PERMANENT FORMS FOR COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION COLUMNS AND BEAMS AND METHOD OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

A permanent form member for a composite construction member comprises an elongated body having an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough, and a bracing member extending from the outer wall into the concrete retaining channel. The bracing member comprises ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon. For use as a beam form the outer wall of the elongated member is open along its entire length such that concrete retaining channel is substantially U-shaped. A method of constructing a composite concrete house frame is provided wherein form members are connected to a foundation wall and filled with concrete to form composite columns. Form members for beams are connected to the composite columns and interconnected to one another and filled with concrete to form a composite lintel supported on the plurality of composite columns.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/579,962, filed Nov. 1, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of building construction, and specifically to home building. More particularly it relates to composite structural members such as beams and columns which include permanent forms including and defining an inner space containing concrete and reinforcing members, and to connecting assemblies for connecting at least two mutually perpendicular structural members.

BACKGROUND

The new home construction industry consists of numerous types of construction systems and methods that range in strength, complexity and cost. For example, there are pre-cast concrete panels, insulated concrete forms, prefab wood frame, site casted concrete walls and conventional wood frame homes. However, the most common and cost-effective way to build is the wood framed construction system. Although, in itself a wood framed house is not strong enough to withstand natural disasters; nevertheless, a wood framed house can be fortified with a number of metal braces, brackets and plates to increase its strength. Yet, in some cases these reinforced wood framed houses still do not stand up to high level natural disasters. The building frame of a conventional wood stud homes lacks the strength to resist the shear force exerted by high winds and/or driving rains which accompany hurricanes and tornadoes. By contrast, materials such as concrete are very strong and have much greater resistance to shear forces. For these reasons, pre-cast concrete panels; insulated concrete forms and site casted concrete walls are the strongest types of new home construction systems, but they are the costliest to build.

There is a need for a home building system which provides strength and resistance to storms that is comparable to conventional concrete building systems, at a more affordable cost.

There is a need for a home building system which can be erected on site without the need for specialized equipment to create a structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing home.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A permanent form member for a composite construction member has a longitudinal axis and comprises an elongated body. The elongated body has a first end, a second end, and an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough, and a bracing member extending from the outer wall into the concrete retaining channel. The bracing member is coterminous with the elongated body. The bracing member is continuous. The bracing member and the elongated body are unitary. The bracing member and the elongated body are constructed from a material group consisting of polyvinylchloride, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polybutylene. The bracing member and the elongated body are constructed by extrusion.

In one embodiment the permanent form member for a composite construction member is a column form wherein the bracing member comprises a least two ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon. The bracing member further comprises a tubular wall defining a central cavity coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the permanent form member and disposed within the concrete retaining channel; with a first end of each of the ribs fixed to the outer wall and a second end of each of the ribs being fixed to the tubular wall, thereby portioning the concrete retaining channel into longitudinally extending sub-channels.

In another embodiment the permanent form member for a composite construction member is a beam form wherein the outer wall of the elongated member is open along its entire length such that concrete retaining channel is substantially U-shaped. The bracing member comprises at least three ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon and each of the ribs defines a plurality of concrete filling portals.

