Shuttering - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 290

Fix the bottom board in place (see Figure 9 overleaf) using long screws and spacers
(tubes cut to the appropriate length), with two of these per stud, positioned near the top
and bottom of the board (the top one should be just below the top edge).
If the plinth is exactly the width that the hempcrete wall is to be, then a screw alone can
be used at the bottom, with the edge of the board pulled in against the face of the
plinth, so the plinth acts as the 'spacer'.
Fix the whole run around the building, with corners shuttered as described opposite. As
each board is put up, join it to the previous one with wooden straps or ties, as described
on the previous page.
Once a few consecutive boards are up, check them for the line vertically and horizont-
ally (with a long spirit level) and adjust the screws as necessary.
Once the void is filled with hempcrete (see Chapters 15 and 16 ) , remove each top
screw in turn, taking out the spacer tube and replacing the screw. The face of the
freshly cast hempcrete now becomes the 'spacer', forming a guide to how far the board
needs to be pulled back in. Be careful not to over-tighten the screw, as the hempcrete is
still wet and easily pushed out of shape.
Fix three or four straps to the top of each board, projecting upwards, and place the next
lift of shuttering above the first one, fixing each board with the straps at the bottom and
a single spacer and screw on each stud at the top edge of the board.
Continue the run, fixing and checking the line as described above.
Aim to take the shuttering boards straight across any small openings in the wall (e.g.
windows) that aren't needed for access to the building during the hempcrete-placing
stage. This makes the process of keeping the wall straight much easier (see page 185 ) .