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Title: Hemp homes are cutting edge of green building
Source:
USA Today
URL Source: http://content.usatoday.com/communi ... /hemp-houses-built-asheville/1
Published: Sep 13, 2010
Author: John C. Fletcher
Post Date: 2010-09-13 20:32:27 by Ferret
Keywords: None
Views: 529
Comments: 56
Hemp is turning a new leaf. The plant fiber, used to make the sails that took Christopher Columbus' ships to the New World, is now a building material. In Asheville, N.C., a home built with thick hemp walls was completed this summer and two more are in the works. Dozens of hemp homes have been built in Europe in the past two decades, but they're new to the United States, says David Madera, co-founder of Hemp Technologies, a company that supplied the mixture of ground-up hemp stalks, lime and water. The industrial hemp is imported because it cannot be grown legally in this country — it comes from the same plant as marijuana. Its new use reflects an increasing effort to make U.S. homes not only energy-efficient but also healthier. Madera and other proponents say hemp-filled walls are non-toxic, mildew-resistant, pest-free and flame-resistant. The home's bathroom has efficient lighting and water-conserving plumbing fixturesCAPTIONBy Peak Definition"There is a growing interest in less toxic building materials, says Peter Ashley, director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. "The potential health benefits are significant," he says, citing a recent study of a Seattle public housing complex that saw residents' health improve after their homes got a green makeover. The U.S. government has not taken a "systemic approach" to studying chemicals in homes and instead addresses problems such as asbestos, lead, arsenic and formaldehyde only after people get sick, says Rebecca Morley, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing, a private research group. She says green building so far has focused mostly on the environment, not the health of the people inside. Ashley agrees that federal attention has been "sporadic," but says an interagency group began meeting last year to tackle the issue more broadly. He says HUD is funding more research on the health and environmental benefits of eco-friendly homes. Some green-rating programs, such as the one run by the private U.S. Green Building Council, give points for indoor air quality. "We are taking the next step in green building," says Anthony Brenner, a home designer with Push Design who created Asheville's first hemp home. "We're trying to develop a system that's more health-based." Brenner says he's been searching for non-toxic materials because he wants to build a home for his 9-year-old daughter, Bailey, who has a rare genetic disorder that makes her extremely sensitive to chemicals. "We have to keep her away from anything synthetic," he says, or she'll have seizures. •Follow Green House on Twitter He says a hemp home can be affordable, even though importing hemp makes it more expensive than other building materials, because skilled labor is unnecessary and hemp is so strong that less lumber is needed. The hemp mixture — typically four parts ground-up hemp to one part lime and one part water — is placed inside 2-foot-by-4-foot wall forms. Once it sets, the forms are removed. Although it hardens to a concrete-like form, wood framing is used for structural support. "This is like a living, breathing wall," Madera says. Hemp absorbs carbon dioxide and puts nitrogen into the soil, so it's good for the environment, he says. Alex Wilson, executive editor of Environmental Building News, says hemp can be grown with minimal use of chemicals and water. He says it has a midlevel insulating value (R-2 per inch) but is usually installed in a thick enough wall system to make it appropriate for all but the most severe climates. The mixture, "Tradical Hemcrete," has not previously been used in U.S. homes, but in 2008 it went into a community center on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Badlands, S.D., as well as a small chapel and pottery studio near Houston, says Mario Machnicki, managing director of American Lime Technology, a Chicago company that imports hemp from the United Kingdom. Asheville's second hemp home will be finished in about six weeks, says builder Clarke Snell of the Nauhaus Institute, a non-profit group of designers, engineers, developers and others interested in sustainable urban living. Snell says the home, which has 16-inch-thick walls, is airtight and energy-efficient. He expects it to meet rigorous Passive House Institute standards, which call for homes to use up to 90% less energy than regular ones. "On the coldest day in winter, the body heat of 10 people should heat the home," he says. "We're basically building a European home." Snell says his group will own the 1,750-square-foot house, and its engineer will live there for a couple of years to monitor energy use. He doesn't know how much it will cost because, as a prototype, it was built with donations and volunteer labor. The owners of the first hemp home say it cost $133 a square foot to build, not including land and excavation. "That's pretty remarkable" for a custom home in Asheville, which is a pricey area, says Karon Korp, a writer who moved into the house in July. Korp says she and her husband, Russ Martin wanted primarily an energy-efficient home. They're not particularly sensitive to chemicals, but they were drawn to Brenner because of his modern aesthetic and green building enthusiasm. She says they're thrilled their house is made of a renewable, toxic-free material and hope it sets an example for the nation. "Hemp could replace tobacco if it were legalized," says Martin, Asheville's GOP mayor from 1993 to 1997. He says some area tobacco farms have gone bust. Martin says they have spent less than $100 a month so far to cool the home, which has 3,000 square feet plus a garage. It has 12" thick walls, Energy Star appliances, dual-flush toilets, high-performance windows and LED lights. Korp says they might add a windmill, because the house sits atop a mountain. They say they have fantastic views. "We seen the sun rise," he says. She adds, "and the sun set."
