SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
Importantly for small builders, hemp is practical. “It’s simple. I built my first hemp house with a friend during Covid. I could teach someone in half a day. Builders can switch between hemp and traditional methods without extensive retraining or losing skills. Daring to do differently Hobbs is neurodivergent and believes it is part of what has driven him to innovate. “I’ve since realised I have ADHD (Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), which explains why I never worked anywhere longer than three years before Wellspring. “I need change, and can get bored quickly, and I thrive when I’m pursuing new ideas. ADHD has shaped my career – it gives me the energy to try things others might avoid. Although I can’t pretend that it doesn’t also come with challenges.” That restless curiosity is a powerful drive in the right kind of construction professional – especially when the industry needs rapidly and radically to embrace sustainability. “I want to change construction,” Hobbs says. “Hemp isn’t my product – it’s not intellectual property that I own. I’m using it because I genuinely believe it’s the best material for building affordable, low-carbon homes at scale. If there was something better, I’d use it tomorrow. But right now, hemp is the solution.” Though their materials differ – clay for McHale, hemp for Hobbs – their stories share similar foundations. Both are small builders taking on big challenges and delivering even bigger results. Both learn by doing, not waiting. Both are proving that sustainable building can flourish wherever there’s a boldness to do differently. McHales’ hope for the future is similar to Hobbs’s philosophy: traditional materials and modern knowledge can combine to build in a different, unique and more sustainable way.
Building with hempcrete is simple and would not require builders to develop new skills
Hempcrete is stronger than concrete and more environmentally friendly
For Hobbs, hemp’s appeal lies in its simplicity. “Hempcrete creates breathable buildings. There’s a famous report on the first UK hemp houses built in 2001. They compared condensation in a standard home and a hempcrete one. “In the hempcrete house, condensation was virtually eliminated. That means no mould, no need for mechanical ventilation, and healthier homes.” It’s a powerful carbon store. “Even with lime and transportation, hempcrete still locks up over 100 kilograms of CO₂ per cubic metre. The first house I built stored around four-and-a-half tonnes of CO₂ in its walls. There’s not a lot of mainstream building products that can do that.”
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Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
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