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Building Costs
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07-15-2013, 07:13 AM
quote: Yes, but I have to charge you for such information. Simple questions are $25, little complicated $50, difficult to answer require calculator $100 We don't like ordinary, one of a kind much better. 
07-15-2013, 07:38 AM
quote: Construction is easy, but your permitted building still requires an architect and/or civil engineer to vouch for its structural integrity, as well as compliance with the myriad of code "requirements" (square footage, windows, doors, plumbing, electrical, etc). It's generally assumed that you're not "smart enough" to both understand all of these issues and implement accordingly.
07-15-2013, 04:47 PM
I have built 3 houses owner-builder in HPP in 10 years and have it down pat. Shouldn't cost you more than 70-80 per sq. ft.
I used the same builder to frame all 3. He charged $12/sq ft and in all houses (after permits were ready) I went from a blank housepad to full structure (ready for plumbing and electric rough in) in 10 days. Doors, windows, roof...ready for paint. The rest, depending on the size, count on 5,000 for everything. This is how I did it on all three (in order). 5 to clear, 4 to fence, 3-5 for cesspool or septic (septic 5), 2 for plans (more on this later), 3 for catchment. Waiting for permits, ready to build..... 1,100 sq feet. 18,000 for lumber and tin 11,000 for labor 4 for plumbing 6 for electric ( I paid 8 because I trenched my power line) 3 for drywall (actually less cause I did all the labor) The rest is up to you, fixtures, tile, paint. Although "the rest" can go up to 20,000. the hardest part is at the end when you have to pay the remainder of the plumbing and electrical contractors so you get hit with heavy expenses toward the end. Regarding the whole "kit" thing. It's the dumbest thing. You can hire a drafter to design the house adn it will cost 1,500-2,000. You can buy the "kit" and you write a check for 2,000 for plans. You change one window placement (and you will) and it skyrockets. Why not get what you want to begin with? Get a draftsman. This was all post an pier, use concrete and the numbers go up dramatically. Add $8/sq ft just for the pour. Anyway, I did all 3 for 70-80/sq ft and did well with inspections and nonsense. PAY NOBODY IN ADVANCE EXCEPT PLUMBERS AND ELECTRICIANS, who require it. Builders, drywallers, etc. will ask for money upfront then never answer the phone. Trust me. Good luck.
07-15-2013, 05:17 PM
By the way, Kits are not Kits. They are Kits in the sense that they have a drawer full of ready to file plans. That's the kit. They don't send you pre-framed walls and such. You still get a truckload of 2x4s and you have to build. They call them kits cause they know the exact lumber needs for that plan and can just send "load 1" then "load 2" when you're ready.
Best advice I got was build in 8's and 4's. Everything divisible by 8 and 4 will allow for minimal scrap. "Don't build a spaceship" is what was said to me. Start adding angles and roof hips and you're gonna have issues. Another thing, when dealing with a draftsman know as much about the code as you can. You will save a lot. They tend to over-design. By that I mean, they will have you pour (rather than drop ins) half your posts for the post/pier when you really only need the corners, center and maybe 1 or 2 more poured. They will design it with about 12 pours. More expensive and not needed (even by the code). Knowing the load bearing codes helps too. I talked them out of using many 4x12s when I could use 4x8s or 10s. Stuff like that.
08-11-2013, 07:02 PM
I'm going Yurt on a few acres in Puna !
