Tiny hemp homes are being made in Washington as a way to promote more sustainable building materials.
Though she has never built a home before, Pam Bosch claims that “Anybody can do this. Grandma can do this. Grandma’s doing it.”
She’s referring to building tiny homes made of hemp, the plant that grows cannabis, which is a Schedule I drug and considered a felony to possess or grow.
The 62-year-old artist became determined to build homes made of hemp after learning of its sustainability and the positive effect it has on the environment compared to other building materials.
“We should have as many buildings as we can that are built out of a renewable resource that sequesters carbon, that is healthy and if it were legal would be very affordable. It’s an agricultural waste product we’re using.”
Hemp can be used by farmers for soil remediation, plastic composites, organic body care, biofuels, and health foods. Washington just legalized the use of hemp for livestock feed, but are limited to this use until other uses are legalized and regulated. Until then, farmers need permission from the DEA. Bosch and others are hoping that this new livestock feed law can be expanded and that hemp can become a more widely-used product.
As for the actual building of a tiny hemp home, Bosch says that it’s easy to create the plaster, as long as weather conditions are right. “You want conditions like we’re starting to see now – overcast, high humidity, because you don’t want it to dry out too fast,” she explains as she mixes the hemp with lime to create the plaster.
She acknowledges that hemp is still a mostly illegal substance but notes that hemp doesn’t affect the mind and has extremely low THC levels.
Since permits for hemp houses don’t exist, Bosch must stay within 120 square feet. She calls it a tiny house with big potential.
Bosch said, “I’m investing in this because I believe in it and believe someone’s got to do it to make it legal.”
Watch below to see Bosch talk about the home:
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