03-26-2008, 06:14 PM
The County of Hawaii Building Codes are the 1991 Uniform Building Code as amended by Hawaii County. The '91 UBC is standard across the United States and the local libraries probably have a copy of it. It's the one with the blue cover. The amendments are probably on the Hawaii County Website.
Most structural attributes of local homes are there because of our weather. Think loads of rain and humidity mixed with tropical sun. Three foot roof overhangs are normal to keep the sun off the sides of the house to keep it cool as well as to keep the rain off to keep the house dry. Allowing the tradewind breezes to blow through the house is considered a very good thing. Some houses up on post and pier foundations even have screened vents in the bottom of the closets to let the air flow through. Vents up near the roof allow the hot air to escape. Depending on your elevation and how the house is situated in the tradewinds you may want to have the vents movable.
Generally cruising through the local hardware stores will give you a good idea of which materials are locally available. Bringing in special stuff from the mainland can be expensive. Electric rates are really steep so most folks use gas or solar water heaters and gas ranges. Photovoltaic electricity is getting more economical all the time considering the new prices HELCO is charging.
Local houses are also usually much smaller than their mainland counterparts since our weather is nice enough year around that we don't go into hibernation in the winter like the mainland folks do. Accessing the outside is important and that is frequently accomplished with the addition of large lanais.
If you have any questions about how to draw up the plans for your new house send me an email at hotzcatz@yahoo.com and I can hopefully answer your questions. Drawing up plans for houses is basically what I do - although I also repair mechanical clocks, too. Not that there's much call for that, but somebody's gotta do it or we would have no cuckoo clocks left.
Most structural attributes of local homes are there because of our weather. Think loads of rain and humidity mixed with tropical sun. Three foot roof overhangs are normal to keep the sun off the sides of the house to keep it cool as well as to keep the rain off to keep the house dry. Allowing the tradewind breezes to blow through the house is considered a very good thing. Some houses up on post and pier foundations even have screened vents in the bottom of the closets to let the air flow through. Vents up near the roof allow the hot air to escape. Depending on your elevation and how the house is situated in the tradewinds you may want to have the vents movable.
Generally cruising through the local hardware stores will give you a good idea of which materials are locally available. Bringing in special stuff from the mainland can be expensive. Electric rates are really steep so most folks use gas or solar water heaters and gas ranges. Photovoltaic electricity is getting more economical all the time considering the new prices HELCO is charging.
Local houses are also usually much smaller than their mainland counterparts since our weather is nice enough year around that we don't go into hibernation in the winter like the mainland folks do. Accessing the outside is important and that is frequently accomplished with the addition of large lanais.
If you have any questions about how to draw up the plans for your new house send me an email at hotzcatz@yahoo.com and I can hopefully answer your questions. Drawing up plans for houses is basically what I do - although I also repair mechanical clocks, too. Not that there's much call for that, but somebody's gotta do it or we would have no cuckoo clocks left.
Kurt Wilson