Camping on your land ?

[jerry]

My understanding is that the new codes allow you to legally live on your land for 6 months while you build. Not long enough, but still...

However, the main thing is what your neighbors think. Here is Orchidland I know about the following, and these are only those you can see from the street: Living part time in a bus and boat: living in a camper or 5th wheel (several locations); living in the detached garage while the house is being built; living in a container (probably purchased) with windows while material is stored in another container.

Jerry
www.artandorchids.com

[HADave]

Two responses have really got my wheels aturning mini mobile homes aren't as far out there as you might think. I believe now that I've thought about it they could be a very viable solution not to mention a small gold mind. Let me explain, No different than building a wooden shed except you would use all aluminum. Perhaps some of you have seen these spanky new all enclosed utility trailers running around they are attractive to look at and come in all shapes and sizes. Construction would be a piece of cake and tools required would be the same as for wood except for saw blade design. They are held together with screws and rivets nuts and bolts exteriors come prepainted or plain, floors and walls are studded and sheath, the interior would be smooth fiberglass again neat clean easy to care for. You simply contruct to a size that would slide into your shipping container and other than cabinetry that you will need in place leave the rest open enclose the far end enough for a bath and plumb out for disposal connection just like a travel trailer as a matter of fact all your interior equipment can be purchased through a mobile home dealer then you will have propotional equipment installed so it looks and fits more naturally. These little manufacturing companies are springing up everywhere why i even have a fella just down the road from me now who started about 3 years ago and you should see what he developed into its crazy they are like self storage facilities they are everywhere. Now those of you who would say why waste my time with that probably could afford one built for you and you could finish the interior the way you like. one thing for sure they won't take up any real extra room in your container as they are built to slide in perfectly and you simply fill there space with cargo. You would probabably roll into the container without the wheels on for maximum height, that way you could achieve at least a 6 ft ceiling height or go higher and opt for the high cube containers.

Here is a site from Thule who is a large producer and I believe is nation wide.
There is one pictured with specs as well.

www.thuletrailers.com/cargopro.asp

I used to repair this sort of stuff on a bigger scale and the same for years. believe me when I say they are really easy to work with.

Dave

[HADave]

Just another consideration for anyone thinking about camping. This site has some great shelters and accessories to go with them. I'm sure they wood be great on a raised platform.

www.armytents.com/index.htm



Edited by - HADave on 12/21/2005 20:55:49

[emily]

We've been living in a container for over a year now! We are in a small subdivision in Mountain View with only 12 lots, only a few being developed so far, so there aren't a lot of neighbors around to complain - even the ones that we have met don't seem to care. We have a window cut into the container. We bought the container in Illinois and shipped it out here with all of our stuff. It gets pretty hot sometimes inside when the doors are shut and the window is closed. Our thermometer read 107 when I had it show me the highest temp it's ever read. We usually hang out outside in the shade on the real hot days. Our container is 40' long - about 10 feet of it in the back has shelves for storage. We have two of the 10x20 car canopies outside which is where we rigged up a sink and a grill for my "kitchen". We also have an outhouse over a cesspool. Container living isn't too bad! We have carpet, A king size bed, a huge cooler which is our refrigerator. We even have surround sound for movies when the generator is on. It can be done, and it's not as bad as you'd think. Next we want to get a Propane water heater/pump for showers and dishes because it would be really nice to not have to heat up water in a big pot on the grill every time

[HADave]

bringing forward for Crizzy

One thought to keep in mind about roughing it, be sure to stay high and dry while in Puna )

Aloha HADave

[Crizzy]

Thanks for thinking of me HADave. When my hubby built his first home (before I came into the picture) he rented and stayed in an old trailer on-site. But he said he would never do that again b/c the trailer was so old and dank giving him bad allergies. There seems to be so many options for shelter, I guess one is limited only by imagination. I have about two weeks to decide on what I will be living in temporarily as we build.

[Kapohocat]

One thing that I have seen used is a 8 x 20' structure on skids... so when it is done, you sell it to someone else - the trucking company can pick it up and move it to the next location. Kinda between a unpermitted shack and a trailer...

[Chili]

Just to throw in 2 cents worth; Most of the county of Hawaii does have restrictions regarding camping on your property. There are good reasons for this. There is a sanitation problem that needs to be addressed. Without the proper disposal of humun waste, the very real possibility of people getting sick exists. Not only for those camping, but their nieghbors as well. This is the primary reason the county frowns on this sort of activity. That said, if care were taken to ensure proper disposal ie, sesspool, septic, compost, or some other acceptable form of disposal, the other problems are really minor and not of a health concern for the county. Some subdivisions have ccr's. In the division I'm moving into, Mouantain View's Pacific Paradise Gardens for example, allows camping on site diring the last three (3) months of the construction phase.

Now because we live in a very laid back sort of county, the enforcement of illegal camping on ones own property is rarely enforced. And that is a good thing. There are many folks here who would not be able to live their dream of home ownership if it were any other way. So, to make this long story shorter,...."GO FOR IT< and >LIVE YOUR DREAM"

ps.... eBay has lots of used motorhomes, trailers and 5th wheels for sale "Cheap". Check um' out. Even with the cost of shipping it looks like a viable option. And who knows, you might be able to sell it to someone down the road looking to do the same thing.

Something to think about.......Good Luck,

Chili

[emorata]

Forgot about this interesting thread....one thing that wasn't discussed was how temporary water is being collected and used and what everyone did with toilet issues for camping or shed construction...any ideas/experience would be appreciated, so I could see if this is a viable solution without entirely roughing it.

noel

[pslamont]

Some random thoughts...

Lowes has some really interesting sheds made of waterproof/fiberglassish material in the $800 to $2000 range that could be excellent starts. They have windows, air vents and closable doors. Once you have a sleeping area that is off the ground and waterproof, you can do a LOT of outdoor living. Constructing a covered area for your outdoor kitchen (the only way to go) is easy. My friend Theo has developed a composting toilet system that is easy to manage and relatively inexpensive to build not to mention simple. However, as soon as you have your lot graded, you have a cesspool/septic dug and set up proper sewage right away. Water is easy; no matter what you are living in/under, you put up gutters and a catchment tank. My first structure had the catchment tank 3 feet off the ground so that we could run it by gravity. Chem-Tainer in Shipman Business park has a variety of formed containers that work well.
We got one 250 gallon and one 500 gallon. We still use the 500 gallon for our cabin.

Certainly where you buy is significant to your choices. Anything with a full acre or more is likely to be no problem for camping on. It is the smaller lots where neighbors may have issues.

For anyone interested, Theo's 2 acres in FernAcres with a full 700 foot unpermitted cabin, complete solar system, catchment in closed tank, phone, hot and cold running water, full bathroom and extra shower.... just went on the market. He had the driveway done and a large building pad put in near the back of the property for the building of a permitted home. The point of the cabin is temporary living while building, then... whatever!

Aloha everyone and good luck. It is a marvelous adventure to come to Hawaii... especially the east side of the Big Island. Our adventure has been one of the best of our lives! Aloha


Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!