How To Build a Shed House With Hempcrete Blocks
Learn how to build a shed house with healthy hempcrete blocks. Discover the benefits of sustainable and affordable construction.
A client case study: The ultimate hempcrete home on a budget.
For several months now, we’ve been working with Ondine on a very special project – her forever home in the beautiful Strathbogie Ranges. This is a project we’ve been truly excited about for a number of reasons
Ondine and I.
Ondine has sourced an incredible 1970s Lysaght prefab shed. These sheds were originally designed to be shipped in containers and assembled with just a wrench – they were even airdropped during the Vietnam War. The steel portal frame of the shed is a piece of history, procured from a man in Darwin who has held onto them for decades.
The same shed in use during the war.
The Shed onsite in Strathbogie, still in the original crates.
Ondine’s vision is to create a completely natural home, free from synthetics. Once the steel frame is in place, we’ll build a stud frame between the steel, which will allow us to brick tie our RespiraBlocks.
The wall build-up:
A double-skin of 120mm RespiraBlocks on both sides of the frame
Hemp fibre insulation in between the hempcrete blocks
This design will create a fully vapour-open, high-performance thermal envelope with an impressive R-rating of 5.98. Not only does this system outperform standard 300mm hempcrete walls – which have an R-Value of 4.2 – but it’s also faster and more cost-effective to build.
The wall built-up detail.
We’re also introducing a new product for the ceiling – the RespiraPanel. This panel is vapour open, has excellent acoustic properties, and looks stunning in natural spaces.
These panels will be used for a vapour open feature ceiling.
Ondine’s care for the environment extends beyond her home. She is reintroducing native kangaroo grass to her property to help it compete with invasive European species. This native perennial grass will encourage biodiversity, improve the water-holding capacity of the soil, and create a balanced ecosystem.
Where the house will be built.
It’s projects like these that remind us why we do what we do. We’re proud to help build not just homes, but homes that respect history, nature, and sustainability.
