Retrofit hempcrete to a listed building

This blog is taken from a talk given by our very own Will at the Grand Designs live in London 2012.

Description

Timber (elm) framed barn on a green sandstone rubble to the ground floor.  About 50 years ago the wattle and daub had been replaced in the in-fill panels with cement render on a mixture of chicken wire and timber lathe.

Issues with cement in timber buildings: it isn’t flexible nor vapour permeable.  As the timber frame moves, the render cracks allowing water to get in but because the membrane isn’t permeable, the water remains in the wall and begins to rot the timber frame.

Stage one – removed all the panels, leaving the frame exposed

Stage two – repair the frame, only replacing what had to be replaced

Stage three – replace panels using hempcrete

Watch the full presentation below.