Moving to Orchid land

[Cmb]

We have purchased land around 40th and Melekule , and are wanting to know all the ins and outs of building. We have been looking at all the posts and have acquired a lot of info but still have some questions.
How hard is it to get insurance and what will we need ? We are in Lava zone 3.Who is a good agent with a good company. We have been with State Farm for 30 years.
Should we be concerned about the current lava flow and look at other areas?Are people really moving away in droves or is that nonsense ? We really like this area .How often will we on avg need to get water delivered due to low rain fall in our catchment ? Is flooding in this area a problem when it rains ? How does leather furniture work there ? We have some we don't want to part with.
Many thanks to all.

[redefinehappy]

I am not sure about the weather conditions in Orchid Land specifically as we live in Nanawale (which is pretty rainy, but we have a leather loveseat and as long as you keep dry air circulating in your home, the leather doesn't appear to mold. A side note, we use only ceiling, window and stand alone fans, not AC or a dehumidifier.

We use Dan Soto for insurance (our house is also Zone 3):
Dan De Soto
Mutual Underwriters
Agent
Tel: 808-961-3207
Fax: 808-969-1120
275 Ponahawai St., Ste#105
Hilo, HI 96720

We received a quote from our regular insurance (Allstate) but it was over 2x as much as what Dan was able to get for us, with the same coverage. Very reasonable pricing. So far we have had excellent service. He was recommended to us by a couple of other people, which is why we turned to him. I don't think we needed much to get the initial policy set up except for general information. A few weeks in they send someone out to inspect the property to confirm their coverage is appropriate and they will most likely want a copy of any mortgage agreement you might have, so they have it on record and can inform the mortgagee if the policy isn't kept paid up.

Other people who have lived here longer can mostly likely speak to the lava flow issue more accurately than I, but from what I have read/heard/researched, the lava moves slowly and no one is seriously worried about it at this time. With Pele, you never know, but for now we seem to be in her good graces.

Best of luck with your project!
Allison



I do not fear computers, I fear the lack of them.
- Isaac Asimov

[Cmb]

Thanks Allison

[allensylves]

We had State Farm and when we moved here Anela from Robert Shimabuku's agency (982-4530) contacted us and made an easy transfer. We are very satisfied with them and their location in Keaau (before you get to McD's) is easy from HPP.

Allen
Finally in HPP

[VancouverIslander]

Welcome to the forum! We've just recently gone through the building process and there are a lot of things to prepare yourself for if our experience is anything to go by. First of all, everything takes an insane amount of time. Submit your permits. Wait....... a long long time. Some sub trades are fast, some not so much. I'll try to focus on the positives:

We used Tracy Kim for insurance (previously from Pyramid, now at American Mutual Group. She's very professional and helpful.

Dave Holbrook is a really nice guy and a very good draftsman. His experience as a carpenter certainly is handy to his drafting trade and he has an architect to go to for a stamp that seems good. He's also on top of who is worth contacting for sub trades.

I'm not sure if he works Orchidland, but Nick Moore of Moore's Excavating out of Volcano was one of the best experiences we had. He did top notch work for an excellent price. Earth Karvers Hawaii also did some work (they'd been hired by the electricians) and were very nice people who did good work. Our electricians did good work, but scheduling them was a nightmare - I got the feeling we were just a side job they only did when there was no commercial work to do.

Drainpipe Plumbing was superb. Love those guys.

Other considerations: HELCO and SSPP's. Contact them about how much it would cost for electrical hookup. For us it cost $8000 for our share of the SSPP and then added on to that was the cost of hooking up from the road. These guys are robber barons. Sadly, the only other option is Solar, which has a high initial investment and then there's the issue of security so your valuable panels etc. don't walk. Hopefully you've taken the time to really experience the neighborhood - rented a house nearby for a few months to see what it's like, etc., gotten to know some of the neighbors.

There are a lot of very knowledgeable forum members here, many of whom are in the building trades. Kapohocat does project management and knows an incredible amount about the people and procedures involved. Rob Tucker, the owner of Punaweb, builds termite proof buildings. Many other really interesting and knowledgeable people.

[Cmb]

Thanks Allen....

Vancouver island, no we haven't actually lived there but have visited many times . Thanks for the info ...

We have met one of our neighbors , who seems friendly .One side and across there are no neighbors as the lots are open and uncleared . Are there potential issues with this that we should plan for ? How effective are security systems there ? Is the response time good ? How far is the closest police station ? I saw the fire station but not police .

[KeaauRich]

The nearest police station is in Pahoa next to the fire station (there's a substation in Kea'au, but it's not always staffed). We've lived in Orchidland for almost five years and have never had to have water trucked in - in fact, our catchment tank overflows on a regular basis. Flooding can be an issue up near 40th in some areas - best to ask your neighbors if you're in the flooding area. Should you be worried about the lava flow? The current projection/guess (with emphasis on the word "guess")for the new flow shows it passing about 2-3 miles from your property; we live closer to the projected/potential/"could be possible maybe" flow than that, and we're not too worried. As for the undeveloped properties around you, they're a double edged sword. It's nice to have the sense of rural isolation and privacy that they offer you now, but its entirely possible that someone might buy the properties, clear cut them and then start a rooster farm next door to you tomorrow. It's like lots of things in life: you pay your money and you take your chance

I guess it all boils down to the fact that nothing in life is guaranteed, and if you want all the amenities and security offered in more developed areas, you might be happy living in more developed areas. We love Orchidland with all of its quirks, but we're "live for the moment" kinda folks.

Since you've already purchased, you've kinda committed yourselves, but you still might consider renting a home here for a year before you build, just in case you find it isn't your cup of tea after all.

[dayna]

Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm up on 40th too, near the Aulii side.

Plenty of rain, usually. We just got over a dry spell. My catchment tank wasn't even 1/4 empty though.

We are an AG neighborhood. So you could have a quiet older couple move in next door or across the street or a rooster or pig farm. We live a couple lots away from a rooster farm and the noise doesn't bother us.

I love orchidland, I wouldn't live anywhere else on the island. Well unless the lava comes. Then I'm moving to another part. lol

Dayna

http://www.FarmingAloha.com
www.E-Z-Caps.com

[EightFingers]

I asked about L3 insurance a while back:

http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?T...lava+zone+

[kalakoa]

quote:

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$8000 for our share of the SSPP

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When the grid hookup is pushing $10K, solar is often a better option -- remember, you're buying in to the privilege of paying for very expensive power, forever. (That said, grid power makes for a better "investment" if you don't plan to keep the house.)

Note: if you possibly can, always pay the entire SSPP up front -- HELCO will gladly finance your SSPP, but they tend to "recalculate" the due later, so the payment effectively never goes away.

quote:

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One side and across there are no neighbors as the lots are open and uncleared . Are there potential issues with this that we should plan for ?

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Whenever possible, buy the adjacent lots; this is especially important in "spaghetti subdivisions", the extra buffer keeps a neighbor from suddenly building a huge house that looks down into your yard. (If you're lucky, it's just a house -- never forget that "fancy game roosters" are a "permitted agricultural use".)

Note that subdivisions with "mandatory fees" often include language that relates those fees to the original lot size; if you consolidate three lots into a single TMK, your association will still asses you for three lots worth of fees.