Here is the outline of the project. Looking for some local wisdom, some advise, opinions, EXPERIENCE. thanks. 1. going off-grid with water / solar 2. raised platform 3. compost toilet 4. pyramid roof ABOVE & extending over the yurt and lanai. 5. no cesspool, just grey water, and composting in 'Nature's Head' toilet. What would the permitting process be like ? How high should I go with the platform ? I'd like to go 5 or 6 feet. What are the pros and cons? Where should I put the solar panels ? (roof or somewhere else ?) Any idea how much it would cost to do a raised platform ? per square foot, 5' , or 6 ' high ? Also want to put a pyramid roof on top. it'll be about 1000 sq ft. Thanks, Jyoti
08-12-2013, 05:02 AM
Good to hear! It's wise not to contribute to the monopoly that is helco. julie, who has a topic on yurts in this very forum, had a good idea to make the base out of cement. I'd recommend the DIY version over the commercial / 'legal via county' options, unless of course, being 100% legal by the county is important to you. Also I'd recommend the Humanure Handbook, it's a great starting point for composting your waste. i'm still scratching my head on this one too Rob... I'd say forget the pyramid roof it'll cost you way too much if your thinking what I have in mind..pretty sure yurts come with dome roofs already which is pretty aesthetically pleasing. I'm guessing since you're planning offgrid / yurt money is short, but if thats not the case then by all means, hire a contractor to build your pyramid roof, i'm sure it will look awesome and we will all want you to post pictures for us = ) Hmm. no Judging from me, but I'll issue some advice, you probably want to keep your waste issues all to yourself. with the above read i'll assume from this point forward that you are probably not to keen in following the counties rules 100%, again no judging here. The county would not provide permits for some of the things that you want, like having 'no cesspool' or having a compost toilet (disclaimer: unless it's one of the several thousand dollar commercial models). Also I doubt you could get any of your other permits finaled missing a cesspool etc. My house, while not a yurt, is ~ 4 ft off the ground. I think my neighbor has a varying height of between 10-20 ft because of the slope/elevation they built on. Pros: the higher you go the more windflow you'll have access to and in my opinion there seems to be less bugs/critters in houses built raised off the ground. Cons: Higher buildings are innately less stable (they sway with the wind/earthquakes, both of which are frequent in puna), also they will cost significantly more as you are using more materials. I personally wouldn't try to mount solar panels on a roof of a yurt, nor have I ever seen that done. I'm guessing you'd want to build a single pitch carport or storage shed or combo to mount the panels on, having that additional area to catch water on would be nice as well. I don't have an exact number for you, I'd suggest contacting melissa fletcher at yurtsofhawaii.com 808-895-8640... Anyways hope you do your research before buying try the 'search' feature in the top right hand corner to unlock a wealth of stored information on building in puna, and perhaps answer some of the questions you have. Aloha!
08-12-2013, 07:24 AM
[
 ]Thanks Rainyjim. I do want to keep the costs down, yes. One clarification on the 'pyramid roof' I'd like to make; let's forget the word pyramid for now and just say 'roof'. The purpose of the roof would be to protect the lanai from weather, which will extend around the perimeter of the yurt, especially the front door. Now, 2 options come to mind: 1. a separate structure which would just be over the lanai. 2. a whole structure which would extend over the yurt roof and lanai, thus providing the yurt with extra protection, & keeping it cooler. If you can visualise this. in option 1 there would be a roof extending over everything as a single piece, and option 2 would be a kind of 'O' which would only cover the lanai BUT not the yurt. what do you think ? Aloha Aloha
08-12-2013, 07:53 AM
Hi again.
Others have considered this same issue, including myself (i considered purchasing a yurt at one point) and I would suggest a slight overhang from the lanai roof but only enough to cover the doorway/entrance to your yurt sufficiently. I think that while your ideas all have merit you are going to be unhappy with how much additinal expense these 'improvements' will make. I dont want you to abandon your 'dream', but when I think of a yurt two words come to mind: A. Temporary & B. Cheap If you end up spending a gazzilion dollars on the improvements to your basic yurt to make it more comfortable/house-like at what point do you spend more than you'd spend on a normal home over a nice but over-glorified tent. Aloha P.S. I'm an amateur and would highly recommend you contact: http://www.yurtsofhawaii.com/ Melissa Fletcher (Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated or representative of that company) She has a lot of experience helping people through this process, purchasing, building, permitting etc. She would definitely be a great start in addition to using the Search feature in the top right hand corner.
08-12-2013, 08:27 AM
You may want to build a glorified carport with bathroom- and this can get permitted- although probably commercial HELCO rates. (Or if you want solar then that's fine too, but resale would be good with HELCO). I wrote about that in another thread. Then you could just "put up anytype/style, yurt, teepee,- whatever", and it doesnt need to be permitted if it's less than 600 sq (if I understand it properly). The compost toilets still require a cesspool to be there and be permitted, as I understand it. You could, however, have a Port-o-potty on site and i think this would avoid any health complaints. NO matter what you do, if you do anything decent, it's going to be more expensive than you think, and also take longer. You'll need about 60k to get a good sized yurt up, permitted and functional. IMO, but call Melissa to verify.
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