Where to build - again!

[scottydog]

Aloha Puna people. After much advice and perusing old posts I again seek your sage input to tell me what I've missed. My mantra is now this - go small, go cheap, go now! And so I'm reducing my floor plan to 5-800 sq ft to reduce construction costs. And in keeping with my original criteria for those who read my earlier post, I seek an affordable lot with county/ private water and electricity in at least lava zone 2. And so this criteria suggests either a lot in HPP along the highway or down Paradise Dr. to the firehall, or the HSRE/ BEACHES/ SHORES. All things considered the best option seems to be BEACHES/SHORES as unlike HSRE, I can build under 1000 sq ft without running afoul of CCR's (County sq. ft. distinctions between dwelling space and efficiency dwelling units remain unclear to me?). In any case the current plan is to build a small cabin with a plunge pool and surrounding ohanas with a common ohana bathroom plumbed in at the side of the main house into a common septic field. Okay, now I need a mai tai. Mahalo

[Carey]

I would suggest to anyone that the size is not as critical as the finish of the structure.... a 700 sq ft structure that has many interior walls & doors, top of the line finishes will could easily run many times the final cost of a 1400 sq ft studio with the minimum required finishes required for permitting...

It is all about how you go into the permitting & how prepared you are (as anyone will attest, any change order AFTER the permit is applied for will start to ruin any construction budgeting...)

If you (your loan co. - if used & who ever else will share your home) are OK with barer bones finish, or may want to change minimum trim later with your own personal touch, this is the way to really save $$$$ or add sq ft.

Of course, if you are borrowing, any addition put in later would be added to the lien holders till if there is a foreclosure....

[ericlp]

hey, talk to me. It's what I did, but you can learn from my mistakes! Got a lot of info on what to do. Shoot me an email...

[scottydog]

Thanks for the replies. Carey I had similar thoughts respecting the interior finishing and going bare bones with minimal trim. Maybe go for larger but fewer rooms. Also post and pier, single wall construction and utilizing standard pressure treated construction length materials (4'x8' sheets etc.) to avoid waste seems to be the way to go. I just framed up a wall and covered the sheeting with hardie board and it went fast and so I'm thinking of pressure treated lumber and hardie board in Puna for termite resistance. I've looked at some of the kit homes out of Hilo and the prefab bamboo ones on the Bamboo Living website but they seem kind of expensive just to get a shell up fast and then to have to finish it. I also need to get up to speed on the code and hurricane requirements. Ericlp I am always up for learning from the mistakes of others and so I will shoot you an email once I figure out how to do it on the site. Mahalo

[Carey]

Our interior walls are hardie panel (we went with smooth panel, if I had it to do-other, would use the cedarmill finish with battens on the joints...much quicker!

ADD:One note on pressure treated... here it is water based borate that can leach out if left out (as most lumber is, not only at the jobsite, but sometimes at the lumber yards). Along with the mfg. required treating of all wood cute (the core of a cut piece is not treated, as the pressure treating does not usually penetrate to the core of the wood) all wood that we have used we also totally top treat, let dry then treat with a penetrating sealer... Although our house is framed in structural aluminum, there are wood components for framing windows & such.

One of our fellow Punawebbers built with a plan to maximize full use of 4x8 sheet stock (and full sheets of roofing with minimal trimming) of all materials. This eliminates paying for cutoff material that becomes waste, but does mean you must plan evwerything carefully...

[fishenjim]

Carey, I have put an earthen plaster finnish on hardie panel its pretty cool stuff and can be colored before mixing. Other plaster will work as well. Diamond coat plaster is not expensive. From what I've seen on your other posts you could handle it yourself. No need for battens just mesh tape and some thin set on the joints

[Carey]

We did smooth finish... mesh tape, thin set, feathered layers of joint compound (the build up on the joints was more than with wallboard, as wallboard has the tape depression...so more feathering & smoothing....

Also, Hardie panels are not as friendly to do outlet box cuts & such...so more work and a ton of bits later..

We are finishing up the last room of feathering (and the remodel)...so ... our hope is that this work will hold up & last a heck of a lot longer than drywall...

[fishenjim]

Carey, should have known you would do the finishig right, the joint compound is cheaper and easier than the plaster. The plaster is far more durable and less likely to crack at the seems. That said if your not bangimg on the walls the dry wall mud should hold up fine. Yes it is hard to float those joints on the hadie board, using as little thin set as you can helps. I bet you already know that though. Sounds like you are using a zip saw to cut those holes I found I'm neater with a fine tooth dry wall saw though it takes some time and elbow grease. I still use The zipper to start the hole and clean the edges if need be. Maybe its me but that zipper seems like it's always trying to get away from me. No matter what I cut whith it.

[Carey]

We have used both plaster & joint compound.... the walls are fairly rigid (extruded aluminum framing) so not a lot of wiggle except for heat expansion in the rafters,,,

we use zip tool with carbide, jig saw with carbide, carbide utility knife (really trims down raggedy edges) and carbide hand saw...nothing near as easy as the drywall score the box shape then score an 'X' then punch it out.... but that same ease is also what makes drywall less sturdy in the long run... esp. if it gets overly humid, or worse still...wet!
ADD: Room with smooth Hardie Panel walls & turtle tile floor:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimncarey/8727629254/

Same room with the bed we designed made from scrap square tube stock:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimncarey/8727629210/

[fishenjim]

I'll bet you do really good work Carey, sounds like you have your tools under control as well you could work on my house any time.