A Stunning Small Home Made From Hemp

This beautiful small family home has a very special story to tell. Designed by architect Michael Leung and his wife Tiffany for their young family, the 60m2 (646ft2) house is actually constructed from hemp. The couple chose to use hempcrete for their home after searching for healthy, non-toxic building materials. 

Hemp is an incredibly versatile pant, that unfortunately has been unfairly demonised over recent years. Essentially hemp is a low THC version of the Cannabis sativa plant, now colloquially referred to as marijuana. This amazingly versatile plant has many uses, including medicine, food, clothing and much more. One of the many uses of the plant which is now being explored more in depth, is for building.

When mixed with lime and water, hemp forms hempcrete, a wonder building material. Hempcrete is completely non-toxic and creates an incredibly high performance building. It’s a super insulator, has amazing acoustic properties and helps to perfectly regulate moisture content within a building.  It helps to dramatically improve air quality by reducing the airborne moulds and toxins which can lead to respiratory problems. It’s insect and rodent proof, and also earthquake resistant. Building with hemp sequesters a huge amount of carbon dioxide from the environment.

After loosing her father to mesothelioma (a cancer caused through exposure to asbestos) Tiffany was inspired to study building biology to learn more about creating healthy, non-toxic homes, that were not only healthy for people to live in, but also for those who are constructing them. Her material search lead her to hempcrete, and together with her husband Michael, an architect, they constructed their family home using hemp.

The finished result is the Skyfarm. A spectacular small family home which is constructed using hempcrete, together with a whole range of locally sourced, salvaged and reclaimed timbers. The home is artistically constructed and packed full of character, while also being a completely healthy environment for the couple to raise their family.

The hemp home follows a largely open plan design, with the kitchen, dining, bathroom and lounge areas downstairs as well as bunks and play space for the kids. Upstairs is a sleeping loft for Michael and Tiffany.

Despite being a small home, thanks so some great design there is plenty of space for this family to all enjoy living in the house together. Eventually, the family do have plans to construct another home on their property (also made from hemp) to accomodate the family as the kids grow.

Michael has formed a company in Byron Bay, together with others who worked on the Skyfarm called Balanced Earth, a building company which is dedicated to using hemp as well as other healthy, non-toxic materials to construct some truly beautiful homes. Be sure to watch the full video above for more details on this incredible home, and check out the Balanced Earth website to find out more regarding building with hemp.