NEW CASTLE, Pa. (WKBN)–Pennsylvania’s first home renovation made out of hemp-based building materials was unveiled Friday in New Castle.

State officials were on hand for the unveiling of the home on Spruce Street.

According to builder DON Enterprises, Hempcrete was used in building the home. It’s a biocomposite, non-structural insulation material used for centuries in European construction. It is made from just three ingredients, hemp hurd (the inner woody core of the industrial hemp stalk), lime and water. 

“There was a process of trial and error and fine-tuning the installation process,” said home designer Meryl Smith. “It was a learning experience for all involved but also a very rewarding one because it looks amazing!”

The material is pest, mold and flame resistant.

Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the same species of plant, however, marijuana contains THC, whereas hemp is cultivated for fiber, seed and floral extracts, and contains less than 0.3% THC.

HempWood flooring was also used in the house, produced by hemp grown in Lawrence County in DON’s Hemp Test Acres program. The program supports farmers to learn to grow industrial hemp.

“BMW has been using it in its cars since 2016,” Lori Daytner, VP of program development for DON Enterprises stated in a news release. “It is lighter and stronger than many components and this is incredibly important in light-weighting for electric vehicle production.”

The home is not only great for the environment, but it is also ADA accessible.

The build was funded, in part, by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.