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I've certainly seen some "great lots" on the interweb that were completely unbuildable when I visited in person... I'm trying to make good use of the topo maps, flood maps, etc but rest assured I'm not buying without a thorough inspection.
My view on life is that there is being rich, and there is being wealthy. You can be rich, but only a few paychecks away from losing your huge home and expensive car. You can be wealthy living in a shack, if you have built up a safety net, and enjoy the simple things.
I've done my time in the rat race and saved enough to semi-retire. I work in computers and the Internet though, so I can always find work online. I think Hilo/Puna would be a great place to try out new communications technologies, and give everyone in remote areas the option to get connected.
And yes, I guess my "simple living" has to include decent internet connectivity. :-) I think I read somewhere that's a UN protected human right now. :-)
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I guess my "simple living" has to include decent internet connectivity.
Short answer: Telcom isn't deploying any more DSL, Oceanic is great "where you can get them" (generally in higher-density subdivisions with enough neighbors to make it worth their while), Verizon has the best coverage and is the only carrier with 100% "4G/LTE" deployment ... but some "cheap" lots will require a high-gain antenna on a mast.
Telcom is required to install a T1 anywhere in their service area -- if you can afford the bill. All services from Telcom are permit-exempt under NEC 70. Roads with "short poles" (Telcom-only, no grid power) are not uncommon.
Note also that each subdivision is different as far as association, mandatory dues, CC&Rs, and structural road fiction. Hawaiian Acres has the least "overhead", the worst roads, and the widest of the spaghetti lots, but this has been covered many times, search the forums.
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3 acres is a lot of land and a long walk on a spaghetti lot. Think about how much land you actually need. 3 acres for 16k seems cheap compared to 1 acre for 10k, but how much of it will be useful to you compared to how useful the extra 6k is. It would be great to see someone come in with new ideas on communication technologies (if you mean internet).
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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Last time I was in HA I helped a friend trace their property line; by the time I got to the back I was pretty convinced he could leave me for dead and noone would find the body for a good long while! About that time the dog ran off after some wild pigs, and we didn't see him again for an hour...
I'm looking at 3 acre lots mostly for the tree buffer from neighbors, and to have plenty of room to plant fruit trees. The more square the lot the better, probably. I'm also looking at lots with the most/tallest non-albizia trees, assuming they may have deeper soil than the more bare lots. I hear the best soil is in Hamakua, but those huge acreage lots are too expensive...
People online are developing low cost LTE hardware and software. Pretty soon it should be possible for someone to put up a private tower in the middle of Volcano or HA and run an Internet co-op to provide everyone broadband. Just need to back-haul it to a commercial broadband connection, probably over a microwave link. Of course wifi mesh is always an option, as is running buried cable to your neighbors to share whatever connectivity you can get.
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I remember back when a T1 was a serious connection... I think these days you can get them for under $200, if you're in a connected part of town. I wonder how much one would be to 8 Road in HA... Or better yet, an OC3 or ethernet drop, since 1.5Mbps is barely enough for one household's non-video usage these days.
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better yet, an OC3 or ethernet drop
I have yet to find any fiber in Hilo, so I doubt there's any available in Puna. (Workaround: decline local work due to lack of infrastructure.)
put up a private tower in the middle of Volcano or HA and run an Internet co-op
Already possible with existing technology -- and already not happening (terrain, economy, subscriber density, expensive uplink, hardcore luddites).
developing low cost LTE hardware and software
UBNT already makes decent gear for the unlicensed 3.5GHz band...
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randomq, sounds like you're planning to build multiple "homes" on your lot--current zoning allows only 1 kitchen per ag lot (most of Puna, I think). You'd probably get away with it, but maybe not. And unpermitted homes are not counted as worth anything when you go to sell.
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Uh huh. Sounds something like Hedonesia, The Shire, or Cinderland here, not that I really care, They're all on "this" side.
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Interesting point Lee. I think one big shared kitchen (but with multiple prep areas and sinks) might make sense anyway. If the solar and catchement are all taken care of at the communal building then it would be a natural place for the kitchen. Private accommodations could be kept simple: bedroom, bathroom, lanai.
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quote:
Originally posted by randomq
Interesting point Lee. I think one big shared kitchen (but with multiple prep areas and sinks) might make sense anyway. If the solar and catchement are all taken care of at the communal building then it would be a natural place for the kitchen. Private accommodations could be kept simple: bedroom, bathroom, lanai.
There are legal limits on how many "bedrooms" can use one kitchen, also the if each cabin has its own bathroom you will either spend a fortune on underground pipes to the septic, or separate systems for each. There is a place on the street behind us that is running a Puna version of a trailer park with multiple cabins on a lot zoned single family, using the one kitchen loophole. They get turned into the county on a regular basis whenever a new neighbor moves into the area and complains, then temporarily remove the "extra" kitchens until after the inspection, and return to business as normal.
But the owner also brags that he has a friend in the planning department who warns him when there is a complaint and tells him who the "anonymous" complainer is. Unless you have that kind of friend, make sure you are staying inside the rules, or it could be an expensive mistake.
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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