Building costs/estimates

[Cagary]

Another trade off with Hawaiian Acres is who your neighbors are. There are a lot of great people living in H A and others who are not so great. Think about it. No CC&Rs, secluded lots, "live and let live" attitude all can spell neighbors that one might not want to live next to.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[kalakoa]

Another trade off with Hawaiian Acres is who your neighbors are.

True of any subdivision, especially where CC&Rs aren't strictly enforced, and to say nothing of the "duelling boards -- fighting for control over your mandatory dues".

[leilaniguy]

quote:

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Originally posted by Vic

quote:

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Originally posted by randomq

It doesn't sound like you're obsessing over property values or a mcmansion. You could build your cabin to code but unpermitted in other parts of Puna and save quite a bit. The building department seems to work with people that (rarely) get reported in the mauka subdivisions.

Another advantage (and best practice) on the multi-acre lots is you can put in a long curved driveway so your home is not visible from the road. Why have just a lot when you can have a private estate?

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Recommended subdivisions this would work in? My favorites in order are other than Nanwale,
1.) Hawaiian Beaches
2.) Leilani
3.) Maybe Hawaiian Acres although the roads seem to be a major pain.
4.) Others? Not familiar with "Mauka subdivisions"

Cant wait to live in Puna!

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Hi Vic, Mauka means upland, in Puna it means the land above hwy 130 up to Volcano, and all those subdivisions along HWY 11. The land below there is Puna Makai,(Nearer to the Sea) including HPP, Orchidland. Ainaloa, The Beaches, Nanawale. Waa Waa, Leilani, Kapoho, Opihikao and Kalapana. Leilani has very strict CCR's, the only parts without them are the 2&1/2 blocks down from the highway, ending halfway down Kula street. You would probably not be bothered in Blacksand Beach or Kalapana Vacation lots, very few if any have permits in either place and some very inventive and unusual abodes.

[Vic]

Thanks much for the responses. I will be in the area for a week towards the end of November, so I hope to solidify my plan then. There is certainly a lot to consider...

Cant wait to live in Puna!

[randomq]

Something else to consider is the heat, and how you will cool your home. Mauka is cooler the higher you go. Lower Puna gets hot!

[laurarice]

I am just finishing my 750 square foot house a mile above mt view. From my experience I would think remodeling is cheaper. But many cheaper homes are on ground level and that is less desirable than raised. But raised can cost up to double if you have plans to provide enough room underneath for possible living in the future. Your septic costs are low I would say. mine were 16,000 for grading plus septic, and if you are lava that has be be carved out this can easily happen. Take a look at all the places for sale on craig's list and you will see that a lot of people underestimated their building costs and were forced to abandon a half built home. or make is so cheap that it is not desirable on the resale market. Your finishing costs are also low I think. Finishing to code takes forever and costs a lot more than you have planned unless you want the cheapest Home Depot stuff that looks it and will fall apart in a few years.

Laura

[kalakoa]

would think remodeling is cheaper

If the existing house is livable, then it doesn't matter as much if the project takes longer and/or costs more, and it's possible to "get away with" fewer permits (both in the "they can't see you" sense and the "not required" sense).

I often think that if I had bought an existing house, I would be done by now, and heavily into gardening the rest of the lot. Instead, it's still construction season.

[terracore]

"Hi Vic, Mauka means upland, in Puna it means the land above hwy 130 up to Volcano, and all those subdivisions along HWY 11. The land below there is Puna Makai,(Nearer to the Sea) including HPP, Orchidland. Ainaloa, The Beaches, Nanawale."

To be clear, Orchidland ranges from 130 to 11, from Kurtistown to Ainaloa, and from Hawaiian Acres to across the highway from HPP, so it falls into either both upper and lower Puna, or somewhere in between them. Maybe this is why it's my favorite subdivision. It also has a shopping center with gas, hardware, groceries, liquor, a few dining options, and over-priced propane. It also conveniently has two different road associations.

[VancouverIslander]

In 2012 we bought our cottage in Eden Roc for $30k. It was unpermitted and only about 80% complete at the time. We put in around $70k on top of that to get permitted and up to the code that was current at that time including a big chunk to get HELCO to put in a transformer and run some wire up the road to us.

It cost us around 5k to get the place wired and power from the road to the house. We could have finished the place off unpermitted for not a lot (3-5k?), but we'd not have had the amenities (grid power, cess pit) and the resale value would have been much lower.

If you can find a fixer upper that is already permitted, it might be easier and cheaper than either building new or buying something in good condition, but it would be a fair bit of work. It really depends on what needs to be done.

Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike