Backman Building Services

The Eureka Hempcrete Home Is Complete — A First for Humboldt County!

Ribbon cutting today and a public viewing Saturday
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Backman Building Services is proud to share the completion of the Eureka Hempcrete Home, built with locally fabricated h**pcrete wall panels — the first of its kind in our region. This project represents a year of design innovation, problem-solving, hands-on labor, and community collaboration.

Design–Build Lead: Backman Building Services served as the designer, general contractor, builder, and construction manager, with structural and seismic engineering by Shobe Engineering. We worked closely with the homeowner, developed the full design, and led the entire construction from start to finish — including fabricating all h**pcrete wall panels ourselves, since no local facility existed for this work.
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Collaboration & Community Support
-This project benefited from meaningful support from several partners:
• Indigenous Habitat Institute (IHI) – mission support, h**pcrete education, and help coordinating volunteers during panel pours

• Franklin Richards and the Building Lives by Building Structure program at Hoopa Modular – provided space, guidance on factory-built processes, and worked alongside us throughout wall framing

• Derrick Glavich and the College of the Redwoods Construction Technology students – hands-on framing support and learning opportunities

• City of Eureka Building & Planning Departments – for supporting sustainable, natural building practices in our community
Skilled Subcontractors

We are grateful to the professionals whose craftsmanship elevated this project:
• Max Niehaus – New House Construction: foundation, framing, roofing, wall panel assembly, and reclaimed redwood siding
• Haven Electric: solar, battery systems, and electrical service
• JZ Contracting: transport of wall panels from Hoopa to Eureka
• New Age Plaster: three master plaster artisans who came out of retirement to consult and complete the lime plaster finish
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About the Build
This home includes large prefabricated h**pcrete wall panels cast in Hoopa, using high-performance Saint Astier binder and curated h**p hurd. Backman Building and Shobe Engineering developed custom structural solutions for transport, lifting, and installation. This demonstration showcases h**pcrete’s potential for durable, fire-resistant, sustainable housing in California.

Special Thanks
Our sincere thanks to homeowner Joann Kerns for her trust, to all partners and volunteers who contributed, and to everyone in the local h**p community who supported and encouraged this effort.
We are honored to help bring this groundbreaking home to life.
— Backman Building Services LLC

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We did it! Hempcrete right here in Eureka CA. She is almost done and I couldn’t be prouder. Please join us to celebrate so you can feel how special a h**pcrete house is.
Plus don’t you just love my new logo? It’s a female carpenter Bee. Get It?!

A little local news coverage of our project!

Hempcrete: The Flame Resistant Insulation Introduced to Humboldt County by Local Nonprofits A collaboration between two nonprofits is bringing a new flame retardant material from France to Humboldt county. This material is called h**pcrete and the first house constructed with the material

My baby project! Designer, Engineer, Motivator. Hard work paying off.

Historic Hempcrete Housing Project Launches in Humboldt County with Global Collaboration The Indigenous Habitat Institute and international experts are pioneering the use of prefabricated h**pcrete walls at Hoopa Modular, marking the first permitted h**pcrete ADU in Eureka and setting a…