new puna house design

[Rob Tucker]

quote:Originally posted by cinnaminnacat


"Any thoughts on use of Ohia poles as lanai supports?"



Ohia is a hardwood and lanai posts are, at least, in a position where you can keep and eye on them for problems. As lanai posts they are relatively easy to replace They make nice lanai posts but will still require maintenance.

I managed to keep wood out of my house structure completely. So now I only have to deal with termites in my furniture and cabinetry. Bummer.
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[cinnaminnacat]

as far as storage, I have seriously been thinking about using the heavy duty, ready made plastic (or whatever it is) drawer, closet systems. (no, not the laminate/particle board stuff). This would be utilitarian looking but maybe you put the storage systems in a closet or behind a partition. Maybe you could attach a decorative face to the doors of the plastic drawers/doors. Maybe shelves could be cement board, not wood.

If you use ready made storage systems, you would need to be careful to size the interior spaces carefully to accomodate what is available now and in the future. I notice metric measures on mfg. stuff. but still english measures on framing.

[Rob Tucker]

Ikea has some very functional fabric hanging shelves for clothes. I gave up on dressers. The clothes just get funky and the furniture gets bugs.

Look here: SVIRA http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90300297/

I have them in different sizes. They work wonderfully in an airy, walk in closet.

[lquade]

i use the space bags a lot. if you make sure things are very dry before you put them in. they work quite well for sheets/blankets, winter clothes etc. it only takes a moment to suck the air out with your vacuum. and for small things you don't use often i use my food saver for a lot of things. funny what you learn to do in the rain forest!

[cinnaminnacat]

ahhh, yes, that strange smell, so true. so dont even have any built in drawers for cloth stuff--force storing it the right way.

good ideas!

[cinnaminnacat]

design challenge #1:
WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

(excluding human wastewater)

we need an efficient, durable, unoffensive, unobtrusive system to handle household and garden refuse. this is to include whatever structures, utilities and equipment needed to do the required job.

we want to grow vegetables and flowers, and thus will want to generate clean garden compost. probably will need a power shredder. then theres the household garbage compostable and non. then theres the plastic junk, cardboard, etc. that gets packed down for the transfer station, ...et. al.

i want a proper waste management structure/system for this refuse that keeps it under control and out of sight/smell.

(this system specifically excludes household waste water which will go into the septic system/cesspool into the standard way.)

ideas?

[cinnaminnacat]

WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM moved:

i want to move this particular design challenge/topic to farming and gardening. its more about biological processes than structure.

thanks.

[john the architect]

Dear c-cat,

You should do a prefit metal home (done in Keaau and Kona exclusively). Better still, do one that is halfway through the permit process (still customizable ) for faster completion. I have studied the situation, the sustainable way to build tropical modern architecture, for 15 years locally and teach it in classes on the mainland. I do not post my work for free on social network websites, but my hourly rate is reasonable.


Aloha,

John

John Maloney
310.562.0362
johnmaloney3@me.com
Hawaii Architect AR8082

[cinnaminnacat]

"c-cat"!! thanks for the nickname. i like it.

i dont understand what you are referring to by "prefit metal". please explain or post a web link to the idea.

thanks for the input, please keep sending your thoughts.

[cinnaminnacat]

on concrete and masonry, which you gotta have some of:

question: what are the generally available cement type materials in lower puna? what is their quality? are the local tradesmen skilled in using non-standard cementitious materials and techniques?

this is a serious question since my first very premium custom house in central california has suffered from high free alkalai cement. the only bulk source for cement (rumored source was japan) to the area at the time was already suspect but there was no viable alternative due to the large volume needed. we paid for a premium mix with numerous additives, but still trouble.

has anyone ever gotten pozzolan cement (volcanic or fly ash) working on the big island?

what about aggregates for concrete mixes? whats available locally? is it good quality?