Exhibit 10.17



TEXAS INDUSTRIES. INC

Common Stock Award Plan



Purpose



The Stock Award Plan is designed to provide on-going recognition from Senior
Management and the Companys Board of Directors to a small number of employees each year. The individuals receiving an award are highly regarded for their potential contributions to the success of the Company.



Eligibility For An Award



Any employee of Texas Industries, Inc., including majority owned
subsidiaries, is eligible to receive an award. However, it is intended that the majority of the awards will be granted to: (a) younger supervisory and management employees who have been judged to have management potential well beyond their present
position and (b) new employees recently hired or promoted as an officer or in another key position in the Company.



Form Of Award



Awards are granted in common stock equivalents of TXI.



Anti-Dilution



The
number of shares awarded will be adjusted in case of stock dividends, splits or recapitalization.



Approval And Timing Of Award Grants



TXI Board of Directors will approve awards from recommendations made by management at the annually scheduled board meeting in October.



Amount Of Award



The number of shares that are awarded is determined by dividing the price of
the stock (rounded to the nearest number divisible by five) into $15,000 and $20,000 and averaging to a number of shares ending with a zero.



Eligibility For Distribution



Employee must remain employed by TXI from the time of the grant of the award until distribution occurs. Vesting of the full award occurs at age 70 or upon
retirement after age 59, whichever occurs first, provided the employee has remained in the continuous employment of the Company. A partial award distributed earlier becomes the property of the awardee at the time of distribution and is not subject
to forfeiture.



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Common Stock Award Plan

Page 2



Partial Distribution



During the calendar year in which the awardee attains the age shown below, a portion of the share equivalents awarded to him/ her will be distributed as
follows:



|    |  |                                              
|--- |  | ---------------------------------------------
|Age |  | Portion of Remaining Shares To Be Distributed
|30  |  | 1/7                                          
|35  |  | 1/6                                          
|40  |  | 1/5                                          
|45  |  | 1/4                                          
|50  |  | 1/3                                          
|55  |  | 1/2                                          
|60  |  | 1/2                                          
|70  |  | 1/5                                          
|71  |  | 1/4                                          
|72  |  | 1/3                                          
|73  |  | 1/2                                          
|74  |  | 1/1                                          



Form Of
Distribution



At the Companys option, distribution
will be in the form of TXI common stock, cash based upon the market value at the time of distribution, or a combination of the two. Shares, as distributed, may be subject to any Securities Laws restrictions then applicable.



Forfeiture Of Awards



The awardee leaving the employment of the Company for any reason including
death, immediately forfeits the remaining undistributed portion of the award to which he would otherwise be entitled.



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TEXAS INDUSTRIES, INC.

Executive Offices

8100 Carpenter Freeway Dallas, Texas 75847



Robert D. Rogers

President



November 3, 1978



PERSONAL



Mr. T. A. Valenta

312-A Old Sterlington Road

Monroe, Louisiana
71203



Dear Tommy:



It is a pleasure to inform you that on October 17th, the Board of Directors
granted you a 500 share Common Stock Award.



This award has
many similarities to a stock option, an exception being that you need not pay in order to receive the benefits. However, to get the full benefit, you must remain in the continuous employ of the Company until you reach age 70 or until retirement
after age 59, whichever occurs first. Between now and then, portions of the award will be distributed to you during the calendar year in which you attain the ages shown on the attached schedule.



The particulars of your award are also shown on the attached. Please feel
free to contact Glen Adams about the security aspects, Fergus Walker about the financial aspects, or me about any questions you may have. I hope that this gift will serve as tangible evidence that highly effective contributing management will have
an opportunity to make their careers with TXI without financial sacrifice.



You should be very proud to be a recipient of a FY 1979 Common Stock Award. Please acknowledge your receipt and understanding by returning a signed copy of this letter to me.



Sincerely,/s/ Bob




RDR/mar

Enclosure



Acknowledged and Agreed this

22ndday of November, 1978.



|                    
|--------------------
|/s/ Tommy A. Valenta
|Tommy A. Valenta    



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TEXAS INDUSTRIES, INC.

