Ohana Remodel: Your Thoughts Welcome

[Kelena]

Wow. Life is so complicated right now. I can't even begin to explain. Anyway, I am now turning my attention back to my "ohana" which has also been called "the pool room" or the "Hana Hut", a corruption of "Ohana" perpetrated by someone who shall remain nameless, and if I have any luck, faceless to all of you as well. The ohana may be able to provide me with some of the income I would have needed if I had a partner, as a vacation rental. Having a partner was part of my retirement plan. Sigh.

So anyway, about 30 feet from the house is a garage. The garage is quite large -- two bays, three cars. Off of the garage and attached to it, facing the patio and the house, is a room about 300 square feet.

I (ah jesus, we -- my estranged partner and I) am/are the third owner(s) of the house. The first owner obtained a permit to put in a "workshop" that included a little bathroom. Fully permitted. Neighbors tell me that he also included a little galley kitchen after the room was permitted and completed. Um! His daughter lived in the room.

The second owner removed the kitchen and bathroom, retiled the floor, and threw a quite elegant slipper bathtub in the middle of the room. The room is quite a habitable as a third bedroom, but lacks a bathroom now. You have to go into the house, unless you are a man and you just have to pee, in which case, you just open the garage door and pee into the gravel (you can't just open the door of the ohana and pee there because you would be peeing in the patio, below which is the catchment). Do not put the rocks outside my garage door into your mouth as a method of improving your speech! God! Even the rabbit won't pad through that area. I don't know why I like getting drunk on Mehana beer, passing out in the ohana, opening the garage door and peeing into the gravel so much. I will see if I can get a therapist to address it.

Anyway, I am now thinking of renovating the ohana. I could put the ohana back the way it was, I think, because it was already permitted (and the changes were not as far as I can tell permitted). I was also thinking of making this a really livable space by taking one bay of the garage, which would require a permit.

I was ALSO thinking of this: The ohana is about 30 feet from the house. I was thinking of running an inexpensive, clear breezeway-type roof from the house to the garage...thus possibly qualifying the place as "under one roof" for ohana purposes.

I have some guys who did some wonderful work removing the unpermitted fireplace. But they seem disinclined to hassle with permits. I know I have asked this before, but I am going through a phase where you have to tell me things three times.

Do you know anyone licensed, willing to go through the permitting process who might be able to help me with this. Also, whaddya think about me running a "roof" from the house to the garage. Any thoughts on how serious that roof would have to be?

[Rob Tucker]

One of the first things you need to determine your opportunity for a legal ohana is your zoning.

You do not mention your zoning or the size of your lot.

[Carey]

Only a man would pee in the gravel.... but then only a man would think like a monkey I know and ask why you even went outside, with the tub right there.... guys are gross!

Since the Workroom was fully permitted with a bathroom, I would check first to see what you need for a bathroom remodel (that is what you are doing... I am guessing that the interim work was not permitted, so all you intend to do is remodel the bathroom that is already permitted...)

ETA:
Oh, and if you are worried that your intent is to make a larger bathroom than was originally permitted, go on the accessibility and Universal Design angle.... That'll give you a nice big bathroom & good warm feelings

You will probably need a licensed plumber & electrician for the bathroom remodel (hopefully the middle man did not screw up the original plumbing too bad). Is there a need to call this workroom/studio an ohana?

Although it is tempting, I would not combine the bath work with the covered walkways. Walkways here are pretty normal (most public buildings have them... almost a given at the schools...)

Not sure he is doing smaller jobs right now, but try contacting one of your HPP neighbors, Jeff Hecht.... great guy & good builder, from what I have seen.

[Kelena]

Ohana? What Ohana? There is no ohana on my half-acre property in HPP (Lava Zone 3!), and if my grandmother tried to live in the room off the garage, I would grab her bodily, throw open the door with the damn dolphins on it, drag her to the pool and drown her, which won't be necessary because she has already passed on to her "reward": (two turntables and a microphone -- at 1900 degrees Kelvin). Men ARE pigs. But gay men are pigs with wings who fly to another location, descend, and then are pigs there, too. I base this observation on my experience with my boyfriends. Gawd. I am hoping the boyfriends to come are a little better. I am asking Jeebus for about three...or one good one. For a change. For me. Cuz, I'm a senator and gosh darn it --- people like me!

