HempBuild Magazine

*Owner Barbara Massey poses in front of her award-winning hempcrete cottage “Apeldoorn House” in Black Mountain, NC. Photo courtesy of Barbara Massey*

By Jean Lotus

A hempcrete house in North Carolina has made a significant rebound in the two years since Hurricane Helene dumped 22 inches of rain and devastation on the Asheville, NC area in September, 2024. Apeldoorne House, in Black Mountain, NC, now functioning as a holiday rental, was selected as a “Top 1% property” by online rental company AirBnb.

The 2-bedroom cottage was designed and built in 2021 by Asheville, NC hempcrete pioneer Tim Callahan. Like Callahan’s other hemp-lime homes, the house was among the handful of early Asheville area hempcrete homes that felt the full brunt of Helene, which struck the region, killing at least 130 people and destroying roads, water lines and cell towers across western North Carolina.

Apeldoorne owner Barbara Massey said Airbnb's own criteria for the ranking come down to guest ratings, reviews and reliability. "This is the best year we've had," she told HempBuild Magazine. "People are thoroughly enjoying it."

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Cleaning up After Disaster

But the triumph only came after lots of hard work. During the storm, strong winds knocked down large trees on the property and local streams became “rivers of mud,” Massey said at the time. She said it took roughly two years of cleanup to get the property, and the surrounding creek and grounds, back into shape.

During the storm itself, Apeldoorn House came through largely unscathed. Massey credited design-builder Callahan with a thoughtful site plan, roof overhangs and a solid foundation, along with the moisture-wicking properties of hempcrete, a bio-based insulation made from hemp hurd and lime.

Guests staying at the property during the storm told Massey the house stayed "safe and cozy" even after it lost power. Two sides of the house got saturated by wind-driven rain, but dried within days without any mold or mildew, Massey told HempBuild Magazine in 2024.

Callahan recalled that the site plan for the home was challenging because of a steep incline behind the house.

“ We had to address some drainage issues on the upslope so there wouldn’t be a river of rain coming down the hill,” Callahan remembered. Rain garden features also absorbed floodwaters, Callahan said.

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*A photo from 2024 shows the creek bed near Apledoorn House where trees were uprooted and flooding cased devastation. Photo courtesy Barbara Massey*

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*The stream cleaned up after two years of work. Photo courtesy AirBnb*

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Using plastered hempcrete walls allowed for cosy European-inspired details such as the rounded window openings, wide windowsills and embedded decorative stonework, designer/builder Callahan said. Photo courtesy of AirBnb.

Internal Touches were Simple with Hempcrete Walls

A home’s insulation is not what gets guests excited about a short-term rental.

But Callahan said using hemp-lime as a wall assembly allowed Massey to experiment with some artistic touches that she had seen in older cottages in Ireland – and guests respond well to the cozy look.

One was the window details, with a smooth curved edge on walls around the window and a nice thick window sill that makes guests feel “comfy.”

With hempcrete, the adjustments were simple for a rustic cottage appearance.

“We took a sawzall and just free-handed it and carved into it to get sort of the shape and the movement in that edge that we were looking for,” Callahan said. ”Then we plastered over it.  It was not a big deal.”

Massey also wanted to embed some decorative rocks in the 12-inch hempcrete walls, which was possible with a thin-set mortar that “bonded really well with the hempcrete,” Callahan said.

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*Drone photo of the cottage. Photo courtesy of AirBnb*

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*Apeldoorne House under construction with hempcrete walls supported by cement posts. Photo courtesy of Apeldoorne House*

Callahan co-authored the International Residential Code (IRC) Appendix BL, which introduced hemp-lime in the US residential building codes. He included architectural details and photos from Apeldoorn House in his 2025 book, Hempsteads: Architectural Details for Hemp-Lime Construction.

Other details were among the appointments Massey collected for years before building the house, she said. European farmhouse styling such as a handmade copper range hood, cabinetry repurposed from a 150-year-old New York City kitchen — are details guests respond to, she said.

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Hempcrete Hopefuls also Visit

Beyond vacationers, Apeldoorn House has also become a stop for people researching their own hempcrete builds. Massey said the property has hosted at least four guests who booked specifically to experience living in a hemp-lime structure before building one themselves. One guest, who Massey believes was from Tennessee, found the property through a Google search for a hempcrete house he could stay in. Another North Carolina woman planning her own hempcrete home, booked two nights "just to stay in it and see what it felt like."

*Air Bnb listed Apeldoorn House among its “Top 1% of homes.” Photo courtesy AirBnb*

Massey is proud of the glowing reviews her guests leave for the hempcrete cottage.

"It's ridiculously beautiful just to drive into the area, but upon opening the front door, all of your stress disappears," reads one review Massey keeps on a brochure for the property.

Apeldoorn House is listed on Airbnb and VRBO. More information is available at apeldoornhouse.com.