Post and Pier learned something today

[emorata]

Hi Pam,

Lee is correct on the new requirements for PIP on each of the corners since i have just finished building a rental in ainaloa. Post and Pier is nice because of the following:

Easier placement of plumbing/electrical roughs and lower costs

Better elevation will give you better air flow/you can target more trade winds flowing betting into your home

Less likelyhood of bugs/insects coming into the home

You can elevated to target better views of your environment

If you have a cinder roadway when you are on p&p you can eliminate alot of tracking of cinders into the home onto the deck, at least in my experience

Nice extra storage space available underneath the home

No cracking concrete floors.

Things I learned in the process:

Be there from the start and make sure you plan, plan, plan

Be there when the excavator is clearing your land so things don't get taken out or they plow outside of your parcel

Find a really good builder that you can communicate with regularly, they need a lan phone, cell phone and email contact, also make sure you get to work directly with his subs....i prefer to get his recommendations from his subs and pay them directly so they are obgligated to me and the contractor/builder...this also gives you a direct face contact and relationship if something needs immediate attention afterwards

You might be able to do some of the work yourself, just make sure you discuss this thoroughly with your builder.

You may be able to save costs by finding a handyman to do some of the finish work, trims/doors, floors, painting, kitchen cabinet placement, landscaping etc.

Seemless gutters are the way to go on catchment

If your on catchment, at a minimum get the framing structure over the catchment so the tarp does not start sagging into the tank

theres alot more stuff, i'll try to post again when i have more time

noel

[mella l]

Noel, Mahalo nui loa for such an expansive post. I appreciate you taking the time to post this for us. Gene and I will not be owner/builder as neither of us has the skills enough to be proficient. We will be traveling over in September and hope to interview a few builders and see some of their current and completed projects so we can make a choice and a presentation. Also we will be bring over our home plans and give them to a local draft person for complete drawings. We unfortunately do not feel confident to do this any other way, however we do appreciate you sharing your process with us. Mella L

mella l

[emorata]

additional things to consider:

if you pay for all the materials and charge everything it you can practically get a free frequent flyer trip like i did on my visa....most catchment companies, septic, gutters will accept charge cards

yes, take the time to talk to contractors, talk to their references and visit other job sites...you might be lucky to get an open spot in their timeline.

get the plans submitted now while you are still in the mainland...only main thing you would really need to consider while not there is where you would like to place home, road, septic and catchment system...if you know the setbacks-typically 20 feet on the sides you can do the layout and your kit company will do the plot plan for you....this can easily save months in the waiting process.

make sure you ask around for excavators immediately and get on their wait list...wish i had a good one for you-all my experiences have been really bad so go for an established name and make sure you can meet that person on your land and walk the areas that you would like to have changed

alot of the finished materials from your kit companies can be purchased by you directly so you can go to home depot/lowes to choose the fixtures that you would like

if you are looking for cheap all wood cabinets cheaper than home depot there is a company that imports all wood cabinets in china...elite interiors ltd, for flooring/countertops/cabinets tiana 808-966-6938

you might be able to find cheap materials or household items at many of the garage sales happening every weekend

if your on catchment, get a minimum of a 10,000 gallon tank and get a framework over the tank so it doesn't sink into the water eventually...

you can rent alot of equipment from punarent or homedepot for a week for work that you may want to do yourself...ie you can rent jackhammers to do holes for placing poles

spend the money on good paint, it is worth the expense for better quality paint and one paint applications are always better and cheaper in the long run

if you want soil, a good 50/50 mix soil/cinder is the way to go...brysons in pahoa only charges $190 with delivery and the driver can dump in various locations for you if you are nice to them.

be very nice to your neighbors and try to meet everyone on the block, they will end up doing alot for you and even help in the build process if you need any help

when you buy appliances, most places offer free delivery so you should gang all your purchases at one time so you save delivery costs....same with any other material purchases that you cannot carry in your vehicle

these are a few things i was able to save costs and minimize any matters that could inflate costs/time down the road.

aloha,

noel

[mella l]

Mahalo Noel once again great and really helpful info. I'm sorry that your Building post got lost in the shuffle and I asked the moderator to locate it and put it back up as so many people had read it. You might consider starting a new one and copying this super helpful info into it. The moderator couldn't locate the other thread. Mella L

mella l

[mella l]

Thanks again for the information on building suggestions Noel. We just re-read your posts and will be using some of the information as we'll be on island next week. Hoping to see some of you then. Mella L

mella l

[mella l]

just thought I'd bring this forward as there are current questions re this subject!

mella l

[mella l]

Perhaps this will stir some more post and pier discussion for you Chili. This also was before the building forum was established.

mella l

Edited by - mella l on 10/20/2006 11:09:55

[Chili]

I'm copying what has been written. there's a lot of great info being thrown out here and I'm going to use plenty of it in discussions with my contractor. Mahalo to all of you talented and resourceful Punatics,
Chili