Where you get your experience matters.
I had the opportunity to work over in the UK with a leader of the Hempcrete industry, Graham Durrant of Hemp-lime Spray. Graham has built hemp houses and provided technical advice for hundreds of clients for over a decade.
He has worked and taught alongside Will Stanwix, the writer of the Hempcrete Book and Tom Wolley, an architect and human health and air quality expert.
What I noticed was that the English Hempcrete movement - with a possible ten thousand Hemp Houses built, and a strong living tradition of Natural building - is far ahead of our fledgling Austrlaian industry. The aim of Hempcrete Victoria is to bring that knowledge back to Australia to realize a higher standard of genuine sustainable housing.
The risk comes with going with builders or installers who have ‘picked up’ the skill, sometimes leading to costly mistakes for the client. Many crucial techniques I employ have had no exposure in Australia.