By Jean Lotus
What a difference a year makes! When HempBuild Mag started in spring 2021, every hemp building in the United States was a rarity. Almost all hemp hurds and most binder were imported from Europe, and we could count on one hand the actual folks who were out there constructing houses with hemp.
This year, after the first season of growing fiber strains of hemp domestically, we’re seeing processing plants sprouting up across the country.
And those hempcrete installers who jumped into this industry early – even with a scarcity of materials and skeptical building departments – are generously sharing their knowledge and expertise. It’s a spirit of “co-opetition” – working together and helping each other to build the industry.
Come September, things will only get more busy. Hempcrete will be certified in US building codes with an approval into the International Residential Code. A second season of industrial fiber hemp will have been harvested.
What’s driving hemp building? The housing crisis and the appeal of low energy bills and non-toxic living spaces are building consumer demand. And who knows, maybe our first “celebrity” hemp house will be built!
In that spirit, we’d like to introduce you to three new hempcrete builds in Texas, Colorado and Michigan. All three projects began, or were completed, in 2022 and the builders/subcontractors are already starting new projects.
Texas: The Hondo Hempcrete Home
Builder: Tim White, Texas Healthy Homes.
Hemp sourced from: South Bend Industrial Hemp, Great Bend KS.
Architectural Design: Caroline Dunn.
Wall assembly: Hand-cast hempcrete in outer and inner walls.
The Hondo house is essentially the benchmark we are aiming for in the building industry. With 2,484 sq ft of usable space, it is a one-story house with a strategically simple design. It features a breezeway between the guest quarters, utility room and the main house which is common vernacular architecture here in the Hill Country.
This particular design, paired with small windows both helps the energy efficiency of the home and brings occupants out of the building so they spend more time connected with outdoor spaces. With grade beams instead of slabs, full adobe floors in the entire home including the breezeway, and natural monolithic cellulose-based wall cavities (hemp, in this case) we address the issues of sustainability the modern building industry struggles with.
To maintain breathability, we use historic lime plasters on the exterior so moisture is always released keeping away mold and rot. Aside from our tadelakt showers, all of our interior finishes are done with American Clay plasters because, like all clay plasters, they help regulate the air quality, temperature and humidity in the home, and unlike home-made clay plasters like so many natural builders are used to making ourselves, American Clay has an incredible array of pre-blended colors and a chart that makes color selection a breeze.
The Hondo house features natural clay plaster walls and adobe floors. Photo courtesy of Texas Healthy Homes
What were the buyers looking for that caused them to choose Texas Healthy Homes and hempcrete for their project?
In all honesty, it wasn’t what everyone expects. Everyone thinks it must have been the sustainability factor, the sensationalism of hemp or even, our namesake- non-toxic, healthy homes. Nope, it was none of these, it was simply affordability.
How long did the project take to complete?
Eight months. And for a home at the end of a 2 mile dirt road 35 minutes away from any town, that’s not bad.