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    Off topic. Building an eco-house 📂 Archived Message

    Posted by Fionn on August 31, 2025, 6:46 pm

    Apologies if this seems a bit spam-like but we are building County Armagh's first hempcrete house and are getting a bit desperate for some hands-on help. I don't like posting personal stuff but thought some of the good folk of The Lifeboat News might be interested in knowing about it/thinking about volunteering on our project (bit of a long-shot, especially at short notice, I know!) Part of the timber frame is already up and hoping it will be complete next week. I hope to cast the hempcrete (a mix of lime and hemp shiv) walls in mid-September but will need quite a lot of help (3 teams of 3: one mixing it in a pan-mixer, one ferrying the mix the short distance to the walls and one placing the mix within the shuttering around the frame) for 1-2 weeks. Next week I'll need a hand for a week or two putting the shuttering in place. I've been chipping away at this project for the past few years but have come to the crucial stage of getting the walls up and the roof on before the end of October.
    I've posted on volunteer websites but there have been no takers so far for people to work 5-6 hours a day 5-6 days a week in return for meals and accommodation. I thought it'd be easier but times have changed! When I was younger I volunteered a lot on organic farms throughout Europe...it was my way of making travel affordable while getting to know real life in the country, not to mention escaping a life that expected you to conform to getting a 9-5!
    Our aim is to live in a sustainable way, as much off the land as we can, making as many community connections as possible, hopefully becoming an example for others.
    If you're interested to know more or know anyone with time on their hands and fancies a bit of an adventure, please send a private message.

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