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+--- Thread: Building with No Permit? (/showthread.php?tid=9787)
RE: Building with No Permit? - KeaauRich - 01-17-2012
Dick, I'll see your $1700 approved permit and plans and raise it with my $2700 approved plans and permit for a never-to-be-built house...
RE: Building with No Permit? - ponopony - 01-18-2012
Yeah, it was all those mandatory extras that pushed us away. Those 'little add-ons' are deal breakers. That's why you see so many unfinished homes for sale. --broken budgets.
We almost did the "HPM in HPP" thing a few years back... We were ready to buy a lot but decided against HPP at the last minute. Then we decided against the HPM package. Then we finally just put everything on the back burner. But at least we didn't pay 60000 on a lot that's now worth 20...
We were going to build HPM's 'Huaka' model, but decided we wanted more freedom; something more natural & open. --The main deal breaker though, was the cost of electricians and plumbers. I spoke to a few who said it 'could' cost 5-8000 each for electric & plumbing, plus that much more for temp pole, catchment and septic/cesspool. I didn't want to be forced to pay 20-30000 for things I could do myself (and with help) for a fraction.
As for power, it would be nice, but I thought we could just spend 2-3000 on some cheap solar panels and a generator, and deal with it. --no kids, no AC, no microwaves...
But is it really mandatory to have built-in electricity and plumbing in order to get a permit finaled and get an occupancy permit? When I spoke to somebody at the county office a while back, they didn't really have a straight answer for me.
As for new building code, will we need double walls now? That seems excessive for a cabin.
RE: Building with No Permit? - Ryan. - 01-18-2012
We also considered building unpermitted. As with anything, there are pros and cons. In the end we opted to build with a permit. It's been a frustrating experience, jumping through all the non sensical hoops, paying inflated prices for licensed work, etc. That said, I'd like to think we made the right decision. There are at least two reasons why. Although the county doesn't currently enforce the building code, who is to say they won't 10 years from now. It's likely things will get much more strict in time. Second, although we plan to stay in our home for a lifetime, it sure would be nice to be able to sell it for a fair price should that become a necessity. For these reasons we chose to build with a permit.
RE: Building with No Permit? - MarkP - 01-19-2012
I know a guy who recently sold his place in Orchidland and bought a house in Hilo. One of his major concerns was that he had built unpermitted and now it looks like the county may start cracking down. He had originally spoken with the bldg dept and basically been told not to worry about a permit. I don't know how that conversation went but relying on the advice of the people in the county office came back to bite him. Hard to believe. I guess not even the county thought anyone would care about the law.
RE: Building with No Permit? - EightFingers - 01-19-2012
I'm in a rambling mood today.....
Seems like the county (if any cracking down is to happen) will be responding to demands placed by insurance companies, lawyers, maybe some by the public.
Some people believe if they actually "own" (yeah, right) the land, then they should be able to do anything they want on it or with it.
So is it fair for some to build and have to get a permit, where others don't?
RE: Building with No Permit? - ponopony - 01-19-2012
Mark, same thing happened to me! I went to the offices in Hilo and Kona a few years back and somebody (can't remember which office, but a high-up person) pretty much smiled and winked at me saying something like "we don't need to know what you do on your property, just as long as no one complains..." or something to that effect. I asked about building a package garage to 'maybe' convert & live in. --Most of the other people I talked to didn't seem to know much, either way... [
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RE: Building with No Permit? - Obie - 01-22-2012
You can find the answer here.
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/building-draws-ire.html
If you don't do something stupid, you can get away with it !!
RE: Building with No Permit? - KeaauRich - 01-22-2012
Even if you do do something stupid, you can get away with it!
Folks in Seaview call this structure "The House of Cards," and friends of ours were complaining about it on our first trip here in 2003. I'm sure building inspectors have been in that neighborhood at least once in the intervening years, and since even my untrained eye can see that the building could not possibly have been built according to code, how come it is still there all these years later?
RE: Building with No Permit? - robguz - 01-23-2012
It's about time this issue got some coverage. I emailed the reporter to thank him for this article. The County collected exactly $0 in fines in 2011 related to unpermitted structures. One tidbit left out of the article is that the subject of the article owned the nearby lot before the House of Cards went up. So it isn't like they even knew what they were getting into. Personally, I'm surprised they haven't sued the County over it. In most areas when there are front page stories about the incompetence of local government, that government is usually shamed into doing something to fix the problem. Here, nothing ever seems to be addressed.
I could have saved about $600 a year by not permitting my home. The message is clear. Do whatever you want when it comes to building. Break whatever law you want. Don't get your property assessed on what you build and pay the same taxes as you would on an undeveloped lot. And then don't worry, because there will never be any financial or legal repercussions for doing so.
RE: Building with No Permit? - ponopony - 01-23-2012
I guess Pele will be the final arbiter -- especially in Kalapana! (or anywhere else in Puna, Hilo & Ka'u for that matter...)
And you know, since most of these places are actually zoned AG -- for farming use -- the cranky neighbors who built residential homes should feel lucky they don't have a pig farm nearby. (oh my, think of their plummeting property values!)
As for the house of cards, you know, it could have just as easily been a fully-permitted, million-dollar eye-sore, and still block the view! I've seen a lot of places like that on O'ahu... Aloha.
