Couple builds dream natural Roundhouse with hempcrete, cob & lime 🐚

Concerned about indoor air quality, Neil Decker and Stella Michaels wanted their home to be chemical-free, so they decided to build it out of hempcrete (hemp, lime, and sand).
The couple didn’t think they could afford to live in California but found a rundown property in Gold Rush old country on the Western Slope of Sierra Nevada just outside Nevada City (above 2500 feet, with cold winters), where they moved into a fifth wheel trailer while constructing their home.
They had experience building with earth-bags (flexible formed rammed earth) but felt it was too hard on the body. They knew hempcrete was lightweight and was easy to work with. They were able to raise half the house in 5 days.
They then trained and hired local students to help finish the exterior build just before the winter rains. They then let the house get wet and dry during the winter, which helps to harden the lime before adding a lime plaster to the exterior. The couple added clay plasters to the walls for the interior and laid an earthen cob floor.
The couple was told by locals that we wouldn’t be able to get hempcrete approved, but the local building department told them as long as they met the codes for insulation value and raking strength, there should be no problems. And in 2016, they were the first hempcrete home approved in California. Decker explains that not only is hempcrete extremely durable, but it’s also fire and earthquake-resistant and can help with indoor air quality since it’s very breathable and mold-reducing.
Decker had spent a lot of time in yurts as a ski guide, and he liked how it felt to live in a circular structure, so they decided to design a perfectly round home. They spent 2 years observing how energy flowed through our property to choose a building site.
Inspired by Earthship design, the home is passive solar with nearly all glass on the south, passive cooling with a 6-foot openable skylight controlled by a thermostat that allows heat to escape when indoor temperatures rise above 75 degrees.
Cooling tubes are buried 5ft underground and run 50 ft in front of the home to cool ambient air outside the house's interior. Cool air is passively pulled into the tubes as hot air escapes out of the skylight in the summer.
Neil & Stella's home is among California's first permitted hemp homes.
TIMELINE:
0:18 Moved to a more affordable area outside Nevada City (Sierra Nevada foothills) and built a 40-foot Hemp Roundhouse (1st hemp roundhouse in the US, among the first permitted hempcrete homes in CA).
4:27 Living on the property while building.
8:50 Using clay plaster and hemcrete in building a sustainable home.
13:40 Hempcrete specs as building material (a breathable wall system made of hemp, lime, and water used to restore traditional buildings and is now being used to build houses).
18:15 Earthen floor that provides grounding and natural healing.
22:01 They wanted a small, simple bedroom with soft lighting, and the whole place tries to inspire calm and natural beauty.
26:19 Neil Decker's background living in a roundhouse and the benefits of its design.
30:32 Home uses passive cooling systems to reduce utility bills.
34:50 They wanted a healthy home that would last multiple generations and were excited about their house's unique and special features.
Some people are suggesting in the comments that Nils affirmation about "grounding" of the human body with the Earth is some invention. The reality is more complex, and several scientific studies explore "Earthing" (or reconnection with our environment) by, for example, frequently going barefoot. Here's one article published in 2012 (from the National Library of Medicine): "Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons": www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Abstract of the paper: "Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Reconnection with the Earth's electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being."
-Hempcrete Roundhome owners' personal website, Starseed Creative: www.starseedcreative.com/
-Check Neil Decker's video on the house project, "1st Hempcrete Round House in the USA" • 1st Hempcrete Round Ho...
-Neil Decker's channel: / @neildecker1
On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/6-ye...

[@crabbydad8931]

can't comprehend walking into to a city planning office telling them you want to build with hemp! but congrats for paving the way!

[@ubroc]

It's insulation and fireproofing. No structural value so code issues aren't a big deal

[@Natty183]

@ubroc Nice

[@blueman5924]

Truly a one of a kind gem, but should be as common as toast. Need to change building mindsets. Thank you for sharing.👏

[@dtrout]

One of my favorite channels anyway, but these homeowners have such a wealth of information to share that the dialogue was as interesting as the house & the videography.

[@rebekahdavis5935]

Indeed, lots of good tips in this one... would like to know the overall cost though

[@neildecker1]

♥

[@JoePerkins666]

Too bad when they started with the EM bullshit.

[@user-cl2ds8ul9q]

EM ?

[@deemorgan5046]

But the wooden patio and eaves? If it's wood like 10 minute rating??? Confused? Godspeed Dee

[@wildgeese5707]

Hempcrete is the dream for us. Our property is in the forest and homes are prone to mildew and of course there’s fire danger. Beautiful home!

