Building and Remodeling on the Big Island!

4-15-11 We gotta hurry up!! :)

2011-04-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our friends love our house so some of them plan their events here:

Surprise Bday party in May and a Tea Party Sonia is throwing on June 4th! So I am pushing Robert along to get some of the items we can accomplish done! Jess moved all his stuff out of our secondary storage at the Pool House this past week so all the tools in my "living room" can go over there and neatly be placed on shelving. Big STEP!! I might be able to see my living room floor again!! Havent seen it since mid Feb!

Today Robert is hanging lights on the deck - yes its almost time to take down the Christmas icicle lights. Pics to follow soon!

What's Next?

2011-04-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well, soon we will be picking colors for the guest bedroom and living room. It's a scary thought though as I love color, but also trying to keep the place on the elegant side of "cottage". Maybe I should just stick with whimsical instead!

It's always something.... and this time its SPRING!

2011-04-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

After months of working on THE project, yes in capital letters, we have been instead working on landscaping. It gives us some satisfaction to see things take hold and begin to grow. So far we have a new fuschia - they are very temperamental unless in EXACTLY the right spot and we got a miracle because by accident ours ended up there. Grown 6" already in 6 weeks. Typically when they are full grown they are about 4-6 ft tall and as wide as they can spread. Beautiful blooms. And no dont come by and pop ours!! As kids we did that to my grandmother's plant every time we walked by! POP. POP.POP.

Also planted cilantro and basil. I dont know if you know but in January, our beautiful basil plant went swimming in the pond. It never recovered and finally died completely dispute our trying to nurse it back to health. I wont mention who knocked it in but the person must have lost balance with the corona in his hand and kicked it in accidentally when he was dancing around the deck one afternoon.

We are dedicating one area to Asian spices - so far we have lemon grass, chives, pandena (sp?), and soon to be ginger! More coming as we continue getting clippings!

Two steps forward, and one back

2011-03-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

So the elevations and remodeling all of a sudden came into focus! Well no problem as realistically we are doing less than 50% remodel.... (the as built portion! haha). But that 50% is from the assessed value not the SF. So our assessed value is $25K. TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND??? Is the tax dept smoking crack??? So we have to go get an appraisal and bring it up into the modern world!

The final design plan is coming together and apparent as we do a few more things each day and really know how we will use this house. We do know we need to not get carried away with adding bedrooms!! All of sudden in our plans we had 5 bedrooms and 4 baths???? REALLY????? haha So we are back to the realistic three and we did keep 3 baths and a powder room.

I tell all my clients to operate from a plan even if it changes sometimes. But have a direction! haha Now its time to take our own advice!

Two down three to go!

2011-03-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

While Chris was here, he and Robert got the house leveled, the guest room, living room, hallway, and kitchen sheet rocked. Robert framed in a coffered ceiling (soffits with a vault) to add some architectural interest and remedy the question of what to do with the shed roof ceiling. We have the "disney" panel of lighting!

We are so lucky to have incredible talent as friends and family. We definitely will have a one of a kind home that belongs in Hawaii, not some lame Arizona house that doesnt look like it belongs in Hawaii. We have architectural resources from two people with incredible instincts who have designed multi-million dollar or way more beaches in Kona and Oahu, and they help formulate structurally the vision Robert sees in his head. Remodels are always hard because you have to many times work with existing pieces, and yet not try to make a simple cottage into an out of place cobbled together subdivision house. Too many people here do that with their homes. I want our "cottage" to be an elegant version of a beach house but still retain its original roots as a "surf" shack it was. To incorporate this takes a lot of thought and also sometimes as simple as leaving the granite behind. A surf shack may have had poured concrete counter tops but it would not have had granite ones. I want it to look like it was always here but maintained in good shape. In fact, my sweetie loves concrete so he has looked at the old driveways from numerous Green and Green houses to see how they did them - they used a lot of "tracks" instead of continuous concrete, and pavers and of course Brick (which Hawaii doesnt really have naturally occur for the materials!) So we will incorporate lava rock where some of the brick is used, and go from there!

