I have been working hard these past months to get things ready for the build. A lot has changed and the effects of the pandemic have affected different parts of the process. Up until a week ago I thought things were going great. I had secured contractors in almost all areas, but definitely in the big ones. Last summer I connected with Dion Lefebvre of 8th Fire Innovations a hempcrete expert and builder. We have been working together towards two main purposes: building my house and raising the awareness and capacity for hemp building in Manitoba. We are planning a set of hemp construction training weekends that I will post more about once I have more information on the timelines. I have also met some local contractors who are helping me with the general contracting aspect. I have secured Interlake Formworks for the foundation and am the first project on their list once the ground is ready for concrete. So, I had solved all of the problems that arose last year that were road blocks, and then a new one arose.

Money.

One of the side effects of this pandemic is the tripling of lumber and other building costs. Another circumstance that may or may not be related to the pandemic is the woman at the local credit union I was working with is no longer there. This wouldn’t be a huge problem except the realities of banking in a small town became real to me. I did not feel that the woman who was replacing her would be working with my best interests at heart and I am not fully trusting of the privacy and service I would have had. I also had just gotten married, got a new position at work and was building a house so I decided not to add changing all of my banking to the list of changes I was undergoing. I went to my current credit union in the city who do not have the same experience in self builds nor, it seems, the supports. I will find out today if a building mortgage through them is possible. The costs from last year to this year are nearly $100K more, this is a problem.

I always knew that building this way, including hempcrete, a masonry stove, top of the line windows, and natural building techniques would be more expensive. I know this is how it works, when things are new, they are more expensive, it is harder to find people with the skills, materials that fit within the criteria, and availability of those materials, but I also know how much this world needs new possibilities for creating a more sustainable future and I want to be a part of that. Unfortunately, I am not independently wealthy. I have already had to limit my vision due to costs as natural building is not yet the norm, but I do not want to limit it further.

I am reaching out to the province, Efficiency Manitoba, to see if we qualify for a grant, but even that is a drop in the bucket, a welcome drop, but a drop nonetheless. I am feeling frustrated because I am trying to do something that will move the natural build industry forward in Manitoba while creating a beautiful home to live in and I am continually hitting road blocks. I knew this was a part of the building process, hitting road blocks, but it seems excessive!

So, as we stand now, things are in flux. I have not cancelled any contractors, the windows are being made and getting ready to ship, the finishing materials I have been collecting are growing in piles in my parents garage, the planning for the hempcrete training is underway and ready to go public once we know if we are allowed to host such a training, and the ground is almost thawed enough for the foundation to be poured. I imagine within the next two weeks we will know one way or another, if we are doing the full build, building in stages, waiting another year or ???

Until then I am trying to stay open to the emotions this is bringing up in me, looking for the lessons, seeking the truth, and trying not to push the river.