Practicalities on a hempcrete build - The Hempcrete Topic: Designing and Building with Hemp-lime - page 440

area to where the shuttering needs to be fixed will change throughout the job as the work
moves around the frame, but materials are likely to be stored in the same place throughout.
Tools
It goes without saying that you need somewhere secure and dry to store tools if they are
to stay on-site. Many people will be happier taking expensive tools away each day, but
remember that you will also be storing tubs, buckets, endless pairs of waterproof gloves,
goggles, waterproof clothing and boots, first aid kit, many boxes of different fixings, a
nail float, chisels, hand saws, levels, squares, tape measures, access equipment… the list
is endless! You are unlikely to want to pack that lot up every night to take home, so give
some thought to secure lockable storage on-site.
Scaffolding and access
Unless you are working on a single-storey building with a simple roof design, then you are
likely to need scaffolding, at least externally. We will not go into detail about this here, as
the scaffold required is likely to be similar to that needed for any building project. Suffice
to say that all scaffolding should be assembled and taken down by qualified persons, and
should remain in place and not be adapted ad hoc during the build. Falls from height on-
site are a major contributor to deaths and lasting disabilities caused on building sites, so
ensure that you, and everyone else on the team, are familiar with safe working practices
with regard to scaffolding and working at height, and insist that these are followed at all
times.
The normal procedure is to hire the scaffolding from a firm who comes and puts it up be-
fore the work starts and takes it away afterwards. In negotiating this, wherever possible get
a 'for as long as it's needed' price, rather than a weekly rate or a price for a fixed time, after
which it reverts to a weekly rate. The main reason for this is that there may be an extended
time between the walls being cast and external render applied (see Chapter 16 , page 216 ) .
If the scaffolding has to stay up only because you need to come back later and render the
walls, you are paying by the week for something that is not required in the meantime, and
striking it and then re-installing it is likely to be even more expensive.
Otherwise, at the time of the scaffolding design, think ahead and consider what exactly
is required in terms of the mixing and placement of hempcrete itself. For example, if you
will be mixing off the scaffolding, do you need a reinforced platform section where large