[@blueman5924]

There should be a steep home insurance discount for using this method. So many homes are lost to wild fire, and all our rates go up to cover it.

[@kmm2442]

I don’t feel normal - then I watch this, and I feel normal.

[@nicolasboullosa]

You are not the problem. Remember that.

[@kmm2442]

@@nicolasboullosa Thank you for the validation Nicolas :)

[@maodonimega]

We can be the solution...the more of us who build like this. YES WE CAN@@nicolasboullosa

[@maodonimega]

love this comment...me too.

[@susansmith9126]

Yeah this was the 2nd round hemp house video I watched…makes me dream of building a round house❗️Or at least trying to incorporate some of the principles being shared😊

[@VeeVets]

How funny. This round house is just around the corner from my Father In-Laws. He has lived in this area since1979. Very nice to know this.

[@dertythegrower]

Finally... some hempcrete houses... did some on them years ago, glad its catching on... super efficient

[@VladislavCantea]

My hempcrete house is almost finished. All walls are plastered and painted with lime paint. It looks very nice

[@ilcorion]

Is it possible to replace hemp with something else, for the regions where hemp is not available?

[@susansmith9126]

What location❓We’re Down Under 🇦🇺🌏🦘 Do you have pics etc available ❓ My hubby’s only interested in hemp blocks ie quicker But I don’t want to compromise on natural materials etc 😊

[@wholistic.carissa6012]

What company did you source your hemp from? We are looking at doing a similar project to this one.

[@theelizabethan1]

"Bamboo-crete" is a similar material.....(Bamboo is very high in Silica, also.).......There was a startup company in Britain that was doing prefab panels in Bamboo-crete.

[@michaeljames9336]

It might be similar but let me tell you the root structure of the bamboo is EXTREMELY difficult to remove and when the bamboo is cut and leaves a razor sharp stalk. Ever heard of Punji stakes used in Viet Nam war? Bamboo root grows like a thick blanket with a robust root structure. No way to be a practical to even compare to industrial hemp

[@JD-jp2fw]

Hempcrete should be used all throughout fire regions of California.

[@e75short14]

Let's legalize it!

[@arvind0rjillako]

@@e75short14 it's already legal! This home is in California.

[@ennoci]

what a beautiful home. The natural pigment walls with the dappled sunlight on them are heavenly.

[@sunnydee5998]

My friend in Georgia Teaches classes on Hempcrete building! I still want a Earthship so bad.... But id definitely be open to Hempcrete

[@SkysMomma]

Aviva in Atlanta, Georgia? If so, I took a Cob building class from her.

[@empress7222]

Where can I find your friend, open to learning. Thank you.

[@eugeniustheodidactus8890]

👌👍🙌 This couple cracked the code by building such a stunningly beautiful round-home ! Excellent execution. I'd love to copy this one day. 💯💯💯

[@toddincabo]

one day x 365 x 6

[@dorhocyn3]

Lol

[@neildecker1]

@@toddincabo It's true it took us six years to complete our home but that's because we built the house as we had time and money so that we didn't have to finance the project.

[@toddincabo]

understood, sure is beautiful!@@neildecker1

[@user-nu4rk7yt8e]

​@neildecker1 Any blueprints available?

[@alexv5261]

What a great house, and great area.

[@louisewelch5451]

First round house I have seen that I like. Very pretty.

[@MinSziHo]

True. As long as he have active building permit he CAN LIVE in a trailer on "his" property. California - really great place to live, where YOU CAN live on your "property" 🙂

[@aishalawal7442]

best of many tours honestly, this is a dream

[@richardelder256]

There are so many thing right with this house! I grew up in the McKenzie River valley in Oregon. Three years ago a poorly maintained power line on an old farm where I used to put up hay bales as a kid rubbed against a tree and burned 175,000 acres of the most beautiful valley in the US all the way to the outskirts of the nearest city 25 miles away. Many of the houses have been re-built with the insurance money, almost all with stick framing and many with cedar shake roofs. People never learn!

[@sun1one1]

Best round house I've ever seen.

[@scientifico]

What a beautiful home! Just imagining watching the light change, the warm sun on the grounding floor. Or a dinner party with family and friends. Where kids bring sleeping bags and camp out upstairs and cousins crash out on the couches. Waking to the smell of breakfast in the kitchen and people's chatter

[@susansmith9126]

+ the treehouse views🌳

[@Jagueyes1]

This is a perfect material for making building blocks with. THAT would make it go up really quick.

