What are the essentials to know when building with Hempcrete?

Joe D’Alo, owner and builder from The Hemp Building Co. is based in Kyneton, Victoria, and has a huge amount of knowledge, experience and expertise in building with hempcrete.

Learn more about building with Hempcrete, the essentials to know and the qualities of this fantastic building material.

This is Part 1 of my conversation with Joe D’Alo.

This is Episode 241, and in it, I’m speaking with Joe D’Alo, builder and owner of The Hemp Building Co., which is based in Kyneton, Victoria.

So often, I’m getting asked questions about building with hempcrete, and what are the essentials to know so you can confidently use it in your new home or renovation.

In my last episode, Hamish White from Sanctum Homes spoke to us about his current experience with hempcrete in a residential project he is working on, and we talked a little about the material and working with it.

But I knew you would want to know more. I wanted to know more! So I reached out to Joe D’Alo, a builder with a huge wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for hemp, hempcrete and building with this fantastic material.

Over this episode and the next, Joe will take us on a deep dive into understanding more about this amazing plant, industry and building product, and help you with what you need to know to use it in your project.

Let me take a minute to introduce you to Joe D’Alo from The Hemp Building Co. before we dive into our conversation.

In 2006, Joe made a career change and became a qualified builder in the building and construction industry. Following his heart he shifted across into using more natural building methods including rammed earth, straw-bale construction and later building his first hempcrete house. One project led to another and he soon became nationally recognised as a specialist in hempcrete construction and has since provided his valuable knowledge and skills in implementing hempcrete into countless projects across Australia.

With a keen desire to deliver buildings that were both beautiful in design and smart in materials, The Hemp Building Co. was born. In addition, Joe wanted to provide the option of implementing healthy, non toxic materials with a consideration for occupant health, that were and are still sorely lacking in the industry.

Joe’s first hempcrete project was in 2011, when he both designed and built a two storey loft cottage. Since then, Joe has helped many people achieve their dreams of building their own hempcrete house and has become nationally recognised as an industry leader.

Looking forward to the future of Hempcrete in Australia, Joe has a clear view of the next evolution of Hempcrete and the many ‘spin off’ opportunities.

However, a critical aspect to making this viable is the need to commercialise Industrial hemp cultivation and processing.

Joe recently presented to the Western Murray Land Improvement Group to emphasise and promote the benefits of this product as it is crucial in justifying the large investment.

Let’s kick off this conversation with hearing more from Joe about how he first discovered hemp, and began working with it as a builder.

In this episode, I ask Joe questions such as:

• How did he become a builder and what led him to working with hemp, and starting The Hemp Building Co.
• The basics of hemp and hempcrete (consider this ‘Hemp 101’!)
• Why hemp is worth considering as a material for your home’s construction
• What you need to consider when specifying it as a building material, and factoring it into your design and construction process.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE NOW.

RESOURCES:
The Hemp Building Co.
Website >>> https://www.thehempbuildingcompany.com.au/
Instagram >>> https://www.instagram.com/hempbuildingco/
Post showing impact of blow torch on wood vs hempcrete >>> https://www.instagram.com/p/CSai9L4ByNw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Access the support and guidance you need to be confident and empowered when renovating and building your family home inside my flagship online program >>> HOME METHOD https://undercoverarchitect.com/courses/the-home-method/

Learn more about how to get started with your home design with the Happy Home Design mini-course >>> HAPPY HOME DESIGN

Access my free online workshop “Your Project Plan” >>> FREE WORKSHOP https://undercoverarchitect.com/projectplan