"Our neighbours call it the Cheech and Chong house" jokes sustainability project officer Kirsten Pitot who's building her $350,000 dream house with a surprising material.
Like other Moruya residents, Kirsten and husband Dom have a property susceptible to bushfire damage. They wanted a home built from sustainable materials, designed to withstand all kinds of extreme weather and, though neither had much experience, they wanted to build it themselves.
"We did all the research and for cost and ease of installation, we went for hemp blocks," says Kirsten.
All building products must comply with Australia's National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards, including AS 3959 for bushfire-prone areas. The hemp block supplier issued fire-resistant certification, making the Development Application process quick and easy.
Kirsten says when they started building, she couldn't tell an impact driver from a drill. Dom had a touch more experience, building a treehouse for the kids when they were young.
By calculating the exact amount of hemp blocks and necessary materials there has been very little construction waste so far, and any extra hemp can be bagged up to be used again.
This ties in nicely with Council's 10-year Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy, currently under development, which focuses on construction waste after restrictions were loosened following the 2019-20 bushfires.
"We're looking into source separation, partial onsite processing and local solutions to divert waste from landfill. Less residual waste is an advantage for any builder because it removes the need to manage post-construction waste," says our waste services coordinator Melinda Norman.
After six months of DIY, the Pitot's hemp build is on time and on budget. They hope to have the house finished for Christmas.
- This story was first published in Council's quarterly newsletter for residents, Living in Eurobodalla. A printed edition is delivered to Eurobodalla's 26,000 households.
