Practicalities on a hempcrete build - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 433

Stage Three: finishes
Depending on the final finish, a range of roles might be called for:
A supervisor role , again, is needed to ensure that a consistently high standard of work is
achieved by everyone involved in applying the finishes.
Lime plasterers apply render and plaster finishes, either direct to the hempcrete wall or to
permanent shuttering boards where these have been used. Note that applying lime plaster
or render is a distinctly different skill from the application of gypsum plasters and cement
renders (see Chapter 18 ).
Where timber cladding is used, joiners are needed to construct and apply the cladding.
Where brick or stone cladding is used, bricklayers or stonemasons who are used to work-
ing with lime mortars are needed, to build the cladding and apply pointing mortar.
Painters are required to apply breathable paints or limewash on to lime plaster and render
finishes, and, in the case of timber cladding, to apply protective oils or other finishes.
Depending on the scale of the build, an appropriate number of labourers or semi-skilled
workers , for mixing, fetching and carrying, is really useful at this stage.
The balancing act at Stage Two
When placing hempcrete, adjusting the 'balance' of the number of workers in each of the
four teams is an important concept. You will gradually develop and fine-tune this skill over
the course of managing your first hempcrete build, but it's worth considering it beforehand,
as to some extent it will have an effect on your choice of people in each team.
The balance is constantly shifting, because the level of difficulty of each team's job fluctu-
ates throughout the day, and the team's work rate slows accordingly. This is illustrated by
the following scenarios.