07-14-2008, 01:43 PM
My husband and I are almost officially seasoned veteran owner-builders. Our house in Nanawale is 85% complete, I just totalled up all the $$ we have spent so far, and the estimate of what it will cost to finish it for the final inspection. Word to the wise, if you are paying for airfare (from Alaska), truck rental, tools, lodging and food for 3 grown men for 5 weeks...hire a good general contractor!
We really thought we could do it cheaper, we hired our nephew for the framing and sheetrock portion, and he gave us a good deal and did a a great job. The guys worked 10-11 hour days and got the house in-paint and sheetrocked in 5 weeks, and took two days off. Our nephew is still speaking to us and my husband and I are still married, quite an accomplishment! So if the going rate for a contractor is $135-$145 per sq ft, take my word for it, that's really not a bad price. Neither one of us had ever built a house before, so we were pretty green. We are the proud owners of a 900 sq. modified HPM plantation home (Ekahi model) and a detached carport. But with that being said, we do have the pride of ownership from helping to build it from the ground up, that counts for more than money can offset I guess.
Also, I can't say enough good things about Eric Ahu (concrete and flooring) 808-217-2976, he took us under his wing and really helped us out. AHI Plumbing (Sylvia and Fertom) are doing the plumbing 808-935-7080, and Big Island Electrical 808-965-5554 are doing the electrical portion. They have also been great, they scheduled the date to be there, and they showed up and did the work, gotta appreciate that. As usual, the Punaweb Forum was an incredible source of information, thanks to Fishboy for referring it to us.
It's been a long haul, but we are finally fulfilling my dream from 30 years ago of living on the Big Island. Now we just have to get retired so we can spend some time over there to enjoy the fruits of our labor!
Dorothy & Fred
We really thought we could do it cheaper, we hired our nephew for the framing and sheetrock portion, and he gave us a good deal and did a a great job. The guys worked 10-11 hour days and got the house in-paint and sheetrocked in 5 weeks, and took two days off. Our nephew is still speaking to us and my husband and I are still married, quite an accomplishment! So if the going rate for a contractor is $135-$145 per sq ft, take my word for it, that's really not a bad price. Neither one of us had ever built a house before, so we were pretty green. We are the proud owners of a 900 sq. modified HPM plantation home (Ekahi model) and a detached carport. But with that being said, we do have the pride of ownership from helping to build it from the ground up, that counts for more than money can offset I guess.
Also, I can't say enough good things about Eric Ahu (concrete and flooring) 808-217-2976, he took us under his wing and really helped us out. AHI Plumbing (Sylvia and Fertom) are doing the plumbing 808-935-7080, and Big Island Electrical 808-965-5554 are doing the electrical portion. They have also been great, they scheduled the date to be there, and they showed up and did the work, gotta appreciate that. As usual, the Punaweb Forum was an incredible source of information, thanks to Fishboy for referring it to us.
It's been a long haul, but we are finally fulfilling my dream from 30 years ago of living on the Big Island. Now we just have to get retired so we can spend some time over there to enjoy the fruits of our labor!
Dorothy & Fred