Lessons you have learned building on the island

[aprild]

There have been some good posts about sites for kit homes posted on konaweb.com. Have any of you experience with any of these? bambooliving.com haikuhouses.com polehouses.com etc.?

I really like the polehouses, but they seem sorta expensive. Have building materials gone up so much that the prices they are charging would be competitive? Here's the quote I received:

Thank you for the inquiry.
We have a client with a Loggerhead under construction on the Big Island currently.
Here's the pricing, and basic info, for our standard pole house kits as seen on our website:


The Turtle Shell kit price is a total of $81,514 USD, including the loft.
The Honu and Leatherback kit prices are a total of $138,550 USD each, including the loft.
The Loggerhead kit price is a total of $144,400 USD, including the loft.
The Hawksbill kit price is a total of $170,950 USD, including the loft


Our kit pricing is based on manufacturing in Portland Oregon USA.


All of our fabulous pole houses can be considered 2 story, in that the loft space is usually utilized as living areas, with additional bedrooms and a bath. The Honu, Leatherback, Loggerhead and E'a can all be configured with 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, or even up to 5 bedrooms/3 bathrooms, by utilizing the loft space (with optional windows or skylights). They may all be raised up to 10 feet to have a second floor or a carport/garage/workshop underneath. All of our pole houses can be winterized for extreme climates. They are ideal for building on sloped lots too.


If any of these kit designs do not suit you exactly, we can easily customize them to your requirements (smaller or larger). All platforms and floor plans can be altered to suit individual tastes and budgetary constraints.


All of our Pole House kits are now available for immediately ordering. Lead time for fabrication and delivery to your site would be approximately 10 to 12 weeks. Shipping/trucking is FOB Portland Oregon, on 1 each 40' flat rack and 1 each 24' container.


Assembly time for the shell has been as quick as 2 weeks, and as long as 6 weeks. The assembly time will depend on the kit size, the owner's involvement and the contractors abilities and crew availabilities.


All of our kits are designed to meet the new International Building Codes (IBC). The kits will provide everything you, or your contractor, will need to construct a completely finished exterior house. All kits include all of the following:


1. Completely Engineered and Prefabricated Structural Framework (pre-cut, detailed, drilled, countersunk, notched), select for appearance, #1 or btr, resawn faced, consisting of:


Lath turned Douglas fir poles, 12" minimum tip size (individually wrapped for shipping protection)
6" x 14" Girder Beams
4" x 10" Main Floor Joists and Loft Floor Joists
4" x 10" Rim Beams & Collar Beams
4" x 10" Rafters (commons and jacks)
4" x 12" Hip Rafters
4" x 12" Stair Stringers
3" x 12" Stair Treads

2. The following materials are included with the kit, palletized and wrapped (but are not pre-cut to size):


2" x 8" Combed Hemlock T&G Roof Decking & Loft Floor Decking (select structural)
1-1/8" thick 2-4-1 T&G Plywood sub-flooring (main floor)
2" x 6" Cedar Decks (D/Btr, Clear, KD, S4S)
Cedar Deck Railings (D/Btr, Clear, Green S1S2E)
Cedar Plywood Siding (12" RB&B, Clear, no plugs)
Exterior Wall Framing (studs, plates, headers, sills, blocking)
Interior Wall Framing (studs, plates, headers, sills, blocking)
Exterior Doors and Windows (double insulated glass included)
Finish Roofing material (choice of cedar shingles, cedar shakes, or galv. metal)
Steel Brackets / Hardware (galv. and powder coated)
X-Bracing, as may be needed underneath the home
All necessary bolts, nuts, washers, screws, nails, construction adhesive, hangers, clips, etc. (to erect a complete exterior finished home)


For termite protection, we have a 22 ga. copper isolation barrier beneath the poles which prevents all subterranean termites from getting to the wood. Our poles are mounted atop a spread concrete footing foundation system, and are not sunk in the ground. We use a "HiBor" borate pressure treatment for all of the structural wood components.


Also included with the kits is a qualified Project Manager, from Polehouses.com, who will be continuously onsite for the first week of the erection of the Structural Framework. Yes, we will visit your site to assist you for a week (at our expense). S/He will be available to facilitate your contractor (or you as an Owner-Builder) in the efficiencies of the assembly process, thereby mitigating any lost time and material due to unfamiliarity with Pole House construction methodology.


NOT included with the Pole House kits are the following:
Shipping to the destination site (all materials are FOB from Portland, Oregon USA)
Material Handling at the destination site
Labor to Erect the Structural Framework
Concrete and Rebar for the Foundation and Footings
Plumbing and Electrical (rough or finish materials)
Cabinetry, countertops, appliances
Interior Doors and Finish Hardware
Interior Trim, Baseboards
Interior walls (drywall, sheetrock, wood paneling, tile)
Paint, Stains or Oil Finishes


I hope this information will assist you in your decision to purchase and erect a new Pole House on your property.