In Asheville, N.C., Anthony Brenner holds a handful of industrial hemp shiv, left, and a block of the finished hardened product after the shiv is mixed with hydraulic lime. He designed a home with thick hemp walls that was completed this summer and is currently working on another one that will use hemp on interior walls. 
The hemp home was built for $133 per square foot, not including land and excavation costs, at the top of a mountain. 
The kitchen has clerestory windows for natural daylighting and Energy Star appliances. 
The home's bathroom has efficiency lighting and water-conserving plumbing fixtures 
A 2,ooo square foot with thick hemp walls was completed this summer in Ashville, N.C.
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#16. To: Original_Intent (#8)
Well, when you put it that way I'll show respect for it; but if the Alamo had stone walls 3' thick the outcome would have been a little different.
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
Well, when you put it that way I'll show respect for it; but if the Alamo had stone walls 3' thick the outcome would have been a little different. Would that it were so. Col. Crockett was quite a man. Still, they were so heavily outnumbered and out gunned that without reinforcements it was an inevitable tragedy. However, their courage and example still stand as among the highest testaments to honor and courage. It will echo down through the ages. REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
For some reason I can't see, but I'm guessing Johnny Horton "The Ballad of the Alamo".
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
After a 3 days siege of 2,000 Mexicans,189 Heroes had offered their lives to insure the freedom of Texas. The Alamo Garrison (Commander of the Alamo) : One of the first to fall, he died defending the north wall at an early hour on March 6. He was 26 years old. (Co-commander of the Alamo): Killed in his bed, where he laid sick with pneumonia, in a small room in the south side. He was 41 years old. His body was found in small fort in the west side. He was 50 years old. The Mexicans At the end of the Battle of Alamo, Santa Anna's loss was estimated at 600 men. The Alamo was remembered, as well as the Goliad massacre (perpetrated by order of General Santa Anna), forty-six days later, on April 21, 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto, where 783 men led by General Sam Houston defeated 1,500 Mexicans. General Santa Anna, disguised as a peasant, was captured the following day. The independence of Texas was won !
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
it doesn't say who it is, but it's a very nice rendition with lyrics. the second one is Marty Robbins.
ping
WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
thank you, i read it. it gave me the chills.
I didn't know that Travis was only 26. I guess I had always assumed he was older because I knew Crocket and Bowie were. It still brings tears to my eyes. I would say that was a decent honor guard on their last march.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Those, as far as I am aware, are the two best renditions - Johnny Horton and Marty Robbins. Doggone it! Now you guys got me dripping this wet stuff on my shirt.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Yeah, after thousands die from asbestos homes, no wonder.
God is always good!
Not just that but a lot of the insulating materials they've been using, the plastic vapor barrier, and acrylic varnishes, and such, give off toxic vapors that make people sick. Some people are very sensitive to them and others not, but think of it as a "Canary in a Coal Mine". Just because some people have a higher tolerance does not mean there are no long term effects.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Be proud not sad, the Valkyries have carried them to Valhalla WWGPD? - (What Would General Pinochet Do?)