A method of constructing a composite concrete house frame comprises the following steps. A permanent form member, being a column form comprising an elongated body having a first end, and a second end, and an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough; and a bracing member having at least two ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon, is placed on a foundation wall. The foundation wall has a plurality of portions of rebar having free ends extending therefrom. The column form is placed such that the first end of the elongated body is in contact with the foundation wall and the rebar extending from the foundation wall is received within the concrete retaining channel and extends beyond the second end of the elongated body. The column form is framed in position with framing boards. The concrete retaining channel is filled with flowable high strength concrete and the concrete is allowed to set forming a composite column. The foregoing steps are repeated iteratively to form a plurality of composite columns. The method of constructing a composite concrete house frame further comprises the step of inserting a plurality of portions of rebar into a concrete retaining channel defined in a permanent form member, being a beam form. The beam form comprises an elongated body having a first end, and a second end, and an outer wall defining the concrete retaining channel therethrough and having a bracing member having at least three ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon. The beam form is then placed on the top of the composite column and the rebar extending beyond the column form is tied to the rebar positioned in the beam form. These steps are repeated iteratively with a plurality of abutting beam forms. The next step is tying together the rebar positioned within the plurality of abutting beam forms. The final steps are filling the concrete retaining channels of the abutted beam forms with flowable, high strength concrete; and allowing the concrete to set, forming a composite lintel supported on the plurality of composite columns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the frame of a house constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is perspective view of column forms according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the column forms view of column forms according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is top plan view of a beam form according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of the beam form of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a partial column form in position for installation on a building slab.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of a simplified structure assembled according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section through one column of the simplified structure of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a partial wall assembly of framed column forms and beam forms.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rebar connection of a beam form and a column form mounted on a foundation wall with partially hidden rebar connection shown in dotted outline.

FIG. 11 is a partial top plan view of a corner joint of two beam forms with partially hidden rebar connection shown in dotted outline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “bottom,” “upper,” and “top” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “upwardly” and “downwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

The frame of a house is primarily constructed of a plurality of columns supporting a plurality of beams which together form a frame or skeleton for the house. Various additional layers such as drywall, vapor barriers, siding, stucco etc. are then fixed to the skeleton to create an enclosed space having rooms, doors, windows etc. FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a house frame 10 according to the present invention. The frame 10 is constructed of a plurality of composite construction members 12, of which there are two basic types: composite columns 14 and composite beams 16. The composite construction members 12 are intended to be assembled in place on site from the following elements: a permanent form member 20, which surrounds and retains a portion of concrete 19 that is strengthened with rebar 18. For clarification, it should be noted that the permanent form members 20 remain a component of the composite construction members 12 in the finished frame 10 and the completed house.

The permanent form member 20 has a longitudinal axis, as represented by line A-A in FIG. 2. The permanent form member 20 comprises an elongated body 22 having a first end 24, and a second end 26, and an outer wall 28 defining a concrete retaining channel 30 therethrough. A bracing member 32 extends from the outer wall 28 into the concrete retaining channel 30. The function of the bracing member 32 is to provide increased strength and rigidity to the permanent form member 20, and to prevent the permanent form member 20 from bulging or bursting when it is filled with concrete. There are two embodiments of the permanent form member 20: a column form 34 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; and a beam form 36 which is shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. General reference will be made to the permanent form member 20 for a composite construction member 12 when discussing common features thereof. The term column form 34 will be used when referring specifically to features required for construction of a composite column 14. The term beam form 36 will be used when referring specifically to features required for construction of a composite beam 16. The two embodiments of the forming member 20 will now be discussed separately in greater detail.

The column form 34 is a component of a composite column 14. FIG. 2 shows a single column form 34 and additionally shows examples of the manner in which multiple column forms may be assembled together to create more complex structural columns for use at different positions in the house frame, as will be discussed in greater detail below. FIG. 3 shows cross sections of the column form 34 in isolation and additionally shows examples of column forms assembled together to create more the complex structural column profiles which correspond to those shown in FIG. 2. The cross section of the single column form 34 in isolation (identified by arrow 50) is enlarged to show detail of its structure.

As mentioned above, the function of the bracing member 32 is to provide increased strength and rigidity and to prevent the form member from bulging or bursting when filled with concrete. Essentially the bracing member 32 maintains an inwardly directed force urging the diametrically opposed positions on the outer wall toward one another to counteract the outward force exerted by concrete which is poured into the column form. In the column form 34, the outer wall 28 defines a perimeter having four sides. At least two ribs 42 and 44 are each fixed to diametrically opposed positions on two facing sides.

