300 RASTRA INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS ICF GREEN BUILDING Truly green building material, do-it-yourself! Save $$$ Start Price USD 9,500.00 Current Price USD 9,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, October 04, 2008 End Time Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Location Fort Worth, Texas See more about '300 RASTRA INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS ICF GREEN BUILDING' Description 300 Rastra ICF Building Blocks If you can stack Legos, you can build a house with Rastra. Environmentally friendly!  Totally green! My plans to build a 3,000 square foot house have changed I am selling these forms at a HUGE discount Check out Rastra's website to learn more about their remarkable product Each block 10" wide, 15" high and 90" long Each block weighs about 90 pounds Can be faced with stucco, brick or stone www.rastra.com Each picture represents a different stack of blocks No duplicate picture showing the same stack The blocks will move on one flatbed truck Some stacks should be re-banded with steel bands. I purchased enough blocks to build a large home, but my plans have changed so so I am selling the Rastra insulated concrete forms at a big loss for me and huge savings for you.  The dimensions of each block are 10 inches wide, 15 inches high and 90 inches long.  They sell for over $70 each.  The Rastra product is remarkably easy to use.  You can stand them up, or lay them on edge.  For example, if you wanted a round tower, you would stand them on end.  If you wanted a wall, you would stand them on edge.  They are easily shaped.  Use and electric chain saw to cut bevels to make a circle.  Or square off a broken end to be glued with foam to another piece.    You can bury electrical conduit in the walls by using a router bit to cut the groove.  Rastra blocks can be used for basement walls and foundations too.  You lay rebar in the holes horizontally and vertically then fill with concrete.  Usually builders will have a concrete pump truck fill the holes with concrete.  Broken blocks are not a problem; they are glued together with foam!  You would never do that with lumber, but there is no loss of strength with Rastra!   As you stack the blocks, you use a foam gun to glue the blocks, sticking the nossle at the seam and pulling the trigger.  Rastra sells the guns.  Use 2" x 10" lumber to frame in doorways, windows, etc.  Two story homes are no problem either and the floor support joists are in place at the time the concrete is poured.  They are held in place by threaded steel rods that are imbedded in the concrete when the concrete is poured.  It is a super neat product and at the price I am selling, significantly cheaper than lumber.  I have counted and checked and believe there are approximately 300 blocks that are all unbroken.  In addition, there are  small number of broken blocks that can be easily repaired with the foam "glue" guns Rastra sells.  This product is made in the USA and ideal for all climates: deserts, frozen tundra, bayou swamps.  No matter which climate resembles your area, Rastra is an ideal product. Strength           Superior strength is expected from a wall system made of a steel reinforced concrete grid over one made of wood.  The impressive feature is just how much stronger.   Dynamic shear tests designed to simulate earthquakes have measured strength up to 700% higher than wood frame walls.  Energy Savings Buildings built over the past several decades were built with limited focus on saving energy largely because we enjoyed low oil prices. Homes were built with low insulating values to reduce construction costs. These are different times, and with energy prices increasing, improving insulating efficiency is now simply a good financial decision that pays dividends for the life of the property. ·        Heating oil prices have risen 83% over the past year. At $100 per barrel, oil has now reached triple the average price in 2000, and still climbing. ·        This winter's average fuel bill is expected to top $2,200, up from a record $1,433 in 2007. ·        Natural gas has risen 42% over the past two years - electricity has risen 17%.   RASTRA’s superior thermal performance and air tightness greatly reduces heat transfer and lowers energy consumption. By increasing the property’s Effective R-value with RASTRA, HVAC equipment operates less often, reducing energy costs and extending the service life of the HVAC unit. Because less moisture filled air penetrates the exterior walls, air conditioners don’t work as hard to remove the humidity from the air. Insulation is rated in terms of thermal resistance, or R-value. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating value. Unfortunately, R-value is too often calculated by adding independent scores of built-up materials used such as OSB board and insulation, to represent the total R-value of the wall. This method does not account for breaks in the insulating envelope, such as studs, headers, corner details, electrical outlets and plumbing that allows air to penetrate. To arrive at a true R-value of your entire wall, you must account for how factors such as thermal mass, air tightness, and moisture tolerance contribute to the final result. Because air leakage accounts for 25% to 45% of the total heat loss in a typical home, traditional wood frame and fiberglass insulation methods leave gaps equal to an open window at all times.   A typical “advertised” R-value for new wood frame construction ranges from R-13 to R-19. A RASTRA wall provides a much higher Effective R-value of up to R-46. RASTRA virtually eliminates air leakage, creating more energy efficient buildings that feel warmer in winter and cooler in summer. The combination of RASTRA’s high R-value, ability to restrict air migration, and eliminating convective loops makes RASTRA a superior insulation solution. The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following statement “The most common insulation, fiberglass, does not stop air leakage” (Technology Fact Sheet 10099-767, U.S. Department of Energy).   Safety One of the most important features of any home is its ability to protect human life and its contents. RASTRA walls provide an extremely safe and secure environment. Important safety features include. . . ·        Highly fire resistant – 4 hour rated @2000°F; material will not ignite; does not produce airborne toxins. ·       Effective against hurricane force winds. ·      Effective barrier from wind-driven debris – tested up to 250 mph. ·      Earthquake tested up to magnitude level 8 with no structural damage. ·      Cleaner indoor air quality - removes mold & toxins from wood preservatives; healthy living environment.   