I do admire all the diversity of designs here in Puna. Some are much less functional than others! We have a friend with a modern castleblock house but they incorporated big decks and over hangs that will catch the trade breezes! Thats a good example of mixing the theory of the plantation houses with a modern twist!

Big Day yesterday!

2011-01-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

Don't know if you know all know that two nice kids - Kylie and Jesse have been staying with us - so yesterday Jesse fixed the pond pump so it doesn't sound like a airplane engine taking off!! Took him literally 5 mins! And the day before he got all the water from the house roof going into the catchment from Robert's directions (added 40% more water). He is the Robert mini-me!! Seriously - Robert 30 yrs ago!!! Today Jesse got the hairball out of the dryer that had stopped up one of the sensors!

Sometimes these little things make all the difference in the world!

Drywall .... or so I thought

2011-01-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough a few weeks ago to get about 140 sheets of drywall at no charge!! Big Score I thought - I can see walls with drywall instead of reeds.... until Robert told me .... we have to level out house FIRST! So now I am looking for 4 20-ton bottle jacks to borrow or buy. Of course as usual, no one has them. well HPM does but it only had 1 and it was $35/day. We need them for about a week. So I called a jack supplier and the jacks are about $40 to buy - cheap enough but weigh 23# each. So to ship UPS from MN to Kapoho is $150 EACH!!! unless we ship them slow boat (4-6 weeks).... and we only have a small window of opportunity for my brother to come back and help drywall (which as long as there's snow in his country he is happy to do!!)

What to do ???

Our Water Supply

2011-01-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know - we get our water from a catchment tank (it's the equivalant to a mainland cistern). Rainwater gets collected in a tank that holds about 5200 gal of water. Since we get 60+ inches of rain a year this size tank should be fine at most times of the year. (July/Aug might be a little sketchy.)

Matiu backplastering the k-11

We wont go into the politics of Kapoho Vacationland and the KKWA (Water association down here) but suffice it to say that a few days before the wedding we lost our other water source although we knew it was coming. Robert and the guys had been working on the existing catchment tank, refurbishing it and putting the k-11 on it. Chris (my brother) helped Robert plumb the pressure tank and pump and within 3 days we were back in business. We now have a sustainable water system (as long as it rains, and if it doesn't we can order 4000 gals at a time!)

We filter it and it is probably way more drinkable than any city water. I usually have a load of clothes in the washer and as soon as it starts to rain, I turn the washer on and do laundry till it stops raining. You do have to think about adjusting your usage - unless you are from the desert and used to being spare with water!

Overall the project has cost us about $1500 - and we still have about $400 to spend on the UV filter. After about 50 months (4 yrs), our water will be free from there on! (Water from the KKWA runs about $60-90 per month.) We did weigh the option of having a well dug but we are too close to sea level to not be inundated by salt water.

This is the tank filling up from rainwater. We have two sides of roofs draining into it right now and we are adding a third today!

The Summer 2010

2011-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

We spent the summer beginning to do the "unseen" structural remodeling. Some windows came out, some walls came down, some finally went back up! We painted the outside front wall even though eventually it will be covered in 6" hardiplanks. I bought gallons and gallons of paint from the Arc og Hilo's recycling center for $4 a gal so Robert is letting me paint everywhere even though in time it will be covered up! But for now it makes me feel happier looking at the fresh paint! This was painted in late August 2010. Notice dark carport is down and sunshine is coming in!

Empathy ! Looking back at the beginning May 2010

2011-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Front wall onto deck

In the beginning - May 2010

So we are about 6 months into an owner builder project of our own. It's a lot different in some ways from this side of the credit card! We thought we'd jump right in and be done in 6 months but money and commitments have held things up! Oh yah and we got married in December!

