09-15-2007, 01:17 PM
There was a horrible moment when I had to choose between vacant land that I was in escrow on, and a fantastic house with a horrid history, sold AS IS that was in foreclosure. I literally had half an hour to make the decision because I was obliged to say "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on the inspection of the vacant lot.
I decided against the lot, but I have friends who have decided in favor of doing this. Genxor is right -- if you build, you get it your way. My friend is having a LOT of fun imagining her home and going over plans. I'm having fun with her. We too thought that Craig Steely had some good ideas - why live in Puna if you can't have that wonderful indoor-outdoor feel that he does so well, with durable, practical materials. There are many plans that capture that idea and a lot of ways to do it. And building in Puna is cheap!! Try Kauai where it is 400 per square foot.
One factor that influenced my giving up on building was the fact that my consultant cancelled our first appointment. Although there was a perfectly good reason for the cancellation, my time was short and I could not reschedule and I had to make a choice between vacant land and an existing house. It would have helped to know what I was up against (and what I had in my favor) on the vacant lot. What was the setback? Can I build on rolling land with lots of big pukas? Placement of the driveway? Etc. But there was no time to get this information. I had to make a decision quick. The lot would have been much cheaper and had a KILLER view that was probably unobstructible. But I realized that delays, missed appointments, reschedulings and so forth were inherent in the process of building and that I would not abide such delays very well.
I recognized that things were not going to fall into place on a specified timeline with vacant land. Things would happen. Items would become unavailable. Things would need to be shipped. The inspector would reject something and it would have to be reworked. Contractors would not show up. And the vibe is, the stronger you try and control the process and make it happen, the less it is likely to happen. That's the zen of the island. Has to flow, or it don't go.
It just wasn't going to happen for me. That doesn't mean it won't happen for you and my friends, as I said, are very much looking forward to building their dreamhouse directly across from my existing (and exciting) home. And when the earthquake came followed by the hurricane and the threat of a tsunami followed by the most significant outbreak of lava in years, they didn't blink. I, with my built home waiting for me, was a little more concerned.
You must recognize this important barrier: Island time doesn't just mean that things move more slowly. It really means that things may not move at all, at least for a while. Things do get done, though. They say it takes about a year. If I were ON ISLAND and retired, I would definetely have built. Then I could get in the Island groove and let things fall into place in their own sweet time, but if you are off island, think twice.
I decided against the lot, but I have friends who have decided in favor of doing this. Genxor is right -- if you build, you get it your way. My friend is having a LOT of fun imagining her home and going over plans. I'm having fun with her. We too thought that Craig Steely had some good ideas - why live in Puna if you can't have that wonderful indoor-outdoor feel that he does so well, with durable, practical materials. There are many plans that capture that idea and a lot of ways to do it. And building in Puna is cheap!! Try Kauai where it is 400 per square foot.
One factor that influenced my giving up on building was the fact that my consultant cancelled our first appointment. Although there was a perfectly good reason for the cancellation, my time was short and I could not reschedule and I had to make a choice between vacant land and an existing house. It would have helped to know what I was up against (and what I had in my favor) on the vacant lot. What was the setback? Can I build on rolling land with lots of big pukas? Placement of the driveway? Etc. But there was no time to get this information. I had to make a decision quick. The lot would have been much cheaper and had a KILLER view that was probably unobstructible. But I realized that delays, missed appointments, reschedulings and so forth were inherent in the process of building and that I would not abide such delays very well.
I recognized that things were not going to fall into place on a specified timeline with vacant land. Things would happen. Items would become unavailable. Things would need to be shipped. The inspector would reject something and it would have to be reworked. Contractors would not show up. And the vibe is, the stronger you try and control the process and make it happen, the less it is likely to happen. That's the zen of the island. Has to flow, or it don't go.
It just wasn't going to happen for me. That doesn't mean it won't happen for you and my friends, as I said, are very much looking forward to building their dreamhouse directly across from my existing (and exciting) home. And when the earthquake came followed by the hurricane and the threat of a tsunami followed by the most significant outbreak of lava in years, they didn't blink. I, with my built home waiting for me, was a little more concerned.
You must recognize this important barrier: Island time doesn't just mean that things move more slowly. It really means that things may not move at all, at least for a while. Things do get done, though. They say it takes about a year. If I were ON ISLAND and retired, I would definetely have built. Then I could get in the Island groove and let things fall into place in their own sweet time, but if you are off island, think twice.