Materials
Materials for a small hemp home
The whole-home bill of materials, with the code limits and published prices MicroHom uses. Hempcrete is the wall; everything else is chosen to work with it.
| Layer | Typical materials | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Concrete slab or footings; helical piles or ground screws | Foundation suppliers |
| Structural frame | 2×6 timber, or coated light-gauge steel (600S162); aluminum only with full engineering | Framing |
| Walls | Hempcrete cast in place, precast hemp blocks, or engineered panels | Hempcrete |
| Floors, beams and finish | Bamboo flooring; structural bamboo only with an evaluation report and an engineer | Bamboo |
| Plaster | Lime plaster on both faces (the air barrier in Appendix BL) | Lime and finishes |
| Windows and doors | Title 24 U-factor 0.27–0.30 and SHGC limits by climate zone | Energy code |
| Roof | Membrane and roofing over insulated roof framing | Roofing |
| Solar and battery | 2–4 kW for a 400 sq ft home; battery optional | Solar |
Layers follow MicroHom's frame comparison research (Oct 17, 2026). Foundation, roof, windows, MEP and labor are not priced on these pages.
What is not priced yet
Installed hempcrete cost, structural bamboo beams, coatings, thermal-break strips, roof, foundation, windows and labor have no reliable published price in MicroHom's research. They are shown as unknown rather than estimated.
In this section
- HempcreteHemp-lime walls: code limits, R-values, drying time, block makers and prices.
- Engineered bambooEvaluation reports, standards, import duty and moisture rules.
- Steel and framingTimber, light-gauge steel and aluminum frames compared for hempcrete.
- Solar and batteriesWhen Title 24 requires PV, system sizes and California costs.
- Supplier directoryA bill-of-materials directory of 89 makers and builders.
Sources
- 2025 CRC Appendix BL, Section BL103 Hemp-Lime Construction (gocodebook; effective Jan 1, 2026). Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Hemp and Block, hempcrete blocks (published prices). Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Hemp and Block, hempcrete binder. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
- MicroHom global supplier directory (CSV, links checked Oct 17, 2026). Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Last updated Oct 18, 2026. Each source above was checked on the date shown.