07-10-2016, 05:26 AM
quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
it's not really clever nor funny. and if you really hate it all that bad - THEN MOVE!!
Not intended as clever or funny, nor do I hate it, and I'm not moving.
I'll rephrase:
If these non-wood alternatives are so far superior to wood, why do they have to be special-ordered in kit form? I can easily accept "not made here" (manufacturing too expensive), but is our economy really so poor that it won't support a retailer or distributor who stocks these fantastic construction materials?
the Chinese kit buildings are in stock
Yes. I've been thinking about these for a while; they're nearly ideal, with a couple more windows and some insulated roof panels, they are probably perfect for "storing" some furniture and maybe a stove. Still "expensive" (only as relative to the local economy -- not compared to wood or masonry).
Some irony there; these kits are the best option so far. Kudos to Rob for bringing them.
There is no great conspiracy to deprive Hawaii of non wood alternatives that are superior to wood, this is just a matter of market forces at work. When "non-traditional" materials are brought into a market they always start out as "special order" items, because sellers do not want to take the risk of a full roll out if the buyers are not there. This is true of all industries, not just building materials, but the construction industry tends to be conservative about adopting new materials and the distributors sure don't want to take the risk of stocking a superior innovative material that no one will use, or knows how to use, and then take a loss.
In the early days of solar you couldn't just walk into a retailer or wholesaler and buy inverters or solar panels, now you can. Someone has to pioneer this stuff by getting it into use initially so it becomes an accepted material to use. You are throwing a tantrum because you don't want to be the pioneer, you want someone else to take that risk and make the investment to stock a material with no proven market yet. The economic cycle of innovation and adoption just doesn't work that way, especially in a relatively small market like Hawaii.