Phil Aphonic Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 I've been reading up on hempcrete for use in residential construction and was wondering if there is any interest in Houston among architects, engineers, and builders for building a modest sized hempcrete house within the city.My goal is to build a maximum 2000 sq ft 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a workshop (or "maker room") in the most ecologically sound way possible while still keeping it affordable to a middle class family. Is there a better building method that would produce a normal looking house, that meets that goal better than using hempcrete? I understand the choice of finishes will have a big effect on the overall enviro-impact and construction cost, but I don't see any of those items being as unfamiliar as hempcrete, thus the focus of my inquiry.Is there any interest? If I had an empty 6000 sq ft lot today, how soon could a design be completed and construction started? I imagine permitting will be an issue, as well as insurance, but I don't know how big of an issue. Any other stumbling blocks?For reference, there was one hempcrete house built in a similar climate in Florida in 2012: http://hempcretehouse.coffeecup.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 That's interesting.... I would think you would run into problems getting a permit. Ideally you would want said structure to also be located out of any hurricane wind zones - so nothing coastal. City of Houston Planning would probably be much more inclined to work with you than some Podunk suburban dept. For instance: Its been my experience City of Galveston won't let you put an existing fudge-pop into an existing freezer unless you put a sprinkler system into the existing freezer first. Because you know - FIRE! And I'd wager there are some planning departments around that are even more Podunk or archaic. They'll see "HEMP" and run screaming for something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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