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HGTV is looking for people in Hawaii who wish to build a yurt on their existing property. It doesn't say how much they contribute financially, but might be worth checking out:
The home improvement network is looking for couples, families and singles (with sidekicks) who have dreamed of owning a yurt in Hawaii, but need the right builder to make their dreams happen.
Participants would be featured on the network's hit show, "Love Yurts."
The show highlights tricked out, environment-friendly yurts.
To be considered, candidates must already have a budget and a property to build on in Hawaii.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/34968...alk-to-you
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To be considered, candidates must already have a budget and a property to build on in Hawaii.
Nothing about permits; perhaps Planning can get an injunction against HGTV?
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The show would would probably promote tourism, so get a green light from the gubbermint.
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I think there are 2 going up in Nanawale right now.
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Not trying to sidetrack, but can someone tell me how a yurt is practical in the subtropics?
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Last month they were looking for people in Hawaii for their show "Building Off Grid". I interviewed with them and was told we were "perfect" because we are getting ready to build an off grid house there in April. We were not accepted and I'm pretty sure it is because we are either not pretty enough or not fancy enough, or both for their program. What they fail to realize is that most people living off grid are not rich people who are building "tricked-out" anything. Haha! I hope they have better luck looking on another island.
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either not pretty enough or not fancy enough
More likely their production schedule couldn't wait around for "getting ready to build".
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I'd like to chime in on this. First, let me address your question, Clayjacks. Yurts are incredibly practical in the subtropics - IF you get the right design and a trustworthy manufacturer. You can come to our office to see one in action in the wettest part of the island, just outside of Volcano Village. Our office has been up for 5 years and has never had any mold, it keeps cool and ventilated even during hot days. It is an excellent option for affordable, permitted housing and an all around inspiring space.
Now I'd like to address the HGTV show and the people who commissioned the show as a way to advertise their 'backyard yurts'. These people started out by illegally using our business name and using it to funnel business to themselves - business that they didn't claim for over a year because they had no business license while this was going on. They had no business license, but presented like they did, and linked to my personal social media and various professional write ups about me and the work I've done with yurts. They called their business Yurts Hawaii (mine is Yurts of Hawaii). They were using WOOFERS as free labor, they may still be doing that, I'm not sure. They had posed as clients a couple years before this stunt, trying to get free plans from us. They said they were going to buy 10 or 20 of our yurts so we should give them whatever they needed. We never gave them our proprietary information, but that didn't stop them from trying to make themselves look like an offshoot of our company. When I confronted them and insisted they cease and desist immediately from using anything remotely close to our names or business name, they acted like they didn't realize they had done anything wrong, and that they were hurt that I wouldn't be supportive and welcoming to them as a 'sister business'. I responded that if they wanted respect, then they should act respectfully, apologize for doing what they had done, and work to be a legitimate, honest, integrible company. They have continued on the same path they started on.
Let me be clear - I have been working long and hard in the islands, nearly 12 years now, to improve the reputation of yurt structures. I have had to prove our specs to County several times now and have been ultimately successful in keeping our yurts permittable, and that is because we do things by the book. Our engineering is in order, our yurts have been tested, we build to current codes, and I don't ever have to worry when a storm is headed our way if someone is going to get hurt. That is not the case with these people's yurts. They concern me very much. They have not shown any proof of engineering, nor any proof that they have ever been successful in permitting any of their designs. They mislead people by telling them that they can permit and link to various permit info, but no they absolutely can not permit without proper engineering and proof that their yurts aren't going to kill someone. They mislead by saying they're less expensive (again, no they are not, even AFTER shipping costs), that they are superior quality (ABSOLUTELY not, all you have to do is look at a picture of one next to a reputable manufactured yurt), and so on. At one point they claimed they were going to build a recycling center for beach plastic and make their yurts out of that, or that they were going to mine metals and make their own metals here. It's insane the fabrications they're getting away with.
I haven't proceeded in any legal action against them because I don't have time number one, I keep figuring they'll crash and burn at some point with those kinds of business ethics, but also because I don't want it to seem like I'm just going after them out of 'sour grapes'. Keep in mind, a lot of my major work has also been in pulling the industry together. To gather companies to work together and share information, to come together to form a type of 'watchdog' group so that bad manufacturers wouldn't give good yurts a bad name.
They have changed their business name several times now, they currently have two that I know of - 'Backyard Yurts' and 'Ohana Yurts'. When they didn't have their business license back when they started, they held a non profit license, which I believe they still hold, called 'Positive Energetics'. In spite of my request for them to relinquish the website address, yurtshawaii.com, they continue to refuse, so they continue to intercept an unknown number of clients. Keep in mind that it was ultimately illegal for them to use the name 'Yurts Hawaii' because it was, by law, our name 'Yurts of Hawaii'.
Fast Forward. Now they have been spreading misinformation for many years and have gotten away with it. They started this show, 'Love Yurts', which conveniently enough was one of our logos several years ago. On the one hand, it's great to see Yurts get the attention they deserve on such a national scale. But on a major other hand, these people are not licensed to be doing this. Their structures have not been proven structurally sound as far as I have been able to ascertain. It appears that the only way they are getting away with building them is 'off-grid', because they aren't actually permittable. And now you have Hawaii News and HGTV all complicit in the misinformation, misleading people into thinking that they are just fine and legit to build an off grid permanent residence without permits, using an unproven structural design, in the jungles of Hawaii.
My aim all these years has been to NOT skirt the codes. To help yurts MEET the codes. To help bring and keep them as a legitimate and recognized option. I am frustrated that these people are allowed to be so publicly misleading and very concerned that if one of their yurts comes down, it could kill someone and would likely undo over a decade of our good work aimed at getting yurts the positive reputations they deserve. I would think that this is a MASSIVE lawsuit waiting to happen against their company, HGTV, and anyone else who is complicit in spreading the misinformation.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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I would be surprised to hear of any unpermittable yurts going up in Nanawale due to their CC&Rs. We have a fully permitted yurt going up for a client in Nanawale early next week. But our yurts are currently the only yurts permittable here, at least that is what we have been told by the lead people in the building department. If anyone knows the location, I'd be interested to know it. PM me.
*Edited to add: Often people will choose to build unpermitted for various reasons and I personally don't take issue with that. Several of our clients have chosen to do that. They are fully debriefed on the risks associated with that route. Sometimes it makes sense for a person's situation in spite of the risks, and that's okay by me. There isn't even opposition from this direction toward people building handmade yurts for their friends or even for sale, as long as they are not misrepresenting themselves or their product. The people in question have continuously, negligently misrepresented their experience and their product, and they charge top dollar for the disservice.
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
either not pretty enough or not fancy enough
More likely their production schedule couldn't wait around for "getting ready to build".
They only would have had to wait 2 or 3 weeks. They made us wait longer than that just to let us know whether we made the cut or not.
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