At its simplest, the bracing member 32 comprises at least two ribs 42, 44 fixed to the outer wall 28 at diametrically opposed positions on the outer wall 28. An example of a simple bracing member 32 is shown in the column form identified by arrow 40 and FIG. 3. The bracing member 32 comprises a rib 42 fixed to the outer wall 28 at diametrically opposed positions. A rib 44 is fixed to the outer wall 28 at positions at diametrically opposed positions. A bracing means having only a single rib attached to only a single pair of diametrically opposed points on the outer wall would permit deformation of the outer wall in at least one direction in response to outward pressure exerted by concrete and would likely fail.

In FIG. 3, general reference arrow 50 identifies the variant of column 34 which illustrates the preferred bracing member 32. Bracing member 32 further comprises a tubular wall 52 defining a central cavity 54 coaxial with the longitudinal axis of elongated body 22 of the column form 34 and disposed with in the concrete retaining channel 30. The central cavity 54 can be used to accommodate ⅝ inch to 1 inch diameter steel reinforcing bar to reinforce the concrete. Alternatively, conventional rebar can be used, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

In this embodiment, a first end of each of the ribs is fixed to the outer wall and a second end of each of the ribs is fixed to the tubular wall 52. More specifically, first end 56 of rib 42 is fixed to the outer wall at position 46A and second end 58 of rib 42 is fixed to the tubular wall 52. The first end 60 of rib 44 is fixed to the outer wall 28 at position 48A, and second end 62 of rib 44 is fixed to the tubular wall 52. A third rib 64 and a fourth rib 66 are likewise fixed to the tubular wall 52 and to the outer wall 28 at points 46B and 48B. Thus, the concrete retaining channel 30 is portioned into longitudinally extending sub-channels 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D. This preferred embodiment provides increased strength due to the presence of the tubular wall 52. The tubular wall 52 disperses the forces along its perimeter to more uniformly resist the outward force exerted by the concrete.

The bracing member 32 is coterminous with the elongated body 22 of the column form 34. It is preferable, that the bracing member 32 be continuous in order to provide uniform resistance to the toward force exerted by the concrete. Less preferred embodiments in which column form 24 has bracing members 32 disposed at a plurality of positions along on the elongated body 22 may be possible. Such embodiments would be more expensive to manufacture and functionally less effective.

It is preferred that the bracing member 32 and the elongated body 22 of the column form 34 are unitary. When the elongated body and the bracing member are a unitary body, then the column form 34 can be constructed by an extrusion process. Manufacturing by extrusion can produce many column forms in a short period of time and at low cost (once extrusion molds have been created). The column form 34 is constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polybutylene. It is preferred to construct the column form 34 as a PVC extrusion.

Referring now to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the second embodiment of the permanent form member 20 is a beam form 36. The beam form 36 has a longitudinal axis identified by line B in FIG. 4. The beam form 36 comprises an elongated body 70 having a first end 72 and a second end 74. The elongated body 70 has an outer wall 76 defining a concrete retaining channel 78. It should be noted that the elongated body 70 of the beam form 36 is open along its entire length such that the concrete retaining channel 78 is substantially U-shaped. The beam form 36 further comprises a bracing member 80 extending from the outer wall 76 into the concrete retaining channel 78. The bracing member 80 comprises at least three ribs 82, 84, 85 which are fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions thereon. The first rib 82 is fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions 86A and 86B. The second rib 84 is fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions 88A and 88B. The third rib 85 is fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions 89A and89B. The ribs 82, 84, and 85 each being fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions thereon urge the diametrically opposed positions on the outer wall toward one another to counteract the outward force exerted by concrete which is poured into the beam form 36.

In a manner analogous to the column form, the bracing member 80 of the beam form 36 is coterminous with the elongated body 70. It is likewise preferable for the bracing member 70 to be continuous in order to provide uniform resistance to the outward force exerted by the concrete. It is preferred that the bracing member 80 and the elongated body 70 of the beam form 36 are unitary. When the elongated body 70 and the bracing member 80 are a unitary body, then the beam form 36 can be constructed by an extrusion process from a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polybutylene. Again, the preferred material is PVC.