Not so much sad as overwhelmed with admiration for their courage. Sad only that such heroes were lost.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
"Hemp could replace tobacco if it were legalized.... Hemp would cheaply replace many things if allowed. $133 a square foot plus lot and digging is too expensive yet.
Mark If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers - normally good Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free - Americans who have been lulled into a false security (April 1968).---Ezra Taft Benson, US Secretary of Agriculture 1953-1961 under Eisenhower
Take a day trip to the Alamo sound stage in Bracketville. It was built by John Wayne in 1959 for his version of the movie. There is a lot of film history there (IIRC, it was also used as the set for Lonesome Dove and 90 other films). Since it's in the middle of nowhere, the place gives you a much different perspective than the shrine in San Antonio.
I was thinking that this morning as I watched a log truck full of approx. 400 year old tree logs roll by on W6th Street here in Eugene, OR waiting to cross on my bicycle. If we wold grow industrial hemp, we would have so much cheap construction material, the ten percent or so old growth remaining here in the Pacific Northwest could be left standing for all to enjoy instead of turning every hectare of forest land into a tree farm with same age, same specie mono-culture. It's something I want to see really badly. Hemp is not smokable cannabis. In fact, they are stupid, as if hemp pollen was everywhere, it would be incredibly hard to grow the smokable stuff without it being contaminated genetically with strains that has almost no THC.
Any known reason they don't get the hemp from Canada?
It's been fifty years, or more, since my family visited the Alamo on a Texas missions' trail vacation. I can still feel the sense of being in a sacred and holy place as we walked through the Alamo. If you can, visit it, and experience it for yourselves.
The battle of Alamo reminds me of all the people in the ME who are fighting to the death for their right to be free of invaders in their countries.
Yep, the cheapest and best houses are straw bale.
"Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses." -- Richard K. Morgan
Building "green" houses will save the economy, the presidency, America, the environment and the whole world !!! Or maybe it will just add to the inventory glut that already exists in the housing market created by the FED created bubble and drive home prices down even further.....I think I heard a faint 'pop', are more houses being burnt down in a city near you?
I believe you to be right, and it is so sad to see what has been done to the NW.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" Sorry, that 'flower' is just too dangerous for adults, we'll have to have GUNverment "protection and services" to make it all right. Peace.
I go there once a year. The Alamo is still treated like a holy shrine, with people speaking in hushed tones. It's amazing, considering how many tourists go through the place.
Exactly so.
When was in the Army, a buddy of mine from Connecticut went to Texas for the Christmas holidays with a friend of his from that area. He came back with a horror story about being thrown in jail and being treated horribly by Texans. He told me, "Why, I was kinda tipsy and all I did was pee on the Alamo, and they treated it like a crime for crying out loud." I rolled my eyes and said, "You were lucky you weren't shot. If you don't believe that was a crime, I'd stay out of that state." His friend never invited him back.
We used to have flax mills that were built in Great Depression times; even before the 'Hemp for Victory' days. Alas, as time got better, the mills went away. This is also a nice plant with long usable fibers. It really makes one wonder what the hecks wrong with us as a nation.
this is a cool thread. Original_Intent is correct in his statement that there are other low-tech type methods of building homes that are less expensive and superior compared to what home-builders typically do. The spiraling up of land prices has been perplexing. it has been due to financial engineering as far as I can tell because we've been losing jobs as a ratio to our adult population since 2000. and during this time we've seen land prices spiral, not just increase, but multiply upwards in many places. In the construction industry over the last 25 years we've witnessed material prices sky-rocket. Just between 1989 & 1993 lumber prices tripled. every type of material, portland cement, steel, everything has spiraled upwards. Soil is a very excellent building material for some things. There are some places in the US where you could cut soil blocks out of the ground and it would be as strong as a concrete block. In some places the soil can actually test out at 2,000 psi in a compression test. that's without compaction or any fibers added, just plain natural in situ soil. These are excellent ideas and it is so amazing how the home-building industry with all its money can't find them. True that walls made of soil are too thick because they're built thicker for strength. but there are still a lot of good ideas to facilitate low-cost home-building. That guy in New Mexico simply compacts by hand soil into rubber tires. and that is a very strong low-cost simple structure. In rural areas you don't need to worry about the thickness of the walls because you have land. The people who run home-building firms care about one thing. that is money, profit maximization is very important, avoiding the risk that money might be lost is extremely important. Their focus on money is so strong that they cannot see anything else. Also, they are finance and marketing oriented. the technical people who can work with ideas like this are pushed aside inside such organizations.
