Video slide show of the build from foundations to completion of hemp walls.
We have finished the hemp walls. It took 4 1/2 bags of binder, so we did it within the 5 bags. On Saturday Nicole came up and helped us finish the last section and fill all the spacer holes. We had filled some of the holes as we went but most of the higher holes were unfilled. It was a bigger job than we expected and would advise any prospective hemp builders to fill the spacer holes as they went.
Filling spacer holes
Filling the very last spacer hole
In the owner builder spirit of co-operation we lent our pan mixer to Nicole, who will shortly start building the hemp walls on her house. Nicole loaned us two bags of binder just incase we needed to make any repairs or changes to the walls.
Saying goodbye to "Bluey" or mixer as he goes on a working holiday
Once all the walls were done we spent Sunday clearing out the house so that the polished concrete floor could be finished. It was a big job clening out the house including taking all the spare bales of hemp off the floor. We had over 6 bales of hemp left. The bales are heavy and awkward to move. We used half or more of most bales so that they were easier to move and only had one full bale to move. We stored as much of the hemp as we could in the bathroom, as the floor will be tiled in the bathroom, and the remainder of the bales were stored on pallets outside, wrapped in plastic and a tarp to keep the bales dry.
Spare hemp in the bathroom
Hemp stored under the blue tarp looks like a small elephant
With all the boards and plastic taken off the floor and the rooms emptied out the house was transformed from a building site to look more like a home.
Video walk through the inside of the house.
Inside the main pavilion
View of the back pavilion from out the kitchen window
Special thanks to all the wonderful people who helped build the hemp walls ;-
Tony, Martin, Nerida, Steve, Nicole, Sara, Ally, Viv, Drew, Ingrid, Ann, Will, Beth, Ira and Alec.
After a very full weekend of work we have about 5 mixes left to finish the hemp walls. Work continued over the weekend despite bad weather. Friday we hemped the top of the main pavilion, catching up on the work that rain had prevented us from doing the previous weekend. The irony was that it was raining again, but this time from the usual south west direction, which meant that work on the north side of the building could continue under the protection of the eaves. Most of the work above the upper windows was done from inside the house on two milk crates on the scaffolding, however a rafter right on the line of the wall rafters meant that the two upper corners could only be done from the outside. Awkwardly this was done by placing a ladder on a piece of scaffolding. The scaffolding was able to stack together, but the awning did not allow enough height for this to occur. Thankfully these were only small sections.
Hemping the outside corner at the highest spot in the house
In the clear weather we also attached the rafters for the awning on the front pavilion, but were behind our schedule and were still putting up form work on Saturday when help arrived in the form of our friends Martin and Nerida. They put in a full day of work, clocking up our latest ever finish as 6.20pm. Thanks to their efforts we were able to catch up and finish the front pavilion up to the bottom of the upper windows, and with Martin's assistance we finished the awnings on the front pavilion too (aside from the battens), including working out how to attach the hip rafter.
Working inside the top section of the wardrobe
Awning in the front pavilion finished
Awning on the front pavilion goes around the corner
Martin attaching form work above the awning
Work on Sunday took us up to the top of the upper windows, leaving about 20- 30cm to finish above the windows and along the front and top of the side wall. At the end of the weekend we only had 5 bags of binder left. I estimate that the work remaining may take about 5 or 6 mixes plus all the spacer holes we are yet to fill. The end is in sight.
Small sections at the top left to finish
Five bags of binder left
500 pieces of string from opening all the bags of binder
Nicole, a fellow member of the South Coast Hemp Builders Co-operative and I have come to an agreement to overcome our possible binder shortage. Next Saturday she is coming up to borrow the pan mixer for her hemp build and will lend us a bag of binder or two, which we can replace when we later go down and assist with her build.