Sincerely,
Tim


Tim Cornell
Managing Director
Polehouses.com LLC
P.O. Box 10823
Honolulu, Hawaii USA, 96816
Hawaii Ph: 1-808-478-6329


april

[emorata]

Hi April,

I did look at pole houses, the prices are pretty high and you still have to pay for shipping, they do use really good materials on their homes though and the wood decks are cedar. not sure about the other kit homes, im sure because of the uniqueness factor and customized features they would be more expensive and cost to ship would be added costs....alot of the main issues i would think on these would be quality control, what if some of the materials arrive damaged or poor quality, it would be difficult to replace or costly in the building process if you have to wait for additional materials.

i think the suppliers would have to somehow insure the product quality before shipping or incur cost to replace and shipping

[mella l]

Aloha April and Punacrew,

I too like the idea of the pole houses. The loggerhead is the one that caught my eye although larger than I'd want. I especially liked the level walk in shower connecting the two bedrooms. Thinking about the price, what puts me off is the multitude of things not included. Like plumbing and electrical, interior finishing and shipping from Oregon to Hilo and then of course the delivery to the site. It would be interesting to visit the one being built on the BI.

The Bamboo site is equally interesting to me. The look is tropical and using the pods for future expansion is fun to think about also. I like the idea that it is made of renewable resources, it's airy and open. This is another spot I will be checking out when we venture over again. It might work out to build a small/guest cottage Thai Pod Hale to live in while the main house is built.

Don't think I would build a pole house. For the money involved I would probably just do a multi facetted home instead simply because there is a knowledgeable work force familiar with this unique building in place. Less variables=less frustration and building a home can be frustrating in the best of locals.

Here is a site I’ve been looking at for plans which have accessible building ideas for mobility challenged people. Hey we might be there one day ourselves so perhaps planning ahead is a good idea. www.homeplanfinder.com. I really enjoy looking at house plans and when we have decided on one we plan on taking it to a local drafter to draw it to our specifications, and local requirements.

One other site I recently found that interested me as far as landscape ideas is http://www.pacificgunite.com/index.html, on the right hand side check out Man-Made lava some really cool pavers that might work out. Also a link shows lani built over ferroscement tank, with a connection for fire department to use in an emergency.

Oh well ideas. Ideas what fun.

Best of luck in your hunt. It’s great to hear about what everyone is thinking about and mulling over, the reasons why and wherefore.

By the way we will be building on post and pier. Although it doesn’t freeze I for one do not want water pipes going thru my ceiling, I would like my water as cool as it can be.



mella l

Edited by - Mella L on 07/13/2005 09:03:23

[Lee G]

We are in the middle of building a conventional wood frame house in Ainaloa. The price was $40,000 for 1900 sq ft under roof (1300 sq ft living space) this price is for exterior shell only and does not include plumbing/elect, drywall, cabinets, flooring and paint. I like the look of the polehouse but they are way over priced in my opinion. The next home I build I will fly to Oregon and buy my lumber and ship it over in a container. Just my 2 cents worth.
Lee

[aprild]

Hi, Pam, Noel, Lee and all.
I agree that these kits just seemed way too expensive. Thanks for your input, Lee--that puts things in perspective.
I sure do like the look of those polehouses, though. They look like Hawaiian kine houses and that's what I want to build--something with some style, heart and soul that references a Hawaii of days past/present rather than a structure that could be found anywhere. I, too, like the loggerhead best, Mella.

Lee, How much do you expect to save by shipping from Oregon?

What about just purchasing the plans from polehouses.com?

april

april

[mella l]

Lee is it just price you would save purchasing in Oregon and shipping over, or does it have anything to do with the quality of the materials?

mella l

[loffelkopffl]

i just priced out building materials for ten homes for a client of mine (shipped from the nw) and the savings was only 15% of what he is currently paying from island distributors(not really woth it with all the extra handling and storage). the only way it would be worth it for an individual if you bought everything over there and got good deals and shipped it over with your personal stuff. otherwise, good luck.

[loffelkopffl]

i recommend building on a slab and going up two stories, even if you don't finish the downstairs there is lots of dry room to use, especially in upper puna where it can rain for months. also when you're two stories up there is less moisture/mold i've found because of the better air circulation, and of course better views.

[loffelkopffl]

mella the wood we use here comes from there anyway, so it's not a quality issue. happy riding!

[mella l]

Thanks Louie for the info! I've watched men at Homedepot sort and resort in the lumber bins so thought it might be a warp issue. Hope I do not annoy you riding through the ROC on my Harley! Since we may be on the mainland when we build, we will be purchasing our light fixtures for entire home, bath fixtures and overhead fans, here and crating them over to our contractor. Not so much a dollar saving issue, as personal choice issue. Most of these items I would like to keep simple, do not fancy the geegaw stuff if that makes sense.

mella l