Geoff’s Hempcrete House
My owner-build hemp house is ticking along slowly but steadily. After a 5 month wait my double-glazed Murray River red gum windows and doors have been delivered and installed. I think they look brilliant and well worth the wait. My roof is on and we are now all ready for the hempcrete workshop starting on 13 April with a rendering workshop to follow about a month later. I expect to be at lock-up stage sometime in June.
Keep in touch on https://www.facebook.com/events/262103581400373/
Tony & Teresa’s Passive Solar House
We love our house – it worked well in summer keeping out the heat and now as the nights cool it’s lovely and warm. The valley is spectacular and we’re enjoying the differences that the time of day and the different weather make. We’re slowly getting our garden shaped – paths have been made, walls are now being built and, a few trees and a habitat garden have been planted.
It’s been pretty seamless slipping into village life, we’re able to enjoy the company of other members as we walk around the village and it’s a treat to be able to slip home to relax when we need to.
Lyndall and Dave Parris’ Hemp House
At lot 9, we have at last got the house slab in place but work continues on the carport foundations and retaining walls. One lesson was to get the slab done asap after breaking ground because of the impact on the site that regular heavy rainfall makes.
It took us some time to work through the structural issues after starting with a very conservative foundation design. A lot of money was saved by reviewing all aspects including soil conditions after excavation and reducing the need for all those screw piles.
We have spent many hours discussing different sustainable design aspects including special provisions needed for hempcrete walls. Anyway, we have now got to framing and hopefully can progress towards lock up and hemping without too many set backs
Donna’s Hemp House
Working full-time and commuting to Sydney from the Central Coast, I am very happy to have chosen a local builder to take on my project. When finished, my mostly natural house will be a mix of hempcrete, rammed earth and cob. The team started just after Christmas break and even after 3 weeks of consistent rain, my home is still on track for completion in late July/early August. My roof will be on next week, weather permitting.
Making decisions on the fly has been great fun and I am finding the experience really rewarding.
Steph & Rob’s strawbale & straw panel house
In the month since our hugely successful workshop, the Viva Homes team has made great progress on our home and the end is in sight! External renders and cladding are complete, internal render finish coats are nearly done, timber flooring is down and windows and doors are installed.
We reached lock-up a couple of weeks ago, however the high humidity and rain has played havoc with our lovely Blackbutt timber windows and doors, causing them to swell and not close as they should. We’re unsure about the solution, but in the meantime, we’re hoping the rain will move elsewhere! Next on the cards are kitchen, laundry and bathroom fit-outs and we hope to be moving in sometime in May.
Candy’s Earthship
The Earthship will have its final exterior coat of render on 17th May and I hope to apply for an occupation certificate the following week. I anticipate having a workshop to put in the wicking beds in the greenhouse section of my house, and will finish the interior soon after. The wet room floors will be tiled next week and then the concrete floors will be polished. It’s been 8 months – nearly there!
If you are interested in participating in any upcoming workshops (rendering, hempcreting, etc) over the next few months, emailnetwork.news@neln.org.au to be invited when dates are known.