I have blue rock that i'm planning on putting combination of topsoil/cinder into beds to grow edibles/flowers....this will be a big project i'm assuming

any recommendations from any gardeners on what combination of soil/cinder would work and what size cinder is the most effective?

any other soil/treatment advise would be kindly appreciated.

noel

Hopefully this will be a good thread to all those that are in the process of building or contemplating building in puna with lessons learned in the process to help others avoid mistakes and expenses.

My experience building a kit home from Trojan Lumber in Orchidland was not easy considering the limited workforce available currently able to dedicate time and efforts. There was a post regarding Trojan lumber on Konaweb and prices starting at a set point and when the building permit was finally approved the actual quote ended up another 40% higher from the kit price advertised....this due to higher material costs skyrocketing in the marketplace. I was assured by Trojan prior to purchasing the kit that they would hold prices flat during the timeframe I was having plans made and finalize to permit which unexpectedly took over 6 months. After that timeframe, when they did the final quote on materials, I was in for sticker shock even though I was told verbally that prices would not change. I was told afterward that even though i signed a contract material quotes only are held if you pay for the materials in advanced.

What I should have done was to really put their words in writing that any quotes for future builds would have protected the consumer from any price fluctuations while they are in the drafting stage. Still I feel shafted from this experience at their expense.

noel

Aloha,
Was wondering if any forum members are currently homeschooling their children, or know of anyone else doing it in the Puna area. Our plan as it stands is to make our final move there in 2 and a half years after our 15-year old graduates from high school. An option we've been kicking around is making the move sooner and homeschooling him. My wife and I are strong in certain areas (Japanese language, general language arts, culture, history, social studies, humanities, etc) and lacking in others (sciences and advanced math). We also want to make sure he has a social life and a chance to interact with other kids his age. Has anyone heard of any homeschooling groups banding together to share knowledge and teaching responsibilities? We respect other peoples' beliefs but don't subscribe to any particular organized religion. We would lean toward non-religious affiliations, but we're open-minded.
FYI, we're already set up with a house in Hawaiian Shores and have good leads/opportunities for work. Your help and advice is appreciated.
Mahalo


Tim

Just thought I would post some very important information we learned. We own lots in Tiki Gardens and sold our home, gave away all our stuff, moved over with youngest son and wife and had to live in tents for 4 weeks in the rain. Neighbor let us use a small cabin for awhile for facilities. We managed to grub, level and plant some stuff on our lots, but we found out that there could be no building permit for 9weeks to 3months also months for some materials. We couldn't find a rental we could afford and we spent a lot of money on shipping cars and then turning back, lots of money on airfare here and back, etc. I just want to warn others to get their permits and order materials before coming over...and we could not clear our lots by hand...had to be grubbed..it could cost $3000 just to prepare your lot (ours is 60x135 side by side)and a septic is required $6000. I know we could have maybe started without permits, but we do things by the law. And no electric without a permit. Please be prepared and save yourselves some heartache and lots of money which most of us owner/builders have limited funds. We will return next spring to build if all goes well and we have a place to stay and that permit ready! We had a kind neigbor who helped us but we could have been in a worse situation and using building funds just to rent a place. Things are changing in Puna and everyone is building. You can do most of the preparing from where you are! And you won't find a better friend and counslor that Pam. Love you girl! See you this spring!

anyone have a good referral for someone who can buldoze an acre parcel selectively, i have blue rock so the work will be more intensive since i want to do more intensive gardening and tree planting.

thanks in advanced for your input.....
also any recommendation for someone who can spread cinders around property?

noel

Has anyone had any experiences with building a rock wall? I'm putting up one around a home that we're building and wondering if I should insist on reinforcement bars in the core of the wall.

Most walls that I've seen constructed are held together with cement.

Let me know if you have experience or advice on this one.

Thanks in advance.

Noel

Moderator - just curious if this forum has an ignore button. I have seen some boards that do and you can click ignore next to a poster that you prefer not to read post from. Then any post made by that person do not even show up. Would it be hard to add this feature?

This board has always been very open minded but lately it has just gotten really negative due to post from one person. I especially do not like reading some of the mean spirted post being made by a particular person. And since I respect everyone's right to free speech I wouldn't want to see the person banned because of their attitudes and lack of aloha. That certainly isn't the spirt of aloha or Puna. Puna is about to each his/her own. Aloha is about love for everyone and respect for our differences.

I feel like I am about to explode after reading a recent post, which is my own problem. I was just hoping there would be an ignore feature so that anyone that didn't want to read post by a particular person wouldn't have to.

Atlanta/Pahoa

Hello Everyone!
I just moved to Leilani Estates last week and am an experienced contractor, working independently looking to get started. Pictures and references are available.
Bids are free within an hour driving distance. I have all my own setup and am ready to go! I specialize in kitchen/bath remodels, tile, laminate/bamboo floors, and decks. I prefer to work in as environmentally friendly a way as possible, when practical.
My phone conks out about a mile from my house but i make sure to check it daily. Email at hazenkomraus@hotmail.com is great. I look forward to helping out professionally, personally, and as a part of the community! Mahalo!

Hazen Komraus

Special thanks to tlarryb for turing me on to PunaWeb!

I was wondering if anyone Knows about this. I am in the process of buying a lot in Nanawale. The restrictions say that i have to build a house that has at least 880 sq. feet. Do they really check that? the house plans i am looking at are 864 sq. ft. and its all i can afford. Will this make any difference? or do they need to see the plans?

I am looking for someone in the Pahoa area who can do interior plaster and exterior stucco on a masonry builiding. Notin a rush, just looking to find someone and schedule them in.