I only pee in the gravel about twice a year, so, I think my downslope (vacant lot) neighbors will be okay. Then, it is the ocean that needs to worry. Jacques Cousteau would flip. I am kind of wondering if I should maybe pee into a cup, run it through a spare filter and then pour it in the gravel. Or maybe I should use the toilet. Not sure. WHY MUST YOU CONFRONT ME WITH THESE DIFFICULT DECISIONS RIGHT NOW?!

The bathtub. You know men well! That bathtub has been used for almost everything. And then, I took a bath in it! And since my home is now a vacation rental, well, who knows.

Anyway, the original plumbing and everything is exactly where it was...just tiled over. Thinking about putting the bathroom where the first bay of the garage is..or maybe using the first bay of the garage as a bedroom. Not too sure about that. Designing geniuses welcome.

The walkway would allow the kitchen because in HPP, if it's under the same roof, it's kosher.

I would like that Jeff guy's number.

[Hotzcatz]

Nope, they wouldn't allow a second kitchen- one roof or not - if the lot isn't zoned for two residences. And they are getting pretty akamai about "snack bars" in "game rooms". They will most likely allow a guest room with bath if it is less than 500 square feet, but that's not allowed to have a kitchen, either.

---

"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson

[Kelena]

Killjoy.

[Hotzcatz]

You can make it back into a room with a bath, though, that's allowed by code as well as your previous permit. You can have up to six bedrooms on most cesspool/septic systems so maybe you could convert part of the garage into another bedroom. Only one kitchen allowed per residence and in HPP only one residence allowed per lot, as far as I know. But, to be certain, figure out what you want and go ask the planning department if your property is zoned for it.

---

"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson

[Carey]

Glen, I thought that this was covered a few years ago. Low & behold on this thread, the code requirements were provided by Rob & YOU!
http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3405

For an ohana,which has a second kitchen, you will need the director to accept you permit request, which doesn't seem likely in HPP.

For a quest house or studio, there can be no second kitchen. From your post, from the county code:
"Kitchen" means a room or a portion of a room designed to be used for the preparation of food and containing at least one item from both of the following categories:

(A) Fixtures, appliances or devices for heating or cooking food; and
(B) Fixtures, appliances or devices for washing utensils used for dining and food preparation and/or for washing and preparing food.

(55) "Guest house" means an accessory building used as sleeping quarters for guests of the occupants of the main dwelling and having no cooking facilities."

The intent of the code is that you cannot have a room for the preparing food in a guest house or studio....
BUT the letter of the code is that you cannot have ONE room or portion of ONE room that has
"(A) Fixtures, appliances or devices for heating or cooking food; and
(B) Fixtures, appliances or devices for washing utensils used for dining and food preparation and/or for washing and preparing food."

What about 2 rooms? Obviously the intent of the code would still be there, but would this meet the letter of the code?

[Kelena]

I am constantly reinventing myself. And forgetting what I wrote. Which is why I need to get my hot cross buns to the islands. However, I distinctly recall through my cosmopolitain-addled haze that when you can do whatever you want as long as it is "under one roof". My neigbors across the way built a garage with a whole house on top, with the intention of building a much larger house in front of that, all connected with a roof. So, looking back at that wonderful thread, I think that at the very least I can restore the "guest house" aspect (permitted as a work room).

[Kapohocat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Carey....
(55) "Guest house" means an accessory building used as sleeping quarters for guests of the occupants of the main dwelling and having no cooking facilities."...

---

Be aware there is different definitions of "accessory" space/buildings while seeking a permit. Accessory bldg typically refers to anything that is "not living space" - i.e. garages, carports, workshops, storage sheds, pump house, etc. when applying for your permit. The definition then takes on a different meaning at planning. A Guest house is living space when using the bldg depts definition (which is important on your title block with the SF listed.)

It also affects the basis for the permitting fee. Accessory space is charged 1/2 the cost (or $10) per 100 SF of living space ($20).