Is it worth talking to contractors if....

[EightFingers]

...we're not going to be building for about four years? I would like to if just to get a feel for the process of land preperation and building a house. I don't want to start our conversation with "We'll be here in about five years." and then get the cold shoulder because we are wasting their time. Our land is already purchased so at least that's out of the way.

[lquade]

personally i would go ahead and get my housepad, drive etc. bulldozed now, before you even start... people are hungry for work number 1 and gas prices are down at the moment. if we had had our bulldozing done, before we had our permited plans we would have changed some things. and laws are constantly changing with all the mainland folk seeming to want to change hawaii to mainland standards. examples are the new grubing/grading rules, constant talk of builder-impact fees, etc etc. new solar standards come in 2011, etc. etc. i wouldnt even think of contractors at this point. everytime there is a downturn like this, they seem to fade away, and prices on building materials are subject to constant change. just my thoughts. dont fall for the "its cheaper to do the cesspool, pad at the same time" routine, it isnt, and then you are locked into your building permits.

[John S. Rabi]

I don't think it's a good idea to have the driveway and housepad done so much in advance. The way things grow here the lot will be overgrown again in 4-5 years. (Actually, much sooner.)

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,ARB,BFT,CM,CBR,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[JerryCarr]

John is right. We see this happen all the time, and four years can get you some 20 foot junk trees. You could end up having to do it over or at least have to do some serious hand clearing.

Cheers,
Jerry

[David M]

Yea, I agree, a bit early. How often will you visit your property during that 5 years? Maybe do what you can in choosing a house site. Any prep you can do that wont be overgrown? Maybe some clearing/ground work that can be kept under control with roundup? We had some major work to do regarding drive and pad area that we started 2 years prior. This allowed the contractor flexibility as to his available time and weather.
And you just know you can ask anything here and get an answer

David

Ninole Resident

[jerry]

Plant some stuff, especially trees. Then you will be getting tropical fruits from the day you move in.

In general I don't mind talking with people about the pros and cons of various building issues (I'm an electrical contractor) but you won't be able to do any pricing this far in advance.

Use the time to explore design concepts and ideas. Some things that look good on paper are not so good in real life, other things that would be nice can be very expensive. I am currently working on a house with a number of interesting alcoves and window designs--they look good but have probably added thousands to the cost. Try to find those that look good and are inexpensive!

Jerry

[EightFingers]

My plan is to visit the land at least once every two years. We normally go to Hawaii even years and Europe on odd years, but this time we made an exception [8D] I like Europe, but my choice is Hawaii every time.
It WOULD be nice to get some trees started at least I could try some and if they get overwhelmed it wouldn't be that big a loss. I think I will take the gamble.
Lot of things I want to explore with the county, too just to see what's allowed and what isn't.
Thanks all for your advice!

[Rob Tucker]

If you can develop a plan for your property and plant trees it would be wise. Citrus seems to grow well here. Tangerine, lemon, lime, orange. Of course you may prefer others. I really wish I had planted more on my property when I bought it. Fifteen years later and I am getting some new trees in. I screwed up.

[Hotzcatz]

There is a book by Ortho Press called "Basic Home Building", that will answer a lot of your questions of how to go about building a house.

Generally, when I start working up a set of plans, I'll have the home owner list or at least chat about ALL the things they'd like to have in their house. Anything, a hot tub in the kitchen, a washer and dryer in the master bath, an eight car carport, a view from the bathtub, a star viewing window over the bed, etc. Most of these things won't make it into the final set of plans for one reason or another (most frequently because of cost) but they will at least have a chance of getting built if they are on the list.

Unless they have a lot of money, usually it is best if homeowners build economically. No matter what sort of employment they had on the mainland, unless they bring that specific job with them, they aren't likely to have that same level of income and it is a LOT easier to just not spend the money in the first place than to go out and try to repay an overly optimistic construction loan.

As for building in our climate, there are general design details which make a house more comfortable. Really wide eaves keep the sun off the sides of the house so it is cooler. Loads of ventilation helps, too, each room should have cross ventilation. High ceilings give hot air a place to go where it isn't on the people living in the house. Personally, I prefer post and pier for keeping down the bugs, ventilating under the house and for being much kinder to the feet. Lots of transition from inside to outside is nice. Big wide lanais not only make it easier to be outside while still being sort of inside but also help shade the interior of the house and keep it cooler. Electricity is extremely expensive so that should be taken into consideration when designing your house. All that ventilation mentioned above means A/C probably isn't necessary. Lots of windows allow natural light so you won't require light bulbs burning all day. Energy efficient appliances and even no energy appliances such as a clothes line.

Generally most of these design details can be achieved with a variety of construction methods so choosing one which uses materials locally available will go a long ways towards keeping the entire project affordable. It is really easy to spend an extra $10K or even an extra $100K when building a house yet it will take a long time to pay that money back and that will be time you won't have to enjoy your new house.

---

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

[EightFingers]

Hotzcatz,
Your second-to-last paragraph is dead-on what we want. We want simple, open, easy to maintain and a nice ocean view.
The land is more important to me than the house and since we're in LZ1, I consider our house "disposable" -I don't want to get all wrapped up in a fancy house.