one who told us now we need an engineer review of the truss after he was told to do so by the licensing board and he wants to charge us $350)

Please don't answer me accusing me of being a deadbeat to my architect or simply having buyer's remorse. There is a longer story to this and I'm not getting into the whole thing. My credit is excellent and we are not the only consumer affected by this.

A structural engineer should design buildings constructed with an ICF Building System, not an Architect. An Architect is necessary to produce drawings showing finishes, floor plan layouts,. etc. Most Building Departments require a Structural Engineer stamp on drawings, I'm surprised yours is not. Your Architect doesn't even have to have a license to design your home, but the Structure has to be Engineered. If your Architect didn't draw your plans how you requested (Laundry Room... etc), then he should fix it without charging you. As for the $350, he is asking for that because the Structural Engineer he wants to look at the truss expects to get paid (no point in this if you are not going to build it).

This site has some useful information:

ICF Homes - Insulating Concrete Forms

I'm glad that this thread got moved to this topic area from Architecture! Because, now it is getting noticed and answered by those that are capable and qualified to answer the question. Thanks!

HEY! This advice put me in touch with Ian and WOW he was a God Send. I got everything I needed to know and more importantly I found out how I might still be able to build this home. Yea! Thanks tons!!

Good, glad they could help you out. ICF homes are great I think, good luck with it.

Why did you disagree with me on my first post?

Sorry, what Q did I disagree w/ you?

This question, no big deal.

wallabee4: look back at Amricca's first response. You've rated his as 'I disagree'. It must have been a mistake because you actually agreed with him. If you can't fix that by deleting or editing it, then you should at least post an 'I agree' to offset that one. (I would have done it but get the "you must spread reputation around before giving it to Amricca again" message.