Practicalities on a hempcrete build - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 438

in a hybrid role, helping the mixer by fetching more materials when needed, and also tak-
ing buckets to the placers and helping them as required.
The 'feel' of working on a small hempcrete build is very different from that of a large com-
mercial build, with increased flexibility of roles, and a more relaxed atmosphere generally.
Site organization
With a bit of forethought, a hempcrete build can (within the limits of a particular site) be
organized in such a way as to make the job easier. The following advice on site organ-
ization concentrates particularly on the second stage of the build: mixing and placing the
hempcrete. Issues relating to site organization during the timberframe assembly and the
application of finishes should either already be familiar to those with experience of con-
ventional builds or be found in general resources relating to the construction industry.
Storage of materials
The area for the storage of raw materials (hemp shiv and binder) needs to be clean, dry and
cool, and close to where deliveries are arriving. It also needs to be accessible by forklift or
telehandler, if you have one on-site, or by hand pallet truck if you are relying on the lorry
driver. If it isn't accessible to one of these, you are going to be doing a lot of lifting and
carrying.
Although far from ideal, pallets of binder and hemp can be stored outside for short periods,
as long as you keep the binder pallet well covered once the original pallet wrapping has
been removed. The hemp is usually supplied in plastic-wrapped bales, so rain is less of an
issue, but they never stay 100-per-cent waterproof, especially as time goes on and they get
knocked and snagged by people working around them.
A little bit of wetting of the hemp shiv, if it is to be used in the next few days, is not a
complete disaster, but look out for any areas where the hemp is starting to turn black: this
is a sign of rot starting, and these bits need to be pulled out and discarded rather than intro-
duced into the mix.
Storage of any timber (usually untreated softwood, roofing battens and OSB sheets) should
be under cover, and the same goes for any board used for permanent shuttering that is not