Off-Grid Hemp Homestead
Wingham NSW Mid North Coast region
Project statistics
block
- 18.6Ha rural block
- House located in middle of block
house
- 175.9m2
- 4 bed / 2 bath
build type
- Split level dwelling house
- + Secondary dwelling cottage
materials
- Hempcrete walls
- Colorbond roof
- Concrete slab on ground
- Double glazed aluminium windows
completed
2023
Wingham Off-Grid Hemp Homestead
On a rural block of 18.6 hectares near Wingham in NSW’s Mid North Coast, owner-builders Ash and Jarrod have created something quietly remarkable: a split-level hempcrete family home and a separate hempcrete cottage that together form one of the most complete examples of sustainable off-grid living in Australia. Designed by Kirstie Wulf of Shelter Building Design and completed in 2023, the Wingham Off-Grid Hemp Homestead demonstrates that high-performance, low-impact building doesn’t require compromise..just planning and intention.
The project grew from a clear vision. Ash and Jarrod wanted a home that reflected their values, connected their young family to the land, and left the lightest possible mark on the environment, during construction and across the centuries of use ahead. Hempcrete was central to that vision from the start, chosen for its thermal performance, breathability, fire resistance, and the remarkable fact that it locks carbon into the structure rather than releasing it.
Performance Features
High end off-grid
Special Features
Permaculture Homestead with BnB
The 175.9m² four-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits in the middle of the block, oriented to make the most of northern sun. Large north-facing windows stream morning and midwinter light deep into the living spaces, warming the concrete slab that then releases that heat long after sunset. Clerestory windows, a signature of Kirstie’s design, bring light into the split side of the house and double as operable louvres, creating a chimney effect that vents heat on days that can reach 40°C. The result is a home where Ash describes wearing a t-shirt year-round inside, while still needing to check the weather before stepping out.
The 250mm cast-in-situ hempcrete walls are rendered inside with natural clay in the bedrooms and guest rooms for added robustness, while internal feature walls are finished with Rock Coat Repel, a breathable sealer that preserves the organic grain of the hempcrete, somewhere between off-form concrete and raw earth. A earth-tube cooling system draws air through the ground to keep the pantry naturally cool without any energy input. Human waste is handled by a worm septic system smaller and lower-maintenance than a conventional tank. Water is captured off the roof into a large tank sized to local rainfall predictions, with an additional 20,000 litres reserved for rural fire brigade access, a practical nod to the fire-prone landscape the home is built to withstand.
Off-Grid Hemp cottage
The separate hempcrete cottage, now available as an Airbnb on The Simple Patch permaculture farm, was the first structure built on the property and the one that kicked off Jeremy’s Wingham Off-Grid Hemp Homestead video series. It runs entirely off-grid: rooftop solar with battery storage, rainwater collection, solar hot water, and Starlink internet. During construction it even powered the tools and trades working on the family home next door. Ash notes that the hempcrete wall-raising drew helpers from their teens to their seventies — a community building event that she sees as recovering something society has largely lost.
With upwards of 600 hempcrete structures now completed around Australia, the industry is well past proof of concept. What The Simple Patch represents is something further along: a lived, working model of what off-grid family life can look like when passive design, natural materials, and regenerative land management come together on a single property. The permaculture gardens on the north side of the dwelling, the deciduous vines shading the summer patio, the worm farm processing household waste, each element is part of a whole that will still be standing, and still sequestering carbon, long after most of today’s volume-built housing estates have been demolished and rebuilt twice over.