So in the next few posts I will try to catch you up with our progress so far! We had to basically begin at the beginning - rewire, re plumb, rebuild walls. Robert thought at first he would do a little re-framing and then in a few weeks sheet rock! He then found the electrical was scary. We had extension cords run everywhere until he and my brother got it all re-arranged in December.

Tour a Greene & Greene-style Masterpiece - Fine Homebuilding

2010-08-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tour a Greene & Greene-style Masterpiece - Fine Homebuilding

To find craftsmanship like this you have to look far and wide! You can take pieces and incorporate them for a craftsman style look.

Real Estate Rato - Purchase price / annual rent

2010-04-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Check out this article on whether to buy or rent.... Does buying beat renting? Not Always!

As Builts aka Un-permitted Structures

2010-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

The County of Hawaii Building Division will soon be undertaking implementing IBC 2008 codes. Many of you many not be affected until you go to sell your home and find unpermitted or not finaled permits for portions of your structure/s. As late as 1999, escrows did not check the building permits.

Many loans such as VA loans will not fund any unpermitted or "under-permitted" structures even if a only a deck is unpermitted.

It is important that you either look on-line or go to the Bldg dept and review your permits. If you have open or unpermitted structures - nowis the time to take care of them. Not when your property is in escrow and you are under the gun!

2010 - New Year, New Economics!

2010-01-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

After talking with a number of realtors, on the Big Island specifically, and on the mainland, the real estate market seems to be inching up and moving slowly but moving none the less. Once again, this may be a good time to look at fixer upper's - many are in foreclosure. As they head into foreclosure, it seems like the last thing people can afford to do is home maintenance.

Your realtor can give you a list. Go see them. And start making a list of items to be fixed, remodeled, and cleaned up. For a consultation fee, many contractors will now go out and do some estimates on the more involved items. There are also fine home appraisers than you can pay $300-500 to go through it and make you a detailed list of items that need repair or replacement.

Once you have a good handle on the repairs needed, and what remodeling you may like to do - you can accurately compare a "fixer-upper" to a new spec house. There are times that the repairs will exceed what the price might be if it was in good condition. And there are times when just mowing the lawn and painting will bring the value up!

Fixer uppers and even unpermitted structures are not insurmountable if you go step by step and do not expect it to be done quickly so that you can move in when escrow closes! That just rarely happens.

Solar Updates 9-15-09

2009-09-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

As of July 2008, all new homes with permits pulled after July 1, 2008 must have solar hot water heating. Besides being greener construction (less energy usage), it also ends up being cost effective in the longer run. I have heard quotes of payback in 7-10 years. Judging by my electric bill, it may be a lot less than that! As fuel cost edge up again, if the KWH costs goes way up again like it did last summer – up over 42 cents a KWH – it will really speed up the payback. If you go to Hawaii Energy Future, there is overwhelming information on the solar credits available. A tip – you must call or email them for the list of names of approved plumbing contractors for the credits. You cannot get the credits unless you use an approved contractor. Credits expire at the end of the 2009.

Coming soon – Info on HPM about a new product that is applied onto tin roofing to use solar to produce electrical energy for home use!

Cooking and Construction - Part 1 of a Series 9-14-09

2009-09-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

So you have decided to build your dream home! In addition, because you are a foodie, your kitchen is going to be top notch and the best layed out room in the whole house. Cooking and construction go together more often than you think and I am not just talking about feeding your carpenters’ pupus on Friday afternoon while building the house!

You have all your cookbooks. You are excited about in a few months trying out your carefully culled recipes and maybe even thinking of your guest list for that first fabulous dinner party at your new home or even your remodeled new kitchen!

STOP. What are you cooking on? Oh, you are sure you are a gas cook top person. No doubt about it! Okay! Let me suggest a few things while your plumber and electrician are submitting their bids!