Psalms 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Mother Earth News has done some interesting spot pieces on yurts and the people who build them. It's actually a very fascinating type of housing, and they seem to be building them to withstand the less than favorable conditions of many parts of North America. Never understood why geodesic homes never took off. Correction, I do understand it, and the reason is a single word: "Wife". Women seem to abhor them. Best damned design on the plant by most accounts, but if it doesn't look like a Styrofoam soft tan sided subdivision house, "Wife" will not give it a second glance. :)
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
if industrial hemp were legal and industries could use it, then this would be extremely good for our economy. Can you imagine these hemp bricks being produced on a larger scale? the portland cement factories are owned by a few big companies world-wide. their prices have sky-rocketed. it is a sad truth of the construction industry that nobody is interested in innovation. It is always that they make money by using the tried and true. Anything else cannot be tolerated. Mainly because the people in the industry are just not talented enough to handle it. The construction industry is probably the only major industry in America that typically does not have productivity increases. I know that from around 1965 to 1985 there were actually productivity declines by about 1% per year. That is huge over time. This is an industry that is not like other industries. Productivity doesn't matter. Contracts and performing contracts matter. The Architects and designers have no inherent interest in designing things differently. The regulatory agencies will squash any innovation. I knew a guy that was a pioneer in stucco. He came up with stucco mixes that were innovative and could work in any weather. And he told me that the big building code groups forced him to spend huge amounts of money to document it that was unreasonable. It broke him. Entrepreneurs are needed. Local building authorities of the cities may or may not be friendly making it potentially difficult. Big companies and financiers will steal your ideas and methods after you prove them. Without lots of financing you have little chance. But there is no doubt that the costs of building homes and other buildings can be lowered significantly. After you do that buyers of such buildings would get limited benefit because of the spiraling land prices and high real estate values. There is a potential boom in third world countries where land is cheaper and economic development needed.
Psalms 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
And there are other technologies as well. Earth bermed homes with concrete slab walls are also less expensive and very energy efficient as the internal temperature is moderated both winter and summer by the temperature of the ground. The two big problems are financing and building codes. Antiquated codes are used to determine whether a structure is sound and they are all written for brick and timber built homes. Some codes allow for concrete block construction, but those are all more expensive than other designs and technologies which are less expensive. As well is the fixation on "bigger is better". No, better is better. There are also a growing number of designs for small homes that live large. Efficient use of space, careful attention to design and layout can allow a 1200 sq ft. home live like a 2500 sq. ft. home. There are even designs for micro houses for 1 or 2 people that are as small as 100 sq. ft., but yet are very livable. I have seen well laid out designs for a slightly over 600 sq. foot 3 bedroom house. There are a lot of possibilities and technologies once you start thinking "outside the box".
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
We're meeting with a gentleman on Sunday to get ideas and estimates on converting a barn built in the 1800's (on land we're due to inherit) into a living residence. The frame is in perfect condition (12x12's!). He has a lot of ideas he's already floated past us, including "non-traditional" type exceptional R value walls and geothermal dug in at the onset. His designs turn barns into essentially super energy efficient buildings, the size of small Chalets. :)
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
I rolled my eyes and said, "You were lucky you weren't shot. If you don't believe that was a crime, I'd stay out of that state." Amazing story. And good advice.