[@angelaballard3929]

That's happening in Australia

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

My partner Neil in the video works for Geoship... check them out ... also yes hemp is going in this direction

[@jwebbw]

A very innovative building construction that's sole purpose is to use building materials that are more conducive to one's health and free of VOC's 'volatile organic compounds'. Very nice to know about this alternative form of building, thanks and take care.

[@andreaandrea6716]

WOW. Stunning interior. Beautifully, beautifully done. So thorough! And then, I loved all the detailed explanation about the plans and the foundation layers and the Planning Dept.! Very very cool. Thank you Kirsten, and family! And the couple who live here! It is very impressive.

[@emmanuelkaraiskos758]

With this kind of material as walls, the sounds in that house must be so smooth and relaxing. Just them speaking I can already feel there is no echo or noise. Love the house and the circle idea, brilliant build, enjoy it ❤

[@jesst9473]

Beautiful!!!💞💞💞 I have always loved round structures. I am going to build a dome home out of aircrete before I leave this earth some day!!! 💖💖💖

[@michellewilson8211]

Thanks for another great video outside the box!

[@bigsong]

When we are young, we don't mind the stairs, but everything on one floor is preferred as we age. Says my friend who built a multilevel dome home in the 70s

[@dews3340]

Perfect 👍 and I like yurts too. Yes to hempcrete. I stayed in a yurt a decade ago in Detroit Oregon at a conference. Also I adore treehouses. Thanks for sharing this timely information and beautiful home......... from the Ozarks drinking free fresh spring water 💦 since 1991

[@EdnaWilkes-cy6ki]

Love this home. I could live in this and I love the nature settings. So peaceful and lot of sun. This give more people more options of building a home. ❤ This home.

[@pattipwoman]

This is surprisingly beautiful and well finished. Sometimes some of these "alternative" homes are hodge pogdie. This one is wonderful!

[@Esther-1914]

I absolutely L-O-V-E your home! You did a great job, Neil and Stella.😃👍

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

Thank you! Stella ❤

[@Aoudhubillahi]

They really did a nice job on that. I started watching a couple of days ago and came back to finish. It was upon looking at it a couple days later that I could see how fine a job they did on the house. This was a great story. Peace to those 2.

[@neildecker1]

Thank you...♥

[@abernathymonsoon4638]

Leading by example! Wow, this home is unique and quite beautiful. The floor plan and colors are so soothing - what a treat to walk around barefoot in there! If I ever got the chance to build, I would definitely do a "round" home, too.

[@chezmoi42]

What an interesting house. The round form is very tranquil. Love this material. We used it (the brand was Isochanvre) in our old limestone house in France, as a thick insulating coating on the north wall interior, then a lime plaster finish. Of course we installed a French drain on the exterior of the wall, as well, since it is about 4-1/2' deep into the hillside, and was very wet when we arrived. Now it's been healthy and dry for about 30 years. We also used the hemp alone as a loose insulation over the kitchen ceiling.

[@neildecker1]

It is great to hear that your hempcrete house has been healthy and dry for 30 year! Thank you for sharing about your project.

[@chezmoi42]

@@neildecker1 And you for sharing yours! You two and your friends did a wonderful job of building a magical home that shelters and nurtures the mind as well as it does the body.

[@johnnyxmusic]

Ever since visiting friends… Especially Paris, I have a crazy notion that in the French culture… There’s a certain enthusiasm for water runoff management… You see it in the gutters and leaders… And also in the pitched stone drains in the streets… Am I right?

[@chezmoi42]

@@johnnyxmusic That I couldn't tell you, though I do know that les égouts (sewers) de Paris are famous and can be visited. However, the 'French drain' is named for an American who was dealing with agricultural runoff. I don't know if the French had the same idea concurrently.

[@s-c..]

@@chezmoi42 Ha! I didn’t know that the French part of French drains was a person, & an American one at that! Nice bit of sneaky credit-taking, France! 😉

[@CalimehChelonia]

Very nice and tasteful. I love the round shape.

[@chilidillo]

What a hopeful Alternative!

[@leslielutz6140]

After listening to Neil you can understand why he wanted to start out small. This house is huge. Tiny hempcrete houses please. Tiny hempcrete village please. How amazing that would be. Stella must be a tremendous pep talker. The silo roof is genius. Thanks Kirsten !!

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

👍 WE ARE VERY GLAD THEY DID AND IT LOOKS GREAT…AND WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR OTHERS IN THE FUTURE 💚💚💚

[@Sj1bby]

WHY ARE YOU YELLING? IS THERE A LOT OF AMBIANCE NOICE IN YOUR AREA?

