new puna house design

[Kapoho Joe]

quote:

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Originally posted by Seeb

If I ever get a chance to build a new one for myself I would go with kind of a mission style with a stone/concrete wall around the outside and an open courtyard in the middle

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Always my favorite style but potentially very musty in the jungle no?

[Rene Siracusa]

If I were to build again...
1. 4'overhang on roof to provide shade on hot days and keep the driving rain off the walls.
2. No metal roof which eventually rusts away if not frequently painted. I like the clear plastic (not fiberglass) - forgot what it's called - which brings a lot of daylight into the house and saves on electric usage.
3. I love trees but wouldn't allow any large ones close enough to fall on the roof during a hurricane, or drop leaves that will foul my water catch and clog the gutters.
4. Bear in mind the direction of the prevailing winds when orienting the entire building.

[cinnaminnacat]

mold, etc. Thats a particular problem for Puna, even if things dont get "wet".

I have noticed that even well protected concrete block walls can have problems with efflorescence from ground moisture and mold/mildew from humidity. I can show you a once lovely small fired ceramic block house with patio, swimming pool, etc, that has been completely heaved/broken apart from unattended tree roots and woody vines.

I have seen many seaside hones in the caribbean and on the gulf of mexico built of concrete and steel that are now rusting, moldy isores after their roofs were ripped off in the hurricanes. yeah, the walls are (mostly) intact but even the rebar is rusting away.

I have come to realize that a livable house, as we have come to know it, is alot more than a roof over your head.

Today, people seem to be focused on "amenities" (plumbing, electricity, communications, entertainment). just enough structure structure to house the amenities and lasting only as long as it makes economic sense.

Since the average house is resold every, 3-4 years, the renovation cycle must be shorter and cheaper than ever. Puna is awash in cheap fixers that arent selling: not worth it.

The "long term" has become oddly short.

/--/
on a serious note:


We are retirement age. We think we might live in this house 10 years. We would then be nearing 80 years old. Realistically, at that point in time, we have to be prepared to sell and move into assisted living. We have to be realistic that this house must be reasonably, readily marketable. We cannot build a "folly". This puts some practical limits on the design.

[Rob Tucker]

Building lifespan and maintenance costs matter for retirement too. Your material choices in your new home will determine how much it depreciates or appreciates over time. Who really wants their single largest investment to depreciate rapidly? Wood buildings have the highest maintenance costs and the highest rate of depreciation.

[Seeb]

A lot of the concrete in the Caribbean goes bad because of using salt water to mix and poor workmanship

[lquade]

since i had a second chance to build my 'dream home' i built much smarter the second time. still in mt. view but went down 1000 feet in elevation. much bigger overhangs, much shorter stairs, ventilation in the closets, no closet doors. smaller house, much larger lanai. extra bath off the lanai for guests and working in the yard without tracking in cinder and mud. having 30 some years to age between the homes, everything was planned for easier maintenance for my aging self. insulate the ceiling for sound, simplify simplify....oh and plumbing: have outdoor spigots before the filters... saves a lot..

[cinnaminnacat]

We are all thinking along the same lines.

This will be my second custom house. I have lived in the first one for 32 years but the process of getting it built was insane! not letting that happen again!

/--/
this 2/2 retirement house:

It has to be efficiently sized, straightforward to build, reasonable to maintain, reasonably durable, comfortable for Puna living, and have just a bit of that quirky "puna style"..

/--/

Yes, there are kit houses, but if you are going to tweak one beyond recognition what advantage do you get?

/--/

I am hoping to make this one easier by getting as much input as possible from this forum.

Thank You All for your input. Maybe something good can come from this deep think.

[cinnaminnacat]

Iquaade:

what roof slope, shape/style and overhang width did you use?

if we go 2 story we would like to have an electric "lift" of some sort to avoid using the stairs so much. Any thoughts?

what dimensions are your new stairs?

[cinnaminnacat]

rob tucker:

yep, wood is a problem in Puna.

What about Ohia poles as porch supports? That seems to be a common Puna style, but I dont know how long they actually hold up.

Any thoughts on use of Ohia poles as lanai supports?

[lquade]

did 4/12 with 3 foot overhang. but spent about a year studying weather patterns at my site. one end of lanai is closed so made sure the orientation of the home was such that rain stayed off the lanai. front of home faces south/west.. as for stairs my first home had 8 feet underneath which was great for storage, not great for gutter cleaning/painting any maintenance. and the stairs must be completely under cover unless you want to replace them every five years or so. new house is 3 foot off ground. enough for limited storage and getting underneath to resolve any issues. i would never do a slab home in hawaii with bugs/rodents/earthquakes... just my opinion..