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Personally I think that post and pier has more positive attributes, which might be why it costs more. I have clients who have been very happy with concrete slabs. Some reasons include: age and disability - not wanting step to deal with in old age. Concrete has a wide variety of finishes which are durable and easy to clean.
Luckily there are choices. To each his own.
I wasn't aware that the traditional Hawaiian hale was a post and pier design.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Rob, I don't know your building experience but post and pier is definitely less cost. I don't get how the numbers suggest different. Either way, it's what you prefer as a homeowner anyway so 5-10,000 one way or another shouldn't matter in the end.
The new post and pier code requires the sheer walls to be 1 foot "in the ground". That means, in HPP, you have to jack hammer 1 foot down for each corner sheer wall. This is new and a real pain. Easy when you are up Hamakua and can spend 3 hours with a shovel to dig it out. Not so easy in HPP. Mainland codes adopted here.
You can go 4 feet above grade (above your sheer wall top - basically 5 feet above the ground) with post and pier and remain hassle free. I went 47 inches and can park a car under my house. Great for storage and can walk under the house without too much of a hunch. Above that and you need a whole different set of hardware and plans. Better off building a 2 story slab at that point.
As far as contractor versus owner-builder goes you should decide what you are willing to pay for. If it's worth the peace of mind to pay someone 35-50,000 for turnkey then that's your best bet. I decided to save that money and separately hire the electrician, plumber, drywall guys, etc. I painted and laid floors myself. If you have a "handy", RELIABLE connection, you can pay them 1/4 of a contractor to do those things to finish the job. It can be a crap shoot if you don't have the right connects.
But with access like this site, you should have no problem getting competent people to do the work for fair wages. Wish I had this resource 10 years ago rather than getting run through the ringer 3-4 times and out the other end a few times wiser.
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What new post and pier code ?
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What kind of car do you drive that's less than 47" tall?
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Oh got it. 47" above the shear wall. For a second there I thought you might be a Shriner.
Seriously though, great info!
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Don't think it's a post and pier thing, more like seismic requirements for the zone that you are in determined by the Building Code. Length of shear wall is based on length of wall it is built within, 4 foot minimum with exception using Simpson strong wall units, still tied to concrete stem wall.
Community begins with Aloha
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Thanks everyone. I'm here, soaking up everything you're saying. You've given me a lot to think about. I really appreciate all your input.
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We recently had a home build in lower HPP. About 1200sf, post and pier, enclosed garage. We got the plans/kit from HPM (with some modifications and upgrades). The construction/general was Clay Built and I would highly recommend them.
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You have to be crazy to build on a slab in Puna. Get up and out of the bugs and damp, as high as you can.
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You can't fix Samsara.