[@theoboze]

What an inspiring video!! I’m from Ottawa Canada and would love to build and live in my own hemp-lime house. This video gives me hope that we can all have access to natural materials for our homes, instead of relying on cheap harmful chemicals. Thank you so much!! 😊

[@ForgeAheadwithMike]

I'm not even into round homes but this home is super cool - this would be my pick out of all the round homes I've seen. Well thought out but nice design and great use of space. I like the use of hempcrete and natural materials. Well done on the build. 👍

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

Thanks! Stella❤

[@saliustripe]

Great technical details

[@blutoblutarski2421]

These two are perfect for each other.

[@loril.mangold8160]

Wow, that ceiling is magnificent

[@robertkortus]

One of my favorite houses you've featured on your channel! I'd move in in a heart beat!!!

[@MacNicholas9]

Thanks! Have you thought of doing one about CoHousing? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJu8iJ-XlNqUba8

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

Thanks! Stella❤

[@chandracarol232]

Another very inspiring episode as always from this channel Thank U.

[@keyplayer5]

Fascinating. One of the best videos I’ve seen! Love the thought of being grounded indoors.

[@meggmegg6656]

I love this home! Beautiful design, healthy, energy efficient, light. They should be proud!

[@truthbetold2611]

I've pondered for years how to section off inside a dome home. This design is a great reference. I would like the upper level to be more exposed with just railing. Thank you for the tour.

[@FloridaGirl-]

I love round houses! This is gorgeous!

[@moragmacgregor6792]

I dream of living in a yurt. Love them.

[@rebekahdavis5935]

I REALLY have to commend this couple. I usually DON'T feel very comfortable in circular spaces. A lot of people talk about how comfortable it is and I guess I've never lived in one but the pizza slice shaped everything just always feels off to me. I hardly EVER see a yurt or circular style home where I like the layout/floorplan. BUT, I really like this house! I LOVE all of the thought that went into the sustainability of it and while I would do things slightly differently, I would DEFINITELY base my house off of this one, floorplan and all. I wish I knew how much it cost them to build though. Did they say? I didn't catch it... SUPER inspiring though! Great job guys! I feel like you really thought of everything.

[@neildecker1]

Our costs were around $260/sf but we have an affordable natural building kit system we are working on that Kirsten will post about in another video soon.

[@rebekahdavis5935]

@@neildecker1 Fantastic! Thanks for the answer :)

[@m1andonlytwice]

@@neildecker1 are you willing to share your blueprints? I’d love to review them. Your home and methodology is amazing. Great work!!

[@arvind0rjillako]

@@neildecker1 That sounds interesting. How soon can we expect your kits?

[@carolewarner101]

Wow, this is FANTASTIC!!!!!

[@thinkplanetearth2946]

Beautiful home and design. But wow, six years...

[@buddyneher9359]

I guess it's worth it if they really do stay there 'forever' and pass it down to descendants.

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

we did much of the building ourselves ... also we were working and building so that is why it took longer... otherwise it probably take the time of a regular home ... the structure and hemp walls took less than six months.. the finish work took more time ... more costly also

[@pearlhartney9]

Beautiful place!

[@chrishoo2]

Congratulations on creating such a beautiful & healthy home!

[@maodonimega]

Thanks for sharing this wondrous place Kirsten.

[@koukouvania]

great story!

[@DrProgNerd]

Beautiful home. Thank you for inviting us in.

[@JeremyThomas_Environmentarian]

Well do you the couple to get through all the challenges and create a home with such legacy. And thanks Kirsten for another amazing video.

[@neildecker1]

♥

[@alexandraalexandra9223]

Greetings from Austria 😊

[@CalimehChelonia]

Servus 😄

[@SmilingWoods-pr9uu]

Thanks, Kirsten for the great video. This is such a great example of our Smiling Woods Yurts roof kit in use.

[@maelmitchell7207]

You guys are brilliant! Thank you for sharing!!! 👍🙏😊🌈💖🌺

[@LTBRAD06]

Hawaii def needs to do simple versions of this seems very cost effective and possibly be done w sugarcane or bamboo as well

[@elizabethcarrington5819]

This place is amazing! Thanks for your wonderful show. New subscriber from Texas. (btw, we’re aren’t all crazy). ❤️

[@sesarman]

Charles McGill would love that house 😁

[@andreewert1925]

lovely..thanks for sharing...very inspiring...Bravo

[@Brajesvari_108]

Would love to build something like this one day! Thanks for sharing

[@saratorres4382]

This is so interesting…Love the home …would love to learn more about natural foundations. Beautiful couple beautiful family.