Plan for dual fuel behind your stove. You are already picking out the perfect stove and cannot wait for it to be delivered and cook that first meal on it! The specs have the quantity of BTU’s needed. (The British thermal unit (BTU or Btu) is a traditional unit of energy. It is approximately the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.) Save that number. Now go on to the more mundane items – your dryer if gas, your water heater, whatever else is going to be gas! Do not forget to include the gas grill or BBQ you will be adding to your outdoor kitchen. Here we say BBQ, or if you are from the south, it is a grill (BBQ is a whole other thing in the south!)

Take all those numbers and now get your plumber to put in a line that will support the maximum number of BTU’s in relation to the farthest distance that gas will be traveling. Do not skimp. Typically at 80’, you will need a 1” ID line (not ID like your driver’s license – ID means inside diameter as opposed to OD or outside diameter. This can make a big difference in sizing but that is a whole other subject!)

Think of Christmas Eve – you are getting ready for a party – will all 4 burners on, and guests are using all 3 bathrooms to shower, and you decide to quick get those extra cloth napkins dried you left in the washer so you have enough…. In addition, your significant other is throwing the veggies on the outdoor grill. WHEW! It may not happen often that you max out but it is like insurance – what will you do if it is not there when you do need it? Hand your guests drink and tell them it is Puna no need shower. Use dirty dishtowels to dry the last four wineglasses that you need for the table? On the other hand, simmer that item that was supposed to be seared?

There are a number of good places on the internet to get the calculations but working with your plumber –do not let them say, “This is good enough”. The overall cost of a bigger line is so small that it makes no sense not to do the right thing.

This goes for the dual fuel – many times a gas cook top will come with an electric oven. You do not want to have to retrofit your kitchen for about $20 worth of planning.

Happy Cooking!

(to be published at LetseatHawaii.com a new foodie ezine specifically for Hawaii! )

Builder's References

2009-04-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is a subject that comes up again and again and again. When you are spending that much money - who do you trust?

An example I am going to use is Mrs. X They were building a house. She needed concrete done. She hired a good concrete guy. He got the job done well. She complains to everyone she knows - because the concrete is rough. Her concrete guy told her and also made her sign an acknowledgment - that it was not a good day to pour concrete. (it seemed like it was going to rain. It did rain. Hard.) and yet Mrs. X feels no need to acknowledge her mistake. She blames the concrete guy. (she has also complained about everyone involved in the project.)

My suggestion is - go look at their work. If you like it, use them. Go with your instincts.

Big Impact - Little Cash!

2009-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, I heard last week "but that person has a lot of money to do xyz". I said you too can do those things. First of all if you have an idea of something really cool to do - say tile a bathroom with some out of the ordinary patterns - remember that your bathroom is probably somewhere between 40 and 80 square feet. Even a $6.00/sf tile is only $240-480 for the floor. But you can use inexpensive tiles and use the more expensive tiles as an accent. The key is to shop craigslist and garage sales, close outs at tile stores, etc and lay out your tile on a flat surface so you can see what pattern is possible. Say on 40/sf (5x8 old school "GI" bathroom) you might find a "subway tile" - 2"x6-8" - but they say only have 60 of them @ $1.00/ea. That could become a border tile. Then get the $1.99 18"x18" tile from your local big box home store and you have essentially a complete floor for about less than $100. It is very possible to do. This works too for that very cool expensive tile where only use a little will create a big impact - such as a trim around a shower. Even broken tiles collected from a jobsite can be layed out in a mosiac pattern for a border.

An important fact to remember is to lay them out as much as possible first before you open the thin set.

A note as to what looks good to your eye : a big tile will create a feeling of spaciousness BUT also too big a tile in a small space will get lost. Always remember Fibonacci theory and the golden ratio when designing.

But it can't be a DROUGHT?

2009-03-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here in Puna, we get lots and lots of rain so when we do have a drought for 6-8 weeks, it wrecks havoc on our landscaping and gardens. One of the ways to help solve this problem is to hang a rain chain from the roof and catch rain water for drought periods. One inch of rain = 623 gallons.