Each of the at least three ribs 82, 84, 85 of the bracing members 80 defines a plurality of concrete filling portals 90. The concrete filling portals 90 are preferably 3⅝ inches wide by 8 inches long and are spaced approximately 8 inches apart. The concrete filling portals are present in all of the ribs 82, 84, and 85 and are preferably aligned in a stack one above the other. This positioning allows concrete 19 to freely flow downward to evenly and completely fill the concrete retaining channel 78. Moreover, it is preferred that the beam forms 36 be constructed as extrusions of PVC. The stacked alignment of the concrete filling portals 90 can readily be formed by punching once a length of PVC material has been extruded having the contours of the beam form. As will be discussed in greater detail below, concrete is poured into the U-shaped concrete retaining channel 78 through the concrete filling portals 90. Although the concrete retaining channel 78 appears to be divided into segments by the ribs 82, 84 and 85 of the bracing means, the presence of the plurality of concrete filling portals permits the fluid communication and filing of concrete retaining channel 78 as a single channel. A rebar rest 92 is located on each of the at least three ribs 82, 84 85. The rebar rests 92 may take the form of a pair of projections spaced apart from one another to allow a beam rebar 94 to rest therebetween. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the rebar rest is in the form of a groove 92 which runs longitudinally along the length of the each of the ribs 82, 84. Typically there will be more than one rebar rest to facilitate multiple lengths of rebar within the composite beam 16. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, the ribs 82 and 84 each have two rebar rests 92, to accommodate two portions of beam rebar 94 on each rib 82, 84. Rib 85 is positioned nearest the bottom of the U-shaped concrete retaining channel 78, and will be subjected to the greatest downward force when the beam form 36 is filled with concrete to form the composite beam 16. Rib 85 of beam form 36 is provided with three or more rebar rests 92, to accommodate three or more portions of beam rebar 94 to resist buckling when the composite beam 16 is under load.

In use, the permanent form members 20 of the present invention are anchored to a concrete building slab 13 and/or foundation wall 108, as the case may be, and connected together and fused with reinforced concrete to create a composite construction member 12. A plurality of composite constructions members together defines the perimeter of the house and interior load bearing walls. The purpose of the concrete frame 10 is to increase the structural strength of a conventional wood stud home without compromising the aesthetic look of the dwelling. A concrete frame as the structural strength to resist the shear force exerted by high winds and/or driving rains which accompany hurricanes and tornadoes.

FIG. 1 illustrates a composite concrete frame 10 for a house. The frame 10 is defined by a plurality of composite construction members 12 anchored to the concrete building slab 13 (foundation walls not shown in FIG. 1) and connected to one another to permanent form a continuous composite concrete perimeter. Two types of composite construction members 12, are used: the composite columns 14 and the composite beams 16. The composite columns 14 are anchored to the building slab. The composite beams 16 are connected to the composite columns 14 and to each other. Composite columns 14 having different cross-sectional profiles are used for different portions of the composite frame 10.

It is advantageous, though not necessary to manufacture the column forms 34 to a standard size widely used in the building industry: 5½ inches by 5½ inches in width and 8 feet in length. The outer wall 28 of the column form 34 is approximately ⅛ inch thick. The column form 34 of the present invention serves as a modular building block from which to form composite columns 14 of the desired shape for a particular application. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show the various arrangements of column forms 34 for use in constructing composite columns of various shapes. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a simplified composite frame 10 in greater detail and illustrates situations in which more complex arrangements of column forms 34 would be used. Where composite columns 14 of modest strength are needed, such as to support an interior wall 100, a single column form 34 will be used. More robust rectangular columns 102, such as those which support the running length of an exterior wall are formed by placing two column forms 34 side by side. L-shaped columns 104, formed by assembling together three column forms 34, are used to define corners in the perimeter of the frame 10. T-shaped columns 106 (also formed by assembling together three column forms 34) are used to define the meeting of an interior wall 100 with the perimeter of the frame 10. Although not shown in FIG. 7, cross shaped columns (formed by assembling together four column forms 34) can be used at the 90-degree junction of two running walls. Additionally, more robust square columns can be formed by assembling four column forms together.

