Healthy homes. Stronger communities. Sustainable future.
Hemp+ Building Solutions is the sustainable building division of Foundation First, in collaboration with Hemp Legacy Builders. We bring hemp-based materials into existing homes, renovations, and new construction.
Built for storms. Built to last.
Two and a half minutes with Leandra Duquette on building with hemp in coastal Virginia: flooding, mold, the ways to build with it, and where to start.
Or call Leandra directly: (757) 354-2413
What is hemp-lime (hempcrete)?
Hemp-lime, commonly called hempcrete, is a bio-based building material made from three ingredients: hemp shiv (the woody core of the hemp plant), a hydrated lime binder, and water. It’s not typically the structural, load-bearing part of a building. It functions as part of a wall or envelope system that provides insulation, moisture management, and thermal performance.
Recognized in Appendix BL of the 2024 International Residential Code.
Why hemp
Moisture management
Vapor-permeable walls help manage moisture when properly designed.
Thermal comfort
Insulation and thermal mass as part of an engineered envelope.
Fire performance
Addressed in Appendix BL of the 2024 IRC
Acoustic comfort
Used in acoustic panels and sound-absorbing interior systems.
Lower-impact materials
A rapidly renewable crop that may reduce embodied impact, depending on sourcing.
Healthy-building strategy
Natural, low-emitting materials support indoor environmental quality.
Built for storms and floods
When storms hit and floodwaters rise, conventional walls often fail the same way: drywall soaks through, insulation mats down, and much of it gets torn out before mold takes hold. Hemp-lime behaves differently. It is vapor-permeable, so it can take on moisture and release it as it dries, and the lime binder’s high alkalinity resists mold growth. Results depend on design, detailing and how long the water stays.
- Handles moisture better than drywall when properly designed
- Naturally mold- and mildew-resistant
- Vapor-permeable, ideal for basements and coastal homes
- Carbon-storing: your remodel stores carbon instead of emitting it
What it costs, by method
| Wall system | Installed cost (per sq ft of wall) | Install speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional wood frame | $5–$10 | Fastest | Baseline comparison |
| Hempcrete, cast-in-place | $18–$40 | Slowest, labor-intensive | Mixed and tamped on-site around a structural frame |
| Hempcrete, spray-applied | $15–$30 | Faster than cast-in-place | Sprayed in place, less formwork needed, still requires cure time |
| Hempcrete, prefabricated panels | $28–$34 | Fastest of the hemp methods | Factory-formed, less on-site labor and curing time |
New construction, whole-home
A turnkey hemp-lime new build typically runs $250–$300+ per square foot of conditioned floor area, typically above comparable conventional new construction. Owners choose it for comfort, moisture performance and indoor air quality; we estimate the cost tradeoff for your specific project.
Figures reflect wall-assembly and whole-home construction cost, not finishes, site work, or mechanicals, and vary by region, wall thickness, and specification. Every project is quoted individually.
3D-printed hemp-composite construction is an emerging method we’re tracking as systems and manufacturing partnerships mature. Not yet available for client projects, ask us about timeline.
Early-market industry estimates (2026). Figures vary widely by method, wall thickness, region and installer experience.
Why this is the right moment for hemp building in Virginia
In January 2026, Virginia’s Board of Housing and Community Development voted to advance IRC Appendix BL (hemp-lime construction) toward adoption into the state building code; final approval is pending. That’s new. Most local building departments have never reviewed a hemp-lime permit, and most GCs have never built with it. Leandra has been part of the advocacy and policy work that got hemp-lime this far, and that experience helps us prepare and support hemp-lime permit submissions.
Hemp+ services
Permit Navigation & Code Advocacy
Most Virginia building departments are seeing a hemp-lime application for the first time. We prepare your code documentation referencing Appendix BL, walk your local inspector through what they’re looking at, and draw on direct relationships within Virginia’s hemp-building advocacy community. From $650
Hemp Design & Material Consulting
We work with your architect or designer to integrate hemp materials into the actual design, wall texture, acoustic character, natural light, humidity behavior, not bolt them on after the fact. From $450
Moisture & Indoor Air Monitoring Integration
We spec and integrate smart humidity and indoor-air-quality sensors into the build, so hemp-lime’s performance is something you can verify, not just take on faith. From $500
Hemp Build Coordination
We work alongside your licensed GC to make sure hemp materials are specified, sourced, and installed correctly. 10–15% of hemp-scope hard cost
New Build / ADU Hemp Design Consulting
Precon-to-permitting hemp design support for a new custom home or ADU. Request a quote
Hemp Feasibility & Material Assessment
A site walk and review of your existing structure, identifying exactly where hemp-based materials can realistically be integrated. From $350
Grant & Incentive Research
We research what state, local, or utility programs may currently apply to your project. Not a guarantee of funding. From $250
Hemp-Ready Contractor Training
If you’re a licensed GC who wants to offer hemp-lime construction, we train your crew on material handling, mixing, curing, and permit documentation. Request a quote
Value-engineered to your goals, not just first cost. Ask us about currently available grants, financing, and incentive programs that may apply to your project.
Who you’ll work with
Leandra’s path to hemp building started with her family. She watched the effects of hemp and cannabis prohibition firsthand, including people in her own community who lost their freedom over a plant now legal to build with. That experience shaped a lasting belief in circular economies, systems where materials, labor, and value stay local and nothing goes to waste, and it’s what eventually led her into hemp construction: a way to turn a crop with a complicated legal history into healthier homes and real economic opportunity.
Leandra Duquette leads Hemp+ Building Solutions, bringing hands-on building experience and industry relationships through Hemp Legacy Builders. She also serves as Vice President of the Virginia Hemp Coalition (vahemp.org), which advocates for the entire plant — hemp and cannabis — empowering Virginia’s farmers, businesses, and consumers. Her own passion is building with hemp-based building materials such as hempcrete: a remarkable natural material with proven benefits that has stood the test of time — and is only getting started.
That combination, real construction experience plus a seat at the policy table, means Hemp+ clients get someone who knows the material and knows how to prepare a hemp-lime project for permit review.
Ready to talk through your project?
Fifteen minutes is enough to tell you whether hemp makes sense for what you’re planning.