The general ingredients are a long enough chain to go from the roof to the near the ground, a bucket, pot, or any container with a wide top that will hold water. If you are already using catchment for household water, find an area where the water is running off the roof and not into a drain to the catchment. Hook the chain just below the roof line and drop it into the bucket or pot. That's it! It can be simple or elaborate like these rain chains

2009-03-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Spring time is coming and people's thoughts turn to remodeling now that taxes almost done! What makes good use of a tax refund but updating and revamping your home?

Simple things could be a fresh coat of paint - interior or exterior. One of the funny things that happen is that once you paint - then the old sofa looks worse, or the dining room table looks bad.

One show from HGTV called Sensible Chic used magazine photos and recreated a room for much less than the photographed room. Look through many design mags until you find something you like and begin to redecorate with that in mind. I had a page clipped out from a magazine that feautured fairly bright colors. I was lucky enough to find a great comforter at the Hilo Farmer's Market for $125 for a king size bed. I recreated the curtains with a find from Ross'. I added bits and pieces from around my house - stealing this and that out of other rooms until I got the look I wanted. It does not look exactly like the room in the magazine - I incorporated my treasures into it but it gave me a jumping off point. Once I had the ground work (the lively comforter) - I could go from there. The whole room make over for me ran less than $250. It can for you too!

Foundation - part 1

2008-10-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

In our Hawaii building code, there must be no "cinders" under the concrete foundation - this is in effect whether you are on post and pier or slab on grade. Cinders will continue to compact as time goes on. This will affect the stability of your home. Use base course or 3/4"- to dress the house pad. Compact it with a plate compactor. A plate compactor looks like a lawn mower with a flat plate on the bottom. You can rent one for under $75.

If you are doing a slab on grade, try to get the house pad to within 1"+/- of level. This will save you quite a bit on labor and concrete. Do not think you can "eyeball" it. Use a transit. Grade can be very deceiving.

If you are on post and pier, your foundation will consist of shear wall corner footings and possibly 24" x 24" footings or pier block footings. If you are on slab, your foottings will be incorporated into the slab - they will be 16" x 18" and 4" of slab. Rebar is cheap insurance on a slab. It keeps moving in one peice if we have an earthquake. Also use a PSI of 3000 of more helps keep the footings secure. This is not a place to skimp.

Painting - Buy good primer paint

2008-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

First and foremost: Buy good primer and paint. Do not skimp. It will not save you money. If you are hiring someone to do your painting, hire someone whom you have actually seen their work. Look down the walls. Do you see striping? (May have been caused but uneven application of primer). Check their edge lines? Is it acceptable to you? Do they show up and do what they say? Timely?

Now if you decide to do it yourself - again buy good primer and paint. Buy a good roller and cut brush. Do not save money on these items. You will save money on yor good roller. Lambswool is nice and about $15 a piece. Yes a piece. About the cost of a box of Coronas. It will lay paint on evenly - saving you money and work. Wash it out well and resuse. That will save you money, too. My SO has one he has had for about 3-4 years. I have probably spent $100 on rollers in the last 3-4 years.

Here's where we skip backwards:
If you are DIY'ing your home, take the time to paint a termite resistance substance - like Terminex - on all the cut ends of the foundation posts. Paint the posts before they go up will save you time and effort - use a good primer and a good paint. This is something that typically only a owner builder would do because it is labor intensive.

To prevent rust from coming through paint - make sure nails are in all the way. Use a nail set if they arent, and tap them down. A good coat of primer and paint over a well set nail will keep you from having those rust lines on your home.

Buying versus Buidling part 2

2008-10-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Recently on a punaweb topic the discussion again come up about buying versus building. At this time, it is a really hard question to answer. Much will depend on what you want to do, and how you want to accomplish it. A few years ago as pricing for homes was skyrocketing, building in Puna made the most sense.

