Hempcrete

[ErraneousHerbalist]

Might be an old topic of discussion, but anywho. Ever heard of hempcrete? Would you ever consider building your own house with it?

I would most definitely consider building my future dream home with hempcrete. Carbon neutral! Who could ask for more?

A video on a hempcrete house under construction:

 

 

The wikipedia article on it:

Hempcrete -Wikipedia Article

A company in Australia that markets it!

hempcrete.com.au: The Australian Hempcrete Technologists.

So what are your thoughts on this brilliant product?

Edited October 6, 2011 by ErraneousHerbalist

[Roopey]

So it's a wall that absorbs carbon? Seems interesting.

I heard somewhere that when Henry Ford built his first automobile that it was entirely made of hemp plastic (which is supposedly stronger than steel) and ran on hemp seed oil. Hemp is such an amazing plant, it's a shame that that's really the only reason it's illegal. I reckon that if hemp wasn't banned in the 20's the U.S. would have pulled itself out of the great depression as it was the biggest cash crop in the world prior to it's prohibition. More than corn, tobacco, cotton, more than everything. There was actually a time the 1800s when it was illegal not to grow hemp in the United States. Funny how that works, huh?

Edited October 6, 2011 by Roopey

[ErraneousHerbalist]

Yeah it is shame how things like that happen. Apparently the lime-binder wants to become a rock again and eventually petrifies. The wall can last theoretically last hundreds and hundreds of years (ignoring possible intrusions not caused by the wall itself).

Hemp plastic scales

So it seems someone out there is still manufacturing the stuff. It would be interesting to get my mits on an actual piece and test its' properties etcetera.

One of the important factors that makes hemp such a viable crop is how it takes to grow -only 3-4 months.

[OPP]

Didn't read alot of that site but it seems very similar to Timber crete

http://www.timbercrete.com.au

The biggest problem I found when looking into Timbercrete was that it was very expensive compared to bricks or blocks.

I like the idea and would consider building with it if it was competitively priced.