I love real estate because you get to see new things and learn new things almost every day. Today I went over to the African Inland Mission in Minneola to see the new facility that they are building. In another post later, I'll tell you about the building and some other things they are planning, but for now I want to tell you about a new type of "block" that I saw was being used there. Have any of you heard of ICF Block?

ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Form. I am not a contractor, but I will try to explain this as best I can. From the outside of the building, you can't tell a single difference from regular block and ICF Block. The ICF Block is made of a special type of foam and concrete is poured into them. The foam is your insulation, so you don't have to spend extra money on that. I was told that by using ICF Blocks, your heating and cooling bills would be reduced. The inside of the building was actually pretty cold, but when I looked at one of the thermostats, the temperature was only set at 79 degrees!!!

Asking how you put them together, I was told that they latch together and you could use a saw to cut them into shapes that you needed. Light weight too, each block is only about 10-12 lbs. The ICF Block can have up to a 5 hour fire resistive rating. I saw on another website, that some insurance companies will give discounts to home owners whose houses are built with ICF Blocks. I can't verify that information for sure, so be sure you check with your insurance company.

If anybody has anymore information on the ICF Block, feel free to leave a comment. I would definitely like to learn more about this product!!