Timber Frame Hemp House Cont.

Hemp has played such an important role in human civilization and it's time to utilize it again. In America since 2018, hemp has been legally grown since the federal prohibition started in 1938 was lifted after the 2018 Farm Bill.

For ill-educated lawmakers at the time, industrial hemp was classified as marijuana and was no longer allowed to be grown. Except for the brief HEMP for VICTORY campaign, which helped us win World War II, it was outlawed for decades. 

Cameron and the team applied hemp-lime for six days, followed by a drying period of around six weeks before plaster could be applied. Meanwhile, Jon kept busy working on the interior, installing pine flooring from a local sawmill. 

Jon felled a dead oak, maple, and catalpa in order to make room for his house. He used wood from the maple for all the window sills and trim around the house. The oak is currently in Jack's shop now, where he is making the outdoor patio. 

Once the moisture content of the walls reaches a certain point, a crucial step occurs. The hemp insulation alone is vapor-permeable but when subjected to the elements and constant water flow it will erode. Lime plaster protects and preserves the hemp-lime insulation on the interior and exterior walls of this project. 

Hardy lime plaster requires maintenance every 20-25 years, but when properly maintained, it will last 4-500 years. Lime has been used in buildings dating back to Roman ages.  

Jason Hoekstra, “The Plaster Guy”, has been in the trade since the 1990s and is a lime plaster master exclusively. 

My passion for hemp building was perfectly matched when I got the opportunity to work alongside Jason installing the lime plaster. Working with these materials leaves one with a good feeling at the end of the day knowing how natural products play a role in the air quality inside our homes. 

Jon chose a plaster finish on the majority of the exterior with some pine Yakisugi siding. (Also called shou sugi ban, this finish is a Japanese wood preserving technique using charred wood). The wood was locally sourced and processed by myself and Jon. 

Jason and I coated the outside of his house with a PA-based  LimeWorks product called Tack-Coat which is the first stage of plastering a hemp-lime wall. 

Finally, the windows and doors went in to wrap up the house as winter is coming.

Jon has said the hemp-lime walls hit the three senses, sight, touch and smell.

To me, using natural based materials makes the connection from farm to home. Hemp homes are among the healthiest homes to live in. They are fireproof, mold resistant, noise canceling, and look absolutely gorgeous! 

Jon will continue working on the interior of his home throughout the winter, leaving the protected lime plastered hemp-lime exterior walls to finish come spring.