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I recall seeing an interesting structure in Kalapana a few years ago that, it think, got moved away.
Two modular looking buildings about the size of a mobile home placed in parallel which left the center open for outdoor living space.
The shed roofs came together near the center and it looked like they could be capped to form sort of a gable roof together providing a good dried in area in-between . The inner walls were mostly glass and you could see from one unit into the other. The whole thing was very tastefully done with nice landscaping in the center.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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quote:
Originally posted by kimo wires
I recall seeing an interesting structure in Kalapana a few years ago that, it think, got moved away.
Two modular looking buildings about the size of a mobile home placed in parallel which left the center open for outdoor living space.
The shed roofs came together near the center and it looked like they could be capped to form sort of a gable roof together providing a good dried in area in-between . The inner walls were mostly glass and you could see from one unit into the other. The whole thing was very tastefully done with nice landscaping in the center.
This house was destroyed by lava in late 2010. It was next to Hwy 130. The owner had gotten insurance.
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The biggest snags come from the "Gummit" and how it is recognized by them. If it has wheels, or is site delivered on wheels, they see it as a motor coach. If you were to custom build a stationary tiny house, they follow the sections in the code for what they call an " efficiciency unit" in what is allowed, and not. You still would have to follow the rules for insulation, seismic/hurricane, etc. as well.
With this in mind, I would tend to lean more towards the simple plantation house with the ridgid foam wall insulated exterior walls on a girder/joist set up for quick wheel dolly attachment and separation lines to split the house. Interior walls would be the traditional single wall for cost/weight savings.
Community begins with Aloha
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Huh..Wonder why they didn't move it? I Mean it looked as if it was built to be quickly moved anyway.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
You really can build a (very) modest but solid 1 Br/1 ba home on-site from scratch using quality, locally acquired materials for less than the cost of a new trailer. It is not rocket science, and I am not talking a 'kit home' or 'shack'. But the relentless tightening and proliferation of detailed procedures, plan requirements and building codes is killing affordable housing. The majority of housing stock in Puna, much of it decades old, is not up to current building codes. How is this progress? Everyone does not want to live on a slab in a kit home designed for the mainland. Everyone cannot afford an 'engineer' to draw up plans for their cesspool, or compute the structural load of a couple of solar panels. They have even outlawed 'single wall' construction which is optimal for the climate, 'critter' and economic situation here. It has become irrelevant whether a structure is durable, weathertight to tropical standards, structurally safe to earthquakes and storms and sanitary to inhabit. What matters is if every procedural application process has been followed to the letter, and every minute construction detail, many relevant only on the mainland, has been adhered to the letter. If not, you are looking at a tear-out and rebuild or bankruptcy and abandonment on the whim of an inspecting official. And if you change anything at all during construction, it is back to the architect to change the plans and square one in the permitting process. Some people cannot afford this. They really can't, but that is not going to stop them from building a place to live on their land. Call them criminals if you like, but it is no mystery why there are so many unpermitted structures in a low income lava hazard like Puna. Permitted homes have many legal advantages and are great for those who can afford them, but everyone can't and they are not going to live under tarps, in their truck or beholding to a rent-raising landlord. Freedom ruffles feathers I know. That is just my opinion and not worth much.
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You can't fix Samsara.
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The majority of housing stock in Puna, much of it decades old, is not up to current building codes.
Almost everything is either "grandfathered" or "nobody complaining".
Bigger problem with "enforcement posture" is the economy: County currently collects some percentage of peoples' income, if those people are priced (or harassed) back to the mainland, County will have 100% of nothing.
There really needs to be a middle ground between "license-permit-fee-inspection" and "unpermitted-waiting-for-red-tag", but the contractors who drive County policy won't risk the loss of income...
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Could take the stand of non permitted structures being classified as "pre existing non conforming" construction according to Code with a low cost amnesty program that just inspects basic safety concerns as emergency egress from bedrooms, safe electrical and sanitation, no matter who did the work. They get some dollars, you get a permitted dwelling, everybody happy.
Community begins with Aloha
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I believe a "legal nonconforming" requires UBC compliance.
Further assumption: County would rather have people permitted -- when it's really more expensive than it's worth, because those people would then feel "entitled" to the infrastructure that they're "paying for" with the increase in "assessed value" (read: higher taxes).
The problems are at least 50 years old...
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Our "previously existing unpermitted" cottage took $70k to make the county happy. That said, a total cost of $100k and it's a very nice cottage in a quiet part of Eden Roc and quite worth while.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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Saw this on Craigslist today. Lava runner homes. Easy to put up and take down (relatively easy compared to other construction):
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/reo/4801630250.html
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
