‘Hempcrete’ is the Future of Eco-Friendly Home Development

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]H[/dropcap]omebuilders nowadays want to build using low-cost, sturdy and eco-friendly materials. Jim Savage, for example, resides in a renovated 1850’s farmhouse in Stuyvesant, NY  insulated with “hempcrete,” a combination of water, lime, and hemp.

Jim Savage’s company, Green Built LLC, is designing the construction of a 400 square-foot tiny house in Catskill, NY. Savage’s company plans on building homes using prefabricated modular panels made from hemp.

Hemp is defined by the United States Government as cannabis that is <.3% THC. Dried hemprete weighs one-eighth the weight of concrete. Hempcrete allows water to pass through unlike concrete. Petrochemicals are not involved in the production of hempcrete. It’s a natural breathable insulator, and it’s fireproof. In the United Kingdom, some insurers offer discounts for hempcrete because of its durability and imperviousness to mold and pests.

“Once we are done building the house, we will be taking it across the country to promote it, and then will either sell it or donate it for someone to live in,” Savage told the Times-Union. Savage is entering the hemp market at the right time. The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets is expected to allow 10 permits to colleges, universities, and farmers.

“This is a new use for an old material,” Savage said. The use of hemp is woven in America’s history. Despite being grown by founding fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, America’s first cannabis law mandated the cultivation of hemp. The Virginia Company ordered every land-owning  colonist to grow 100 hemp plants in 1619.

Savage envisions a new industry in the state of New York. “We think that this will be an industry that will develop in the state, and not go away,” Savage said. Susie Cody, president of New York Hemp Industries, stated, “If this proves successful, we’ll have incredible momentum to influence and change the law to allow for anyone to grow in the future.”