Some of the questions to ask yourself when trying to decide are:

Is this an investment property that you will rent out for a number of years, then sell?
Is this some where you might eventually live in but not right now?
Or is this going to be your dream house?
Can you afford to build at $125/SF or more? This SF price should include all space, not just living spaces.
Can you buy lot, then start building as you have cash and when done have no mortgage?
Do you intend to participate in the building? Do you have the skills necessary?

Lets take at one item: an investment property to sell at a later date. You may find in the current market a great deal on some else's loss. Can it be rented for the market rate? What will be your return then after PITI, and maintenance, tax deductions? If you build, is a kit house that goes up quick with "builder" grade appointments in the rental market range? The market wont bear many $2500 a month rentals in Puna. Look at the classifieds - what is the median rental range right now? What time frame can a builder put up the house in? (In this case, time really is money - the longer it takes to build, the longer you wont have tenants in it.) But if you are paying totally cash as you build, you also when done wont have a mortgage to worry about and then wont worry as much about vacancy.

On the other hand, if this is your dream house, do you have the patience and money to see it through while building? Is your marriage good enough to withstand the stress and strain of building together? This is a big cause of divorces right behind death of a parent or child, and moving but if you think about it, building your dream house is moving. Again, based on the current real estate market, is there a home that is "almost" your dream home that remodeling may be cheaper?

This debate continues to be the chicken and the egg argument - which comes first? It really depends a lot on you, and your family, your finances, and most importantly your level of patience.

Remodel or Build?

2008-08-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Building a new house, even an eco friendly house will require tearing up land to get an adequate house pad site for even the most eco-friendly house along with a large price tag.

It might be better to remodel your existing home if you have put a lot of time and energy into your current house. It takes usually fewer resources to upgrade and you can do your project in phases.

Are your kids already in a school they like? Do your parents live nearby? Is your social network there. As you move further away for eco house, you may be leaving a bigger footprint by having to drive to visit friends and family.

Infrastructure is in place! Your wastewater system is in, your water system is there, again distrubing the land is kept to a minimum.

What about neighborhood revitalization?

Waste Water System Referrals

2008-08-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Please email me for the PDF file as I am a newbie to Blogging and I cant get it to insert! I have a list of wastewater installers that was given to me by Ron Nickels, a civil engineer who does a goo dportion of the systems here in the Puna district.

Designing your dream House - part 2 - Your lot

2008-08-05T11:45:00.001-07:00

What does your lot look like? Not what do you fantasize it will look like - does but what does it really look like. This is the design equivalent of taking off all your clothes and looking at your naked body realistically. Okay. Whew. Now that we have looked at the features on your lot realistically, do you see any thing that just stands out?

Good or bad, let’s look at those features and how it will affect your design. An example is a tumulus on the lot. You can 1) incorporate it into the future foundation 2) bulldoze it flat 3) move your footprint over so you can look out your lanai at the orchids you will plant in the future. I am a big fan of trying to use the features so that your view will be spectacular as you landscape in the future.

Okay so your are now going to face your lanai (deck/patio) towards it which may affect other items in your floor plan that you wrote on a cocktail napkin when you and your wife took that trip to Hawaii and where drinking mai tai’s on the deck at sunset. (You know you all have them!!!)

So here are some good links to design sites: www.bonadesign.com – Daniel is innovative and has 20+ years experience designing in Hawaii. He has a master’s in architecture and more importantly he built he own home! Robert Latenser is a talented architect who resides in Puna and has done some incredible. There is also Matt Iseger and Erin Rose, both located in Puna, who are capable drafts people. Robert Smelker, AIA stamps plans for them.

When talking with anyone of the above, please take into consideration their advice. All of them are familiar with the terrain, the climate and the basic design errors that many people make. They all will try to steer you in a design that not only will be pleasing but also functional.