Executive Offices

8100 Carpenter Freeway Dallas, Texas 75847



Robert D. Rogers

President



October 24, 1980



PERSONAL



Mr. Tommy A. Valenta

2305 Valencia

Monroe, Louisiana 71201



Dear Tommy:



It is a pleasure to inform you that on October 21st, the
Board of Directors granted you a 600 share Common Stock Award.



This award has many similarities to a stock option, an exception being that you need not pay in order to receive the benefits. However, to get the full benefit, you must remain in the continuous employ of the Company
until you reach age 70 or until retirement after age 59, whichever occurs first. Between now and then, portions of the award will be distributed to you during the calendar year in which you attain the ages shown on the attached schedule.



The particulars of your award are also shown on the
attached. Please feel free to contact Glen Adams about the security aspects, Fergus Walker about the financial aspects, or me about any questions you may have. I hope this gift will serve as tangible evidence that highly effective, contributing
management will have an opportunity to make their careers with TXI without financial sacrifice.



You should be very proud to be a recipient of a FY 1981 Common Stock Award. Please acknowledge your receipt and understanding by returning a signed copy of this letter to me.



Sincerely,/s/ Bob




/mar

Enclosure



Acknowledged and Agreed this

12th day of November, 1980.



|                    
|--------------------
|/s/ Tommy A. Valenta
|Tommy A. Valenta    



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TEXAS INDUSTRIES, INC.

Executive Offices

8100 Carpenter Freeway Dallas, Texas 75847



Robert D. Rogers

President



October 24, 1985



PERSONAL



Mr. Tommy A. Valenta

16407 Lauder Lane

Dallas, TX 75248



Dear Tommy:



It is a pleasure to inform you that on October 15th the
Board of Directors granted you a 750 share Common Stock Award.



This award has many similarities to a stock option, an exception being that you need not pay in order to receive the benefits.However, to get the full benefit, you must remain in the continuous employ of the
Company until you reach age 70 or until retirement after age 59, whichever occurs first. Between now and then portions of the award will be distributed to you during the calendar year in which you attain they ages shown on the attached schedule.



The full particulars of your award are shown
an the attached. Please feel free to contact Bob Moore about the security aspects, Ken Darden about the financial aspects, or me about any questions you may have. I hope this gift will serve as tangible evidence that highly effective, contributing
management will have an opportunity to make their careers with TXI without financial sacrifice.



You should be very proud to be a recipient of a FY 1986 Common Stock Award. Please acknowledge your receipt and understanding by returning a signed copy of this letter to me.



Sincerely,/s/ Bob




/mar

Enclosure



Acknowledged and Agreed this

11th day of November, 1985.



|                    
|--------------------
|/s/ Tommy A. Valenta
|Tommy A. Valenta    



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TEXAS INDUSTRIES, INC.

Executive Offices

8100 Carpenter Freeway Dallas, Texas 75847



Robert D. Rogers

President



October 29, 1984



PERSONAL



Mr. William H. Dickert

1104 Stoney Creek Drive

Cedar Hill, Texas
75104



Dear Bill:



It is a pleasure to inform you that on October 16th, the
Board of Directors granted you a 750 share Common Stock Award.



This award has many similarities to a stock option, an exception being that you need not pay in order to receive the benefits. However, to get the full benefit, you must remain in the continuous employ of the Company
until you reach age 70 or until retirement after age 59, whichever occurs first. Between now and then, portions of the award will be distributed to you during the calendar year in which you attain the ages shown on the attached schedule.



The full particulars of your award are shown on the
attached. Please feel free to contact Joe Nelson about the security aspects, Ken Darden about the financial aspects, or me about any questions you may have. I hope this gift will serve as tangible evidence that highly effective, contributing
management will have an opportunity to make their careers with TXI without financial sacrifice.



You should be very proud to be a recipient of a FY 1985 Common Stock Award. Please acknowledge your receipt and understanding by returning a signed copy of this letter to me.



Sincerely,/s/ Bob




/mar

Enclosure



Acknowledged and Agreed this

29th day of November, 1984.



|                      
|----------------------
|/s/ William H. Dickert
|William H. Dickert