Interior Comfort Being in a RASTRA built home is a comfortable experience. This results from more consistency in room-to-room temperature, improved air quality, and a quieter space. By restricting air leakage and improving the insulation properties of the exterior walls, air temperature is more consistent throughout the building. Cold spots and drafts become a thing of the past. Air quality is improved by eliminating many irritants which cause discomfort to the eyes, nose and throat. In an independent survey, owners of 74 new ICF homes and 73 new wood frame homes were asked what they liked about their home. Over 80% of the ICF owners mentioned the great comfort, compared with 22% of wood frame owners. Fire Rating RASTRA’s superior 4-hour fire rating helps protect homeowners from the devastating loss caused by fire. When independent tests applied a constant 2000° F flame, to one side of RASTRA for five hours, the opposite side of the panel increased in temperature by only 7° F with no ignition. Flame Spread was measured at zero and Smoke Density was measured at 5 (450 is permissible). In fact, fumes created by burning wood were determined to be far more toxic. Tests also revealed that less than 1” of the wall material lost any strength. At 2” deep the polystyrene beads did not even reach the melting point. Quiet Compared to a typical wood frame wall, 75% to 85% less sound passes through a RASTRA wall. Scientists describe loud speech on the opposite side of a RASTRA wall as, “a listener would strain to hear loud speech. It is virtually inaudible." RASTRA provides outstanding acoustical performance, keeping outside noise from penetrating the exterior wall. The increased mass and density of RASTRA provides a very effective sound barrier.  Interior walls built with RASTRA also reduce the movement of airborne sound from one room to another. Privacy is enhanced. Buildings insulated with RASTRA have a noticeable "quietness". This is especially important for apartments, condominiums, offices and hotels as well as delicate areas of the home.  Water pipes in walls, floors and ceilings can be noisy. Installing water pipes inside a RASTRA wall not only reduces noise generated by the pipes, but also reduces condensation on cold water pipes. In an independent survey, owners of 74 new ICF homes and 73 new wood frame homes were asked what features they liked about their home. Over 60% of ICF homeowners mentioned the quietness, versus only 2% of the wood frame homeowners.   Environmentally Friendly More homebuyers are demanding cleaner home environments, free from toxic gases that can come from the carpeting, plywood and adhesives specified in traditional home construction. People also want to save trees. According to the National Association of Home Builders, a typical 2,000 square foot home uses 16,000 board feet of lumber plus 6,000 square feet of wood panels. RASTRA greatly reduces consumption of our timber resources and reduces toxins caused by wood preservatives that circulate throughout the home. RASTRA is produced from recycled expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam), which is then mixed with a cement binder. It is a truly “green” building material. By volume, RASTRA is made of 85% recycled polystyrene, which otherwise would have ended up in landfills, never to disintegrate. With energy savings comes environmental benefits. Specifically, the reduction of fossil fuels burned to create energy. By reducing our energy consumption, we reduce combustion by-products that lead to smog and contribute to global warming. An averaged sized home built with RASTRA reduces energy consumption enough to eliminate 2-3 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from our atmosphere per year when compared to a similar wood frame home. Over the life of a 30-year mortgage, homes built with RASTRA eliminate 60-90 tons of CO2 emissions. The production of RASTRA can be classified as ecologically clean. No particles or fumes are set free during its production, and only a minimum amount of energy is required. Producing one RASTRA panel consumes less than 2kw/h of electricity, and no heat is involved in the production process.  All production waste is recycled and converted into new RASTRA product. In addition, remnants from the building site can also be returned to RASTRA and recycled. The best measure of sustainability is increased service life. Products that last longer make the biggest impact on our solid landfills. RASTRA provides an almost limitless service life. Indoor Air Quality Mold grows anywhere there is the right combination of moisture and organic material (wood) to serve as a food source. Certain molds can damage building structures by literally destroying wood building components through decay. This decay attracts insects that accelerate the degeneration process. The key to controlling mold growth is to control moisture. A certain amount of moisture occurs naturally in the air within a building, but when moisture reaches excessive levels the likelihood of mold growth is increased. The most common sources of excessive moisture are air leaks. RASTRA is inert and does not promote mold growth. RASTRA eliminates the interior cavity where moisture can hide and restricts moisture from entering the interior. It also holds conditioned air longer and allows the air conditioner to work more effectively to control moisture. Reduced Maintenance Maintenance is reduced in several areas that save time and money. This money saving feature reduces your cost-of-ownership but is also a good selling feature when you sell your property. Traditional wood frame construction is prone to decay caused by insects and moisture. As lumber ages, it twists and warps. In fact, stucco cracks are usually caused by unstable wood frame walls – this problem is virtually eliminated with RASTRA. Gaps develop that allows destructive moisture to gain access. Over time walls loosen and eventually weaken. RASTRA is dimensionally stable and provides a more watertight layer of protection. RASTRA does not expand and contract like wood, so paint is less susceptible to cracking and the exterior requires repainting less often.  Eliminating 2 x 4’s and plywood eliminates the opportunity for wood rot. Because the interior air is more controlled in a RASTRA building, the HVAC unit doesn’t have to work as hard or often. Fewer on-off ‘cycles’ reduce wear and tear on the HVAC unit and extend its useful service life. Regarding Shipping I am a "known shipper" and can assist you in getting the best rate possible to transport these blocks to your building site.  Shipping costs are not included in the Buy-It-Now price.  Shipping costs will be in addition to the purchase of the blocks and you will pay arrange for and pay the shipper directly, (although I will help in locating the best reate if needed).  A forklift will be required to move the blocks onto the flatbed truck.  Forklifts are available only a few miles from the location of the blocks. The blocks are located at my property in Weatherford, TX 30 miles west of Fort Worth.  The zipa code at that location is 76088.  Place a Bid!