Here are the questions you will need to answer (from www.naturalhome.com ) before the design process begins:

What climate are you in? A house in Mountain View as opposed to Kona will deal with rainfall more than the necessity of trade winds. A house in Waimea will require a heat source of some type.

What materials do you like and what is available on the Big Island? How will transporting materials long distances to your site versus using local products?

Who has expertise using your favored materials? Learning curves are steep.
What is your site like? Consider slope; sun and shade; vegetation; wind; rainfall and drainage; noise; views; privacy; and the local culture.

Designing your dream House - part 1

2008-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Okay I have a new client so we are going to go step by step with them!

The first part of the process once you have a lot is to think about your design and what you want to accomplish. Is this a vacation home or is a full time residence for you?

How often do your friends and family visit? What are your hobbies? Do you like to BBQ often?

Spend a week writing down what you do every day of this will be a full time residence. You will begin to see a pattern for what your rooms will need to be. Think about what features your current residence has that you like.

Then the big one - think about your realistic budget. At this point, don't think about square feet. Think big picture. Do you have $100,000 to spend? $500K - a million or $50,000?

Find that number that you will be comfortable with, whatever it may be. Do not over extend yourself at this point. Be conservative! You will have plenty of opportunity to be broke later on!

Now take that number and divide it by 1.33 - yes 1 and 1/3. This is the real budget. So on $100K = $75,000. there is your real budget. Dont worry we arent throwing $25,000 - that is for the changes you will make, your siginificant other saying "oh but it is only a $200 difference ...." etc.

Okay so now you have $75K as your budget - okay take that # and divide it by 150. That number - 500 - is the total square footage you can afford if you have $100,000 to spend. Yes that is right 500 square feet and this includes decks, lanais, carports, garages. No wif you say I am going to do alot of the work myself (How many times have I heard this???) drop it down to 125 so 600 square feet. I dont want to hear "oh but a deck is cheaper".... not by much. In Puna, where we have average 60+" in Kapoho to 160" in Glenwood, you need a covered deck. So now you have foundation, wall structure to hold roof up, roof structure. More than 70% of the structure even in a deck. So just count the sqaure footage straight up. See above where you will end up spending the money.

Okay so now we have 600 square feet because you are going to do lots of work yourself. So you need a kitchen, a bed and bathrooms, and a lanai? Remember small is not comfortable. The bedroom at the minimum should be 12 x 12 and the deck should be at least 12' wide so now you have a 24 x 25 square so using part of your 30% above, lets right off the bat bump that up to 24 x 30 ft.... (see we are using the 33% and material hasnt even left the lumber yard yet!)

For anyone who is doing the gable kit house roof - check out fib0nnocci principle and adjust your length appropriately.

Okay enough for today! I will try to follow this process so that I can help you make your dream house into a reality.

Urban Homesteading

2008-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Just a little link www.pathtofreedom.com

Clients that will never be happy!

2008-04-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

So it has come time to let all the builders out there in on some secrets! Today it will be clients to avoid. Yes I know there are some people who can be turned around but there are some who can't. So far - the draftsperson, and the window guy who are two of the best have also been disgusted with their attitudes! Here is today's selection of someone who is just never happy : Susan wrote the following in her blog -

We have decided NOT to use our concrete contractor to complete the concrete columns. As a result, we leaped into the unknown to complete the task ourselves.

That isnt the half of this!

The forms provided by the contractor were crude at best...

Because the blueprints specified "structural" not architectural grade. The columns were to be stucco or finished in other methods. The boxes were your basic form lumber - 3/4" ply built again specifically for structural grade.

and we tried to smooth the surfaces. However, the poor box surfaces contributed to some of the mediocre results we achieved.

Because as inexperienced home owners, you did not use form oil, or form release on the forms.

Bottom Picture: The resulting image on the concrete column. The whale image looks pretty good, but the surrounding concrete has more flaws then we would like, most likely from the wet concrete and the fact that the concrete did not release from the flawed boxes.

See above!