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I am planning to build a new house in Puna. No, not a mansion, just a comfortable 2bd/2ba/2c island-style cottage for my husband and I.
I would really welcome reviewers/comments on the plan as to livability, etc. from any of you who might be interested.
I will "open source" the design to the fullest extent possible so that your input will not be wasted.
What do you think?
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Look at the old style houses.
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great idea. will do.
any internet resources showing these?
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Drive around the neighborhoods. A lot of the stuff on the internet is someone thinks they got a great idea, but they haven't actually tried to live in it for a couple of decades.
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You'll get more helpful info if you could be more specific about where in Puna you will be building. Everything depends on rainfall/elevation. What would be comfortable down in Kapoho would not work in Glenwood.
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Planned location is not far from Lava Tree State Park in lower Puna.
Living weather is excellent year round there and we weathered the hurricane last year in our rented house, nearby, fairly well. Good ventilation through the whole house will be an important design point. Yet, you will need to be able to keep the critters out and the coqui noise down.
Sure, its easy to dream up innovative designs but few succeed in improving livability and ease of maintenance over the long run. But some new stuff *is* so good you will never go back. The new low-e double pane windows might be in this category.
A good design for living comfortably in Lower Puna will be different from just about anywhere else, but might borrow alot from local traditional designs while incorporating the best of the new.
What about a new phrase for this discussion: "Puna style" to mean looks and feels right for puna living but not implying traditional materials or techniques.
Thats why I would like input from veterans of the Puna living experience.
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I'd say to build out of most anything but wood. The less wood you use the better off you will be.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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What Rob said! Look at all the Midwest tract homes in Puna. Who wants that!
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If I ever get a chance to build a new one for myself I would go with kind of a mission style with a stone/concrete wall around the outside and an open courtyard in the middle
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agreed! tract houses are like "one size fits all". ie fits everybody equally badly. Most of the std. building requirements seem to be based on midwestern suburban lifestyle and aesthetics: not very well suited to Lower Puna.
As far as structural wood: not very environmentally durable , BUT, fairly good earthquake resistance and fairly easy to redo. Also environmentally sustainable, easy to work with, flexible design parameters, and least initial cost.
(For now, I'd like to assume that the roof should be covered with some sort of metal for water catchment.)
Framing the house:
Pragmatically, what do use to "frame" the house, ie hold up the roof with if not wood? treated lumber, metal stud, masonry block, ? This is not just for argument sake, but how can you get rid of *all* the wood and stay at realistic market value for a small Puna house while meeting livability issues like noise control, aesthetics, etc. Traditional hawaiian style uses lots of very exposed wood.
Is it realistic to mix framing types?: exterior walls vs. interior walls? load bearing vs. not? 2 stories? etc.
"the long run is the series of short runs", "in the long run, we will all be dead" J.M Keynes
