10-03-2016, 08:16 AM
SR: As far as most of the pros/vs minuses... the first consideration would be your lot....
A lot with a lot of thick vegetation cover around & high ground towards the edges would not get ground floor breezes in a house near the center of the lot, one that has less dense vegetation and a smooth mounding towards the center would
Shear wall foundations required now can take almost as much concrete as some slabs, depending on the lot, but if you want to build over an very uneven terrain, with minimal lot leveling, then P&P would be the way...
Some homes are also built with very uneven terrain below the house, so that there is a high build-up P&P on one side & another entry side is at or almost at ground level...
My advice would be first:
Totally explore the lot (this can take some doing with most undeveloped lots here)
Take inventory of the existing terrain, the plants & neighbors plants and terrain (and for that matter the neighboring lots in total...as many issues here are with how well neighboring lot "mesh" with the lot you would like to develop
Try to visit as many existing structures here (esp. in the area they are looking to build), to get to know how well different designs & building materials are for your in-laws
Meet with some of the builders (esp with the "kit home" building Dept. at the lumber yards) to figure out in-law likes/dislikes in current designs here (again, see if you can actually visit some of the homes they have nearby the lot)
This "ground work" will give you more appreciation for which design to choose, as the reality is that the lot may be more a determining factor that any of the pluses & minuses you have seen here
I am saying this as we had planned to build before buying our house (fell in love with the location...& this was the choice). We had been very apprehensive of a slab after reading many posts, but have never had the problems that many here had warned us of (less bugs than any of our P&P neighbors, great trade wind ventilation, no mold at all...) These are all a result of the lot lay & the building materials, not the slab... the slab has been a dry base... as any slab or floor base on P&P SHOULD be.... we have seen a lot a problems when slabs stay wet (water draining toward or under the slab, vegetation growing into walls on slabs -kinda a duh...but have seen it often enough here...things like that are more incorrect planning & maintenance)
ETA: regarding termites.... since there are both subterranean & drywood here, ALL wood is game, & there are also powder post beetles & carpenter bees, so ANY wood you use anywhere in your house will be under attack -some woods that are termite resistant like teak are desert items for powder post beetles & carpenter bees aren't eating the wood so will drill through treated wood if they get a bite hold, but prefer a nice old piece of wood, hopefully away from your house,
& EVERY building material has some agent here that will try to destroy it (all metal here oxidizes (even the titanium plates at Imiloa are showing some weathering) Concrete, brick, ram earth & other build up materials have earthquake issues, plastic can be UVed into submission, even glass gets etched here.... so have a great time planning!
A lot with a lot of thick vegetation cover around & high ground towards the edges would not get ground floor breezes in a house near the center of the lot, one that has less dense vegetation and a smooth mounding towards the center would
Shear wall foundations required now can take almost as much concrete as some slabs, depending on the lot, but if you want to build over an very uneven terrain, with minimal lot leveling, then P&P would be the way...
Some homes are also built with very uneven terrain below the house, so that there is a high build-up P&P on one side & another entry side is at or almost at ground level...
My advice would be first:
Totally explore the lot (this can take some doing with most undeveloped lots here)
Take inventory of the existing terrain, the plants & neighbors plants and terrain (and for that matter the neighboring lots in total...as many issues here are with how well neighboring lot "mesh" with the lot you would like to develop
Try to visit as many existing structures here (esp. in the area they are looking to build), to get to know how well different designs & building materials are for your in-laws
Meet with some of the builders (esp with the "kit home" building Dept. at the lumber yards) to figure out in-law likes/dislikes in current designs here (again, see if you can actually visit some of the homes they have nearby the lot)
This "ground work" will give you more appreciation for which design to choose, as the reality is that the lot may be more a determining factor that any of the pluses & minuses you have seen here
I am saying this as we had planned to build before buying our house (fell in love with the location...& this was the choice). We had been very apprehensive of a slab after reading many posts, but have never had the problems that many here had warned us of (less bugs than any of our P&P neighbors, great trade wind ventilation, no mold at all...) These are all a result of the lot lay & the building materials, not the slab... the slab has been a dry base... as any slab or floor base on P&P SHOULD be.... we have seen a lot a problems when slabs stay wet (water draining toward or under the slab, vegetation growing into walls on slabs -kinda a duh...but have seen it often enough here...things like that are more incorrect planning & maintenance)
ETA: regarding termites.... since there are both subterranean & drywood here, ALL wood is game, & there are also powder post beetles & carpenter bees, so ANY wood you use anywhere in your house will be under attack -some woods that are termite resistant like teak are desert items for powder post beetles & carpenter bees aren't eating the wood so will drill through treated wood if they get a bite hold, but prefer a nice old piece of wood, hopefully away from your house,
& EVERY building material has some agent here that will try to destroy it (all metal here oxidizes (even the titanium plates at Imiloa are showing some weathering) Concrete, brick, ram earth & other build up materials have earthquake issues, plastic can be UVed into submission, even glass gets etched here.... so have a great time planning!