Building with hempcrete

[begreen]

This material has been popular in Europe, but it is just showing up in North America. It has a number of desirable and practical properties that makes it attractive for building. Hempcrete is lightweight, durable, a good insulator, and easy to work with. Now, with lumber prices going literally through the roof, it is getting a hard look. Watch the video on the Harmless house to learn more about this material and a very cool house too.

As Lumber Prices Surge, Hemp Blocks Get a Closer Look — HempBuild Magazine

Hemp block construction systems can take the place of expensive lumber in building, as they have been used for 30 years in Europe.

www.hempbuildmag.com

 

[SpaceBus]

I've been hoping an air or hemp -crete precast product would become available in this country for quite some time. Oddly enough I see more alternative concrete materials used in Eastern Europe than I do in areas with low timber growth.

 

[peakbagger]

The adobe blocks have promise but I am unsure if the lime based blocks will be a winner. Lime is incredibly energy intensive product. My "bet" is on this product (broken link removed to https://golab.us/products/) combined with the new laminated wood structural beams.

 

[qwee]

I would give them a try. They are interlocking like insulated concrete forms (styrofoam blocks). But they aren't rated for load bearing so some sort of internal support required.

I tried a similar product years ago called papercrete. Papercrete is a mixture of paper, sand and cement. So paper instead of hemp. I built a tow mixer, which is a livestock tank with a lawnmower blade bolted to upright turned differential. So when it is pulled a great mixing force occurs. It worked (surprisingly). But don't expect to get more than one season from the differential - water works its way in and ruins it.

I would set up forms (4' x 8') around rebar, add water to tank, throw in newspaper, tow a little to pulp up paper, add 3 or 4 buckets of sand, add a bag of cement, and than tow again. After 5 minutes I would have an oatmeal like substance. I would bucket it into the forms. It would set up in a day. I built a little structure. The walls are a bit less than a foot thick.

 

[begreen]

I would give them a try. They are interlocking like insulated concrete forms (styrofoam blocks). But they aren't rated for load bearing so some sort of internal support required.

They can be load-bearing I think if they have an internal structural frame. JustBioFiber makes them that way. Watch the video.

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[qwee]

I watched the entire video, and the harmless house does have load bearing hemp blocks - using a plastic skeleton. I hope this takes off in the USA and Canada - like the Tesla of house building. Heating/cooling one of these houses would be pretty easy. It is so different from how most house builders think about building.

 

[begreen]

I like the house's energy efficiency, rainwater collection and grid independence. You can tell its owner is an engineer.

 

[ABMax24]

That house is pretty impressive, so are the blocks. From what I can find they are R32+ for insulation value on the wall blocks and R70+ on the foundation blocks, which makes them suitable for northern climates like mine.

Hopefully they can find significant financial backing to bring this to mass production faster, I think there is significant demand for a product like this.

After reading more this company is based out of Airdrie, Alberta, which is only a 6 hour drive from me, practically next door by Northern Canadian standards.

 

[andym]

Like gigantic Legos. Cool. That home is way out of most people's price range though. The video seems to be marketing a lifestyle more than a product.
I agree however that it does seem to be a good idea. Having to build around the wires and plumbing seems like it could be an issue though. What would be involved in remodeling such a house?

 

[begreen]

Yes, this is a showcase. The owner is an engineer. He designed their retirement home. Living remotely on a mountain is also not for everyone. However, the principle of the product would also work for a basic 1000 sq ft house too. On a large scale, this could be used to create some affordable housing communities with low maintenance and heating costs.