Permit fire comments for FA workshop

[Seeb]

Ag use is not a free for all. You need the agriculture part, most palaces have a definition usually a $ amount or equivalent amount of food your own consumption. The link above is to Sb 2646 of 2012 which says commercial farms and ranches

[topograph]

I would think my submitting my cesspool permit as part of the building permit package would have removed me from the crowd of "people trying to pull one over" on the building department. But having been told that storing a wheelbarrow qualifies as storing flammable material, I will be installing a 5000 gal water tank to comply. Better too much water than not enough, or so I'm trying to convince myself. As to whether or not we deserve the agricultural designation, that's not a battle I'm willing to participate in. I grow all my own vegetables, coffee and tea, and hope to be able to someday keep goats for my home cheese making. If agricultural is supposed to mean that is how I make my living, no, I will never qualify. If it means I am self sustaining, I am already there living in an apartment on Oahu with my community garden, and hope to transfer that to the Big Island when I retire.

[Seeb]

If you got a cesspool just call it a house. I'm sorry I'm missing something here. How big is thing.

[topograph]

500 SF. But not a house, never intended to be lived in, is a place to work out of the rain and store tools. A workshop. With a toilet, because when you spend a day working and drinking Pepsi, a toilet is nice to have.

[Seeb]

They kind of work off a check list, if it's not this it's that. Someone there should have explained it to you. If you add a sink, burner, mini fridge and a smoke detector to your plan then it's a house

[kalakoa]

You need the agriculture part ... commercial farms and ranches

I sell at farmers' markets and file GET on the income. Pretty sure that's "commercial".

500 SF. But not a house

Correct: a "house" is at least 832 SF.

[Hapahaole]

Voluntary fire dept :
Permitting as a garage or a dwelling and then using it as a fire house doesn't pass . Larger subdivisions just did that and had to redo entire buildings to current code . It' was permitted as a dwelling and one building as a garage . yes FA gets got fire trucks but newer than everyone else got . Except HPP they exempt from any permits or farmers market or roads . they have 3 fire stations access .

hapahaole

[kjlpahoa]

This problem of not agreeing with a Fire Dept. ruling is exactly why the County has a Fire Appeals Board - to rule on questionable FD requirements. Unfortunately our Fire Appeals Board is not active due to lack of members. As a result, the people of Hawaii Co. have no way to resolve FD issues. Are our rights being compromised?

[pam jones]

Topograph if you live on another island and plan to store tools, building materials, etc. in a wooden structure and lock it up in your absence, I would seriously reconsider that. Not sure how much more security a container with a few quality locks would offer but I'm sure it would be better than a stick built storage shed. The problem with storing your stuff and leaving your property is the real risk of it going bye-bye in your absence. It is the main reason many of us are forced to camp, as it were, on our own property during construction. I think most of us feel your pain and empathize with the dance you are forced into with the county. Wishing you all the best of luck and patience beyond Job's because building here you will need copious amounts of both!

[topograph]

Thanks Pam- Right now I have a small military container we shipped from Oahu after buying at auction that we use to store our wheelbarrow, shovels, etc., and it's been good. For construction tools, we'll wait until we're close to building, then ship everything over in advance and store it at a storage unit until we're actually building. We already camp on site now, and will be doing so during the building process as well.

As to the recommendation for patience, I'm an engineer for the City on the Rail project- so am more than familiar with bureaucracy, delay and additional costs