No point in wasting a sound structure and some of those old "Pole Barns" were BUILT.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
I don't think its considered a pole barn. It's huge. Solid. Built by German immigrants who signed one of the beams, built it without using a single nail in the entire frame anywhere. Tornadoes would throw up their shoulders in despair trying to knock it down. :)
"The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world, the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be." - Lao Tzu, 6th century BC
Likely what is none as "Post and Beam". Expensive to build nowadays because they require large timbers, but they are extremely solid and allow for a lot of open space. They've enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in the last 20 years or so, and for good reason - not just their strength but allowing for the creation of large open and flowing spaces which workw well with modern open floor plans.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
The quality and performance of the couple of hemp blended shirts I own are remarkable. I believe that hemp has a terrific resistance to sun and weather. I have a bamboo cotton blend first layer shirt and it seems wonderful as well. It seems to manage moisture even better than silk. Our family farm was in Hempstead county, Arkansas. A lot of hemp was grown there.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" I agree, I have lots of hemp clothing and it is soft, durible, and looks great. I like it better then cotton.
Great hemp resource.
The Alamo was made of Adobe.
#17. To: Flintlock (#16)
The Alamo was made of Adobe.
#18. To: Flintlock, OI (#16)
#19. To: All (#18)
#20. To: christine (#18)
#21. To: Original_Intent (#17)
their courage and example still stand as among the highest testaments to honor and courage. It will echo down through the ages. REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
General Antonio Lopez de SANTA ANNA : El Generalissimo
The battle lasted only eighteen minutes.
When all was over, 630 men of the Mexican army were dead; 730 were prisoners.
Nine Texans lost their lives.
#22. To: Original_Intent (#20)
#23. To: christine (#21)
#24. To: Flintlock (#23)
#25. To: Flintlock (#21)
(Edited)
After a 3 days siege of 2,000 Mexicans,189 Heroes had offered their lives to insure the freedom of Texas.
General Antonio Lopez de SANTA ANNA : El Generalissimoover
2,000 men (infantry, artillery and cavalry) At the end of the Battle of Alamo, Santa Anna's loss was estimated at 600 men.
#26. To: christine, Flintlock (#22)
#27. To: Ferret (#0)
"There is a growing interest in less toxic building materials,..."
#28. To: RickyJ (#27)
#29. To: Original_Intent (#26)
Doggone it!
#30. To: Flintlock (#29)
#31. To: Ferret (#0)
The industrial hemp is imported because it cannot be grown legally in this country....
#32. To: christine (#18)
#33. To: Kamala (#31)
"Hemp would cheaply replace many things if allowed."
#34. To: Ferret, 4 (#0)
...a Chicago company that imports hemp from the United Kingdom.
#35. To: Sarajevo, christine, 4 (#32)
#36. To: All (#35)
#37. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#1)
#38. To: Ferret (#0)
#39. To: Ferret (#33)
If we wold grow industrial hemp, we would have so much cheap construction material, the ten percent or so old growth remaining here in the Pacific Northwest could be left standing for all to enjoy instead of turning every hectare of forest land into a tree farm with same age, same specie mono-culture.
#40. To: tom007, Ferret (#39)
If we would grow industrial hemp
#41. To: Lod (#35)
I can still feel the sense of being in a sacred and holy place as we walked through the Alamo.
#42. To: Sarajevo (#41)
The Alamo is still treated like a holy shrine, with people speaking in hushed tones. It's amazing, considering how many tourists go through the place.
#43. To: Lod (#42)
#44. To: tom007 (#39)
"I believe you to be right, and it is so sad to see what has been done to the NW."
#45. To: Original_Intent, Ferret (#28)
#46. To: Red Jones (#45)
#47. To: Ferret (#0)
#48. To: Red Jones (#45)
#49. To: Original_Intent (#48)
#50. To: Ferret (#43)
He came back with a horror story about being thrown in jail and being treated horribly by Texans. He told me, "Why, I was kinda tipsy and all I did was pee on the Alamo, and they treated it like a crime for crying out loud."
#51. To: SonOfLiberty (#49)
#52. To: Original_Intent (#51)
#53. To: SonOfLiberty (#52)
#54. To: Ferret (#44)
(Edited)
#55. To: tom007 (#54)
#56. To: Ferret, 4, hemp lovers (#55)
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