Hemp for a healthy home

By Jojo Newby
Source: byronnews.com.au


CHILL, IT’S ALL GOOD: Peter Cuming and Eshana Bragg outside their 
Maclean home, which will soon be extended with walls built with 
hemp, sand and lime.

PETER Cuming and Eshana Bragg are on a high about extending their home with walls made of hemp.

A mixture of hemp, sand and lime will create three new rooms in the downstairs of their Maclean home, but Ms Bragg was quick to dismiss the obvious queries

"Some friends of ours have laughed and asked 'If the house burns down, will the whole street get high?'

"But of course that is not the case," said Ms Bragg.

"The hemp that's used in this building is low THC hemp, as opposed to the stuff that gets you high."

Mr Cuming and Ms Bragg said they were passionate about the environment, which greatly influenced their decision to build with hemp.

Ms Bragg said she thought the building material would appeal to people who were "a bit radical", but said hemp was a very sensible building material.

"We were looking for a building material that would be really sustainable; that actually had something special about it."

Ms Bragg said the hemp, sand and lime mixture provided good sound, heat and cold insulation.

The hemp is the consistency of chaff and cures and sets like concrete when mixed with sand and lime and a few other special ingredients.

Over time, as the walls cure, the hemp walls absorb carbon dioxide.

"It's like the perfect building material to help stop climate change," said Ms Bragg.

"Our design and the construction materials have been approved by Clarence Valley Council and support Council's Sustainability Initiative," said Mr Cuming.

"We're working with Klara Marosszeky of the Australian Hemp Masonry Company creative and Corey Thomson, of Evans Head, to construct the walls," said Ms Bragg.

"We're all very keen to spread the word about hemp as a building material, so we've organised two weekend workshops.

"People learn everything from how to construct the basic walls, to OH&S issues, to Council approvals and how to make sure the walls cure properly."

BENEFITS OF HEMPCRETE

High thermal resistance 

Adjustable thickness 

Low air infiltration

Durable and recyclable 

Unique appearance