Concrete is the most popular material for putting up buildings, but it’s slowly getting competition from hempcrete.
Although people are only discovering hempcrete now, it has been around for decades especially for making wall insulation.
The construction industry is leveling up with hempcrete because of its beauty, fire resistance capacity, and several other reasons.
Hemp Hurd is the main ingredient of hempcrete, but there’s also lime, sand, and other materials thrown in it.
Whether you want to install some next-level insulation in your walls, or you want to put up a unique building, you cannot go wrong with hempcrete.
Advantages of Constructing with Hempcrete
If you’re opposed to building your house with hempcrete, probably you are not familiar with its benefits.
It regulates heat: what’s cooler than living in a house where the temperatures are stable? If snow is falling outside, hempcrete minimizes heat loss, making your house a warm haven, but if it’s hot, hempcrete speeds up heat loss.
It resists fire: a lot of madness goes on behind closed doors and there’s no guessing what may start a fire. Maybe it’s a mishandled electric appliance, your emotional daughter burning up ish, or faulty electric wiring, but a house fire can turn your life upside down. But then hempcrete can resist fire for up to two hours!
Soundproof: if you like listening to music with the volume up, your neighbors probably come up to warn you that you’re disturbing them, or give you the stank eye. But hempcrete walls have acoustic insulation, allowing you to blast music or talk loudly.
Can Hempcrete Build Strong Houses?
There’s a debate that’s been going on about how hempcrete stacks up against concrete, and more specifically; is hempcrete as strong as concrete?
Hempcrete may not be as strong as concrete, but it is still strong enough to build powerful and sustainable structures.
Hempcrete has a lower density, is easier to work with, regulates both moisture and heat, and is an acoustic insulator.
If you’re looking to build a regal and imposing building, but are not excited with the strength of hempcrete, you may well consider using reinforcement.
Are Hemp Blocks Load Bearing?
When we talk of load-bearing, we mean the ability of a structure, particularly a wall, to hold the weight of the structure atop it.
But hempcrete is not load-bearing, which is why it is usually put along with supporting elements.
Such a combination makes the building solid, and it steps around the drawbacks of load-bearing construction material.
But then again, most people who are drawn to hemp-based buildings are coming from a different perspective.
They are mostly interested in setting up sustainable eco-friendly and versatile buildings… Hempcrete appears to offer that and more.
Hempcrete is durable, hardly cracks, resistant to fire, regulates moisture, and is ideal for creating fences, and erecting homes.
How to Make Hempcrete
Another reason why hempcrete is becoming popular is because of production ease. It can be quickly prepared on-site.
There’s no standard way of preparing hempcrete, but the three main ingredients are hemp hurd, lime, and water.
You may prepare it in a pan or concrete mixer by first combining water and lime, and then slowly adding hemp hurd until you get a thick paste.
Once it becomes thick and taut, you may fashion it into a block and use it.
Should I Build with Hempcrete?
Hempcrete was first used in France in the 90s, and with the recent wave of interest in hemp, more people are putting up homes made of hemp.
Hempcrete may not be as strong as concrete, but it still creates tough and durable structures.
This mold-resistant, no-toxin construction material mostly appeals to people with a mind for preserving the environment.
