08-23-2008, 07:04 PM
Not knowing your plans & all, it is hard to make a comparison... one thing is true for both Calif & Hawaii... there are manpower &/or materials needs that vary for each type of construction you are thinking of.
If you have a plan, and have some builders in your area that do different types of contruction, you may want to do ballpark comparisons with them... this will give you an idea of the range differences for the different types of construction. You can then use this range to get a approx. idea of the range change in Hawaii.... with a HUGE caveat... some materials are crazy expensive &/not available here that are more available mainland...
Some little tweaking things you can do with any house... look at you specifications of siding, interior walls & trim... you may be able to eliminate wood & paper in some of these items.... then look at your choices of cabinetry & decor... again, look to reduce your wood load... (and no particle board or MDF board) & most - all of these will not have much impact on the planning you have already done...
If you want to go with a no wood house... it can be done, but at a cost, including restarting your project.... not earth shattering (oh, speaking of earth-shattering... earthquakes are very unforgiving to lithic structures like concrete blocks (hollow tile) & other mortared structures... )
Remember that ANY & EVERY home material used here has a weakness that Hawaii can exploit... steel (even stainless steel) corrodes, concrete & stone cracks, wood gets eaten & burns... I have not yet seen a building material that can withstand everything Hawaii can throw at it... in a way, living here is proof positive that you are aware that you cannot control most things, and are lucky if you can just keep up with the maintenance.
If you have a plan, and have some builders in your area that do different types of contruction, you may want to do ballpark comparisons with them... this will give you an idea of the range differences for the different types of construction. You can then use this range to get a approx. idea of the range change in Hawaii.... with a HUGE caveat... some materials are crazy expensive &/not available here that are more available mainland...
Some little tweaking things you can do with any house... look at you specifications of siding, interior walls & trim... you may be able to eliminate wood & paper in some of these items.... then look at your choices of cabinetry & decor... again, look to reduce your wood load... (and no particle board or MDF board) & most - all of these will not have much impact on the planning you have already done...
If you want to go with a no wood house... it can be done, but at a cost, including restarting your project.... not earth shattering (oh, speaking of earth-shattering... earthquakes are very unforgiving to lithic structures like concrete blocks (hollow tile) & other mortared structures... )
Remember that ANY & EVERY home material used here has a weakness that Hawaii can exploit... steel (even stainless steel) corrodes, concrete & stone cracks, wood gets eaten & burns... I have not yet seen a building material that can withstand everything Hawaii can throw at it... in a way, living here is proof positive that you are aware that you cannot control most things, and are lucky if you can just keep up with the maintenance.