If you're planning a new home, you want it comfortable in every season, and you want to know what your quote will cover. Here it is, item by item.
The finishes set the price more than anything else. Take two homes with the same footprint and the same structure. Their quotes can still end up far apart, because floors, windows, bathrooms, kitchens and building systems vary so much from one project to the next. So every project gets its own quote after a site visit. The first consultation is free.
H0ME builds new homes only. We build on land you own, or we demolish an existing building and rebuild. Your quote covers:
- Design: architectural, structural and energy design, plus the permit paperwork.
- Groundwork or demolition: preparing your plot, or taking down the existing building and hauling it away.
- Timber frame: the load-bearing skeleton, which goes up quickly.
- Hemp-lime envelope: the wall infill, built thick by skilled crews.
- Building systems: electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation.
- Finishes: plaster, floors, wall coverings, windows and doors, bathroom fittings, kitchen.
The quote breaks out each item, so you always know what you're choosing.
The science of hemp-lime
In the H0ME system, hemp-lime fills the walls of a timber frame. Hemp Eco Systems (HES) gives a thermal conductivity of λ = 0.048 W/(m·K) in its indicative data sheet. In the HES 320 mm configuration, the wall delays heat getting through by 18 hours. HES data point to up to Class A4 with 35 cm in climate zone D. That has to be checked on each project.
The wall also handles vapor and moisture. We cover that in the breathing wall.
So why do the finishes count for more? The envelope is a technical choice inside a defined system. The finishes come down to taste and the level you want. You can put the same wall in a plain, pared-back home or in one full of detail. That's where one quote pulls away from another, and it's where you have the most say.
To see how the materials work together inside the wall, read how HES-mix works and hemp shiv grading and insulation.
What it means for the people who live there
The HES system has years of building behind it across Europe. By 31 December 2014, the HES network had completed 27,653 m² (source: HES Group). At the Fortuny Museum in Venice, an infrared FLIR survey two years later found no detachment (source: HES network). These figures come from the European HES network. They don't come from finished H0ME projects. H0ME has worked as a General Contractor since 2019, and we're preparing our first site now.
Hemp pulls CO₂ out of the air as it grows. That plant carbon stays locked in the walls for as long as the house stands. Our estimate is about 150 kg of CO₂ per m³ of biocomposite as stored carbon (94 kg of dry hemp shiv per m³ × 1.6 kg CO₂ per kg). This is not a climate balance for the house.
How you get to your quote
It's four steps:
1. Free first consultation: tell us about your plot or the building you want to replace, how much space you need and how you live. We tell you what's possible.
2. Site visit: we walk the plot and look at orientation, access and constraints.
3. Design: we draw the house, and you pick the type and the finishes.
4. Tailored quote: once the design is done, we break out every item.
How long does it take? A new hemp-lime home takes six to eight months at minimum, depending on type. The timber frame goes up fast. Hemp-lime takes its own time to place and dry. Then the finishes close out the job. We set the schedule around your project.
FAQ
What does a hemp-lime home quote include?
Design, groundwork or demolition of the existing building, timber frame, hemp-lime envelope, building systems and finishes. Your quote breaks out every item after the site visit.
Why do finishes matter most in the quote?
The envelope is a defined system. The finishes come down to level and taste. With the same wall, your home can be pared-back or full of detail.
How do I get a quote for my home?
Start with the free first consultation. Then come the site visit, the design and your quote. Building takes six to eight months at minimum, depending on type.
See how the building system works on the Technology page. The next installment follows the road to the first H0ME home.
Article produced with the support of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the H.0.ME. editorial team.