Al's Buildblock

Benefits of a BuildBlock ICF Home:

30-70% savings in energy consumption and costs (good for your pocketbook and the environment)
Tornado, hurricane and earthquake resistant (keeping your family and belongings safe and sound)
75% reduction in outside air infiltration (less dust and allergens)
Three times quieter than a wood-frame home
Building with ICFs saves at least 10 trees per home
ICFs can be used to build virtually any home plan, using any finish – brick, stucco, siding, and more.

When planning a new house, consider the greater well-being that comes from living

with more even temperature, sharply reduced drafts, and noticeably greater quiet.

That’s what you get with an insulating concrete form home. When surveyed, over

80% of ICF home owners mentioned the great comfort of their home, compared with

just 22% of frame home owners

Greater Comfort The high thermal mass and minimal air infiltration of insulating

concrete form walls create a more uniform and stable temperature throughout your

home. You’ll have no more hot spots or cold drafts

Healthier Air ICF walls reduce air infiltration by 75%: The effects of hay fever,

asthma, and other airborne allergies can be greatly alleviated as a direct result of the

reduced leakage of outside air, which brings dust, pollen, and other pollutants.Indoor

air pollution is a great health concern today. ICF walls are non-toxic. The measurement

of air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any

emissions.Quieter Insulating concrete form homes provide unparalleled peace and

quiet and true protection from outside noise. In sound transmission tests, ICF walls

allow less than one-third as much sound to pass through than regular frame walls.

Sound rating: 51

Energy efficiency is the core feature of insulating concrete form construction

because so many owner/occupant benefits stem from it. Actual studies show that

homes built with ICF exterior walls require an estimated 44% less energy to heat

and 32% less energy to cool than comparable wood frame houses.* However,

homes and structures built with the proper complement of windows, doors, HVAC

systems, and methods, generally accomplish at least a 50% savings in heating

and cooling. And in some cases, depending on the area and climate, homeowners

experience as much as an 80% decrease in energy use and costs.At a time when

energy costs are soaring, many building owners are deciding it makes more sense

to spend money on a safer, longer lasting, and more energy efficient structure than

to spend that same money on utility bills.*Portland Cement Association, Technology

Brief 1

Build it Right, Build it for Life!