Details of the construction method will now be discussed. FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 illustrate the manner in which composite columns 14 are anchored to a foundation wall 108. Footing rebar (not shown) is tied with binding wire or rebar ties (not shown) to the foundation wall rebar 110 in the conventional manner. Rebar 18 for the composite columns 34 is set in place in position in the foundation wall 108 (and/or the concrete building slab as the case may be) and tied to the foundation wall (or slab) rebar. The foundation wall and concrete slab are cast in place. The rebar 18 for the composite columns 14 protrudes from the foundation wall 108. Multiple portions of rebar 18 may be tied together in the conventional manner to achieve the desired length. A column form 34 is positioned such that the first end 24 of the elongated body 22 is in contact with the foundation wall 108 and the rebar 18 is received with in the concrete retaining channel 30. More specifically, portions of rebar 18 are received within the selected ones of the sub-channels 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D and extend throughout the length of the column forms 34 and protrudes above the column forms 34. Alternatively, if steel reinforcements of a greater diameter than conventional rebar are being used, they can be accommodated in the central cavity 54. As can be seen in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, it is preferred that two portions of rebar 18 are received and positioned in two selected sub-channels oriented diagonally across from one another. The column forms 34 are self-supporting on the foundation wall and held in position by the rebar 18. The column forms 34 are then framed into place using conventional 2×6 framing boards 114. For clarity, it should be noted that when multiple column forms 34 are used to assemble complex column shapes (e.g. L-shape, T-shape) the individual column forms 34 are not affixed to one another directly. Instead they are held in position abutting one another by the 2×6 framing boards 114. Once all column forms 34 have been positioned and framed into place, flowable, high strength concrete is then poured into the concrete retaining channel 30 including the central cavity 54 at the second end of the elongated body 22. The concrete will flow down into the column form 34 under gravity filling the central cavity 54 and the concrete retaining channel 30 (including sub-channels 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D) and surrounding the rebar 18. The bracing members 32 enable the column forms 34 to retain their cross-sectional shape against the outward force exerted by the concrete on the outer wall 28 of the elongated body 22. The concrete is then allowed to set in the column forms 34 to create the composite columns 14.

The formation and installation of composite beams 16 begins by inserting portions of beam rebar 94 into the concrete retaining channel 78 of the beam form 36. The beam rebar 94 will rest on the rebar rests 92 located on the first rib 82, the second rib 84, and the third rib 85 which are fixed to the outer wall 76 at diametrically opposed positions 86A-86B, 88A-88B and 89A-89B respectively. The beam forms 36 are then lifted into place resting on the composite columns 14 and the framing boards 114 of the wood/metal stud wall frame. The rebar 18 protruding from the composite columns 14 is then tied to the rebar 94 contained in the beam forms 36 using conventional rebar ties or wire. Alternatively, an additional short piece of rebar 95 can be bent to a 90-degree angle and placed alongside rebar in the beam forms 36 at corner positions along the frame and tied to the rebar of adjacent beam forms to create a stronger corner structure. The insertion and tying of an additional piece of rebar is a known technique in the forming industry.

The beam forms 36 are preferably 5½ inches wide by 11 inches high by ⅛″ thick and 11 feet long. This is a standard size for construction beams such that construction workers would be familiar with beams of these dimensions. Other beam form dimensions could be contemplated within the scope of the invention. Each of the beam forms 36 is connected end-to-end with the next adjacent beam form 36 thus creating a single continuous form connecting all exterior walls and load bearing interior walls of the building. If desired, the points of abutment of adjacent beams can be taped with construction tape to prevent concrete leaking from small gaps. Flowable, high strength concrete 19 is then poured down into the open end of the U-shaped concrete retaining channel 78 through each of the beam forms 36. The concrete 19 will flow downward under gravity, through the concrete filling portals 90 in each of the first rib 82, the second rib 84, and the third rib 85, eventually filling the entire concrete retaining channel 78 and surrounding the portions of rebar 94. The concrete 19 flows from the retaining channel 78 to retaining 78 inside adjacent beam forms 36,36 filling all available space. The concrete is then allowed to set creating a single continuous concrete lintel 118 (as can be seen in FIG. 1) connecting all exterior walls and load bearing interior walls of the building, through the interconnection of the all of the composite beams 16 and the composite columns 14.

