I have gone back and forth on the same issue as to use ICF or not.  The determining factor is cost.  I can pour my basement for significantly less just using a regular poured wall rather than ICF and that is basically the cost of the forms.  I figured that I would insulate the outside of the foundation anyway and the footings as well. I will be finishing my basement and I am not sold on routering out the foam to run my electrical lines.  I guess I am old fashioned so I will just pay the additional expense to have the basement framed and insulation added.  I will do the work, so it is basically the cost difference of the materials.  Anyway, those are my 2 cents.

My plans should be done here any day and I am looking to start pricing windows.  I think I am leaning towards the Andersen 400 Series with E4 glass.  Does anyone else have these windows and what are some of the pros and cons of them??  What about the accessories that you purchased also, such as the grilles, screens, etc. 

Just looking for some advice from anyone having any experiences with these windows, whether good or bad!!

I have done this very thing, but only slightly different. We bought 1.5 acres on a rock quarry and plan on building in one to two years. The only thing that is different is, I signed the purchase agreement with a down payment of $4,000. I then talked the owner into letting me put up a garage/outbuilding on the land before I closed. I had a lot of building materials that I could get my hands on without costing me any money. I did all of the work myself and then before I closed on the land, the appraisal came back very favorable. So the bank allowed me to do a 30-year mortgage on the land with a three-year amortization. I am going to build within that time frame, so then I can just roll the balance into my construction loan. 

I was using my hometown bank, so they knew my intentions and my credit history, so that might have helped my situation. Same thing with building on it before I closed, but hey, those were the breaks I got to allow me to do what I needed to do.  Hope this helps.

I am looking at Andersen Windows for my new house.  I think we will be going with the 400 series with E4 glass.  Has anyone else used these windows.  I am welcome to any comments, whether good or bad.  Let me know your thoughts.