[@thebamabirds8182]

That's a beautiful house. Hemp Crete seems awesome it's like the best out of all the options

[@curiouslycory]

We've been pondering ideas for a new offgrid build and this is incredibly inspiring! Thank you guys for building and sharing :)

[@barbaracole4314]

That's pretty awesome, looks like a giant yourt ... beautiful area to live in

[@user-ux9iv9sh2p]

Love this house. Do you offer plans for this design? I have wanted to build a round house for years.

[@joshuaallen7385]

Your home is incredible!

[@clariba3452]

Absolutely amazing!!! I am so proud of you guys!!!

[@adinestellamichaels9246]

Hey lovey ... Just looking at comments for the first time... laughing ... Stella🥰

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

THANKS KRISTEN ,🤗 I LOVE ❤️ A ROUND HOUSE MYSELF…NO ONE ☝️ CAN TELL YOU…GO STAND IN THE CORNER 😂 OBVIOUSLY a remnant from childhood 😅💚💚💚

[@unwind1183]

❤❤❤ NICE AND ECONOMICAL.feel of nature.

[@marieleopold1625]

LOVELY home and soOOOooo well thought-out! Thanks 4 sharing. You always do a very thorough filming and questioning of your projects...WELL DONE! God Bless!

[@uniqdzign2]

It's pioneers like Neil and Stella that pave the way for the future of sustainable home building! Beautiful home, with some wonderful creativity within it.

[@pasveritas1872]

Oh Oh what a magnificent truely beautiful home space 👏👏👏👏

[@buddyneher9359]

Truly gorgeous. Would love to live in it for a season.

[@dennisolive4741]

That bridge in the beginning is ten minutes from where I live. Nice ain't it! Good swimming holes on the Yuba river. Don't bring glass beer bottles though. The rangers will get ya!

[@candyclemens4432]

My husband n I always wanted a round house ❤

[@elwoodbluesmorris2120]

I have watched so many of your videos and have seen many houses I have loved, but this one is it, I am so in love with it. beautiful.

[@tomroach6275]

In Indiana outside the small town of French Lick is a large round barn where legend has it, a 47 year old man went completely insane. He lost his mind trying to find a corner to pee in....

[@izzyplusplusplus1004]

I love the design and everything about this. Things I might do differently, because of my space requirements, is to build a tirewall basement, with a double 1/2 cable clampedconcrete bond beam, including the tensioner. Then hempcrete the inside of the tirewall, build bridgeworthy floor on the first level, with a slightly different floorplan. Plus I want a spiral tower attached outside the main circle, with a crenellated top wall. Perfection.

[@Yelnats87]

"wattle and daub"... I haven't heard that terminology since my history school trip days! Nice! Still loving these vids Kirsten!

[@yvettedouglass4642]

This is just incredible…and I live in Northern California where it gives me hope for building codes, permits, etc.

[@bjdefilippo447]

This was a wonderful segment. I also found that sense of immediate comfort with a yurt, and am fascinated by straw bale and cob construction. If i were younger, I'd start from the ground up. Unfortunately, i can't get back up again. 😉

[@moragmacgregor6792]

ME too ;)

[@tlockerk]

Earth retention sounds a lot less physical than cobb or bales.

[@user-ew2kh6in9t]

sooo beautiful, everyone should have opportunity to build like this if they choose.

[@candyclemens4432]

Your home looks beautiful

[@shirleygriffin7672]

Excellent

[@carlossousa3285]

Impressive!! The knowledge presented, the thought put into it. Most beautiful.

[@Irbdude]

I love this house and the entire concept. I want to build one for me!

[@jasonbeedon9867]

Beautiful home.

[@MsSherryjh]

Beautiful process. Great home.

[@kaycox19]

Nice home....costs not mentioned

[@buddyneher9359]

Yes, that would be interesting to know!

[@Amanda-jd8xs]

Beautiful design and concept 😊

[@rindapelton5876]

Absolutely Gorgeous!!!!

[@jekalambert9412]

Beautiful space and so much valuable information! Thank you!

[@SustainerNYC]

Love these two courageous designers! Love you all!! What a triumph to see this in CA, having followed the Living Building Challenge since it’s pre-funding days. Wow, just stunningly elegant when form follows every necessary function. (Kill switches, Y.E.S.) ❤❤❤

[@neildecker1]

Thank you...♥

[@johnnyxmusic]

The plans are beautiful!

[@xiaoai98]

This is the exact house I need!! Am also sensitive to mold, emf, and love hempcrete and wool. Maybe they'll let me be their roommate.