The concrete structure will be completed and enclosed with typical construction materials, such as plywood, water/moisture barrier 120, drywall 122, siding 124, etc. concealing the concrete house frame 10. Conventional roofing assemblies can then install on the house frame 10. Anchor bolts can be embedded in concrete 19 of lintel 118 and wall plates are placed over anchor bolts and secured with washers and nuts. Hurricane straps can be installed to fasten the roof rafters to the frame.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A permanent form member for a composite construction member, said permanent form member having a longitudinal axis and comprising:

an elongated body having a first end, a second end, and an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough; and,

a bracing member extending from the outer wall into the concrete retaining channel.

2. The permanent form member of claim 1, wherein the bracing member is coterminous with the elongated body.

3. The permanent form member of claim 2, wherein the bracing member is continuous.

4. The permanent form member of claim 3, wherein the bracing member and the elongated body are unitary.

5. The permanent form member of claim 4, wherein the bracing member and the elongated body are constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polybutylene.

6. The permanent form member of claim 5, wherein the bracing member and the elongated body are constructed by extrusion.

7. The permanent form member of claim 6, wherein the permanent form member is a column form.

8. The permanent form member of claim 7, wherein the bracing member comprises a least two ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon.

9. The permanent form member of claim 8, wherein the bracing member further comprises a tubular wall defining a central cavity coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the permanent form member and disposed within the concrete retaining channel; with a first end of each of the ribs fixed to the outer wall and a second end of each of the ribs being fixed to the tubular wall, thereby portioning the concrete retaining channel into longitudinally extending sub-channels.

10. The permanent form member of claim 6, wherein the permanent form member is a beam form.

11. The permanent form member of claim 10, wherein the outer wall of the elongated member is open along its entire length such that concrete retaining channel is substantially U-shaped.

12. The permanent form member of claim 11, wherein the bracing member comprises at least three ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon.

13. The permanent form member of claim 12, wherein the at least three ribs of the bracing member each define a plurality of concrete filling portals.

14. The permanent form member of claim 12, further comprising a rebar rest located on the at least three ribs.

15. A method of constructing a composite concrete house frame comprising the steps of:

placing a permanent form member, being a column form comprising an elongated body having a first end, and a second end, and an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough, and a bracing member having at least two ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon, on the foundation wall, said foundation wall having a plurality of portions of rebar having free ends extending from a foundation wall; such that the first end of the elongated body is in contact with the foundation wall and the rebar extending from the foundation wall is received within the concrete retaining channel and extends beyond the second end of the elongated body

framing the column form in position with framing boards;

filling the concrete retaining channel with flowable, high strength concrete; and allowing the concrete to set, forming a composite column; and,

repeating the foregoing steps iteratively to form a plurality of composite columns.

16. A method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

inserting a plurality of portions of rebar into a concrete retaining channel defined in a permanent form member, being a beam form comprising an elongated body having a first end, and a second end, and an outer wall defining the concrete retaining channel therethrough, and having a bracing member having at least three ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon;

placing the beam form on the top of the composite column and tying the rebar extending beyond the column form to the rebar positioned in the beam form; and repeating these steps iteratively with a plurality of abutting beam forms.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

tying together the rebar positioned within the plurality of abutting beam forms; and,

filling the concrete retaining channels of the abutted beam forms with flowable, high strength concrete; and allowing the concrete to set, forming a composite lintel supported on the composite columns.