Need advice on moving and building a small house - Owner build on Stilts (insurance, appliances)

[whtviper1]

Most doors go inward in the US - Florida is unique because of being prone to hurricanes.

Inward doors allow for easier installment of screen doors.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

I like your optimism with the palm tree. If you plant it now it may be that tall in ten to fifteen years.

I wouldn't plant a coconut palm close to the house. Not only are they very slow growing, falling fruit will eventually be hazardous. Another type of palm? Yes, provided it's a species that likes dry conditions.

Miloli'i is hot, for sure. Don't know, but it's possible you could get a nice, cool mauka breeze in the evening, so I'd be sure to check into that and add a lot of ventilation on that side of the house.

[TreeZoo]

I saw this today.

mariannecusato

These are plans for a 576 Sq Ft Katrina cottage. Very simple and pretty similar to the OP's original thoughts. They did put a notation at the bottom regarding costs.

"NOTE: You will need to hire a contractor to source materials and construct your cottage. Cost to build will vary depending on the selected materials and local building requirements. Excluding foundation and land, we roughly estimate cost to construct KC 576 will range between $69,000-$80,000."

[hotzcatz]

Well, to keep the costs down, you're gonna be doing the building yourself. Most of your $25K is gonna be eaten up in things like septic tanks, power pole & circuit breaker box, plumbing, etc.

Here's a rough list:
$1K - Paperwork & Permits (minimum)
$8-$10K - Septic tank (no more cesspools allowed)
$2K - water catchment & pressure pump
$1.5K - power pole & circuit breaker box
$1 - $2K - gravel, grading, etc.
~$13- $14K

These are pretty much going to be standard costs, no matter where you go from the ground up.

So, that leaves you with about $10K in building materials budget. If you're doing a concrete slab, that'll be about $2.5 to $3.5K, depending on how far they bring the concrete and worker costs. You'll need help pouring the slab so you'll have to hire a few folks for that. Check the costs per cubic yard of concrete delivered to your job site as well as the metal mesh & rebar. You'll need termite treatment before pouring, as well.

If you're building it on a slab, you'd do best to get permits since slabs can't be inspected later if you ever want to get a permit. If you build without a permit and your neighbors complain (and there's no hiding in that area, so it's not like they won't know you're there) then you'll have to get a permit and bring it up to code. It's harder to do that with a slab than a post & pier.

You may want to reconsider your shed roof. Roof trusses use smaller less expensive lumber and are covered with smaller easier to handle sheets of tin roof. At the top of the roof peak, you've got a great place to put a roof vent. Since you're going very small house, having either a cathedral ceiling (where the lower truss webbing is at an angle) or using true roof rafters in a gable roof will allow for more head space and feel like a bigger house. It also has more space for heat to go up, which is why almost all older Hawaii houses had 9' ceilings if not higher. T & G pine nailed to the bottom of the rafters/trusses makes for a nice 'cabin' look at an inexpensive price. Adding some roof insulation would be good to keep the heat out of your house.

Being too cheap can make for a miserable to live in house. Little things can make a huge difference in how comfortable the house is, the hard part is knowing what they are.

For your windows, doors and plumbing fixtures, you can find a lot of them on either Craig's List or at ReStore for a fraction of the cost of new ones. You'll still need to buy most of the wood and siding.

There's a book called "Basic Home Building" put out by Ortho Press. You can pick it up inexpensively online and that will pretty much walk you through how to build a house. Loads of pictures. You'll need to adapt it to Hawaii conditions and Hawaii houses, but it's got loads of good accessible info.

[hjmontijo]

I found this site that offers prefab home kits at a really low price. Yes they are just the shell of the home, but the pricing is well under 15k for the model that I was looking at. So this is another option that I may consider. The builder is Argus Building Supply and from the reviews I've read, they seem pretty reputable. However, If I can get a prefab home kit for this low, why can't I build something for cheaper? I plan on, if possible using used windows and doors to help with the cost. Also, my fiance and I will be doing most of the work ourselves.

Argus Building Supply

Again, we do not need much. We want to leave a small footprint on this precious plant of ours. We are simple and plan to live as simple as possible. I know that we are up for the challenge and will not run away from hard work to make our dream come true. Thank you again to those of you who send your words of encouragement. Mahalo!

[whtviper1]

Call Argus - they will be happy to set you straight.

[hotzcatz]

Argus is a good place, dunno about their prices for kits, but we buy wood from them. They have a supply of vintage stuff, too, if you need wood to fit an old house.

[smarino]

Having lost our behinds on a fixer upper project in Galveston that should have been a tear down, I will give you some of my hard earned knowledge.

I love your sketches and design. Perfect. Keep it nice and simple. Remember, more windows are nice, but you can and should put those in later. Just build it as simply as possible to begin with. Windows transfer a lot of heat into the home too, along w/ noise, so put them in w/ that in mind. You want airflow. If you can add a covered porch later, do it. That will save you money on initial build costs. Even catchment can be put in later. I would just buy my water initially.

Everything will cost twice as much as you think it will, and will take three times as long as you estimated. Let's get that out of the way right now.

We overbuilt things and went w/ expensive materials, and if it was redone I would use the very, very cheapest materials just to get it built. It's very easy to upgrade later. Post and pier will save you some money, and go w/ the minimum roof that would be code. Used windows are a fine idea, and interior walls can be all sorts of cheap custom stuff, although plain old sheet rock is good. Use screws on everything. It's much stronger than nails.

Hold off on the solar unless you have a place to get a deal on it, and just go w/ some small Honda generators, or go w/ 12 volts, a few panels, a propane fridge, Paloma water heater, and a two burner hot plate. That's where things can get tricky, so make sure you understand the codes for the kitchen. Initially, all you really need is a fridge, water heater and your basic plumbing. Salads, fruits and veggies and good sandwiches will keep you lean and mean. There's always a simple BBQ grill too.

Me, I would hire an architect to sign off on your plans because they know things you will learn too late and at big costs. It will save you a lot of money and time in the long run. Get someone that is known locally and it will really help w/ the permits. The kit idea is sound, but make sure it isn't going to end up costing a hefty premium over sourcing your own stuff.

I really emphasize going w/ the least expensive and simplest construction initially. Those $100 cost over runs quickly add up to $1000 over runs. Your $25,000 budget will only work if you get everything you can used, including plywood, and you do all the work yourself. Even then...... Make sure everything, I mean everything, is up to code (here's where the architect is worth their weight in gold), and properly position the home to get any prevailing breezes. Awnings, even cheap cloth ones, will help keep the place a little cooler, along w/ shades and/or silvered window coverings. If you can afford good insulation, it will help w/ the radiant heat transfer into the home.

Buy a hand pump garden sprayer like for lawn spraying, and use it to spray Boracare on all the wood as you build your home. It's a mixture of boric acid and ethylene glycol, so it will soak into the heart of the wood. This stuff is not hard core toxic unless you drink it or something, and it will kill bugs, even and especially termites, for the life of the structure. It will last as long as you last. Very economical too.

[Jungjohann]

Keep in mind, that Miloli'i, and a great deal of the Bigger Island areas, no longer look kindly upon someone coming in, from the mainland, and building what is essentially nothing more than a shack. Especially in Miloli'i, where you could once build about anything, but not so any longer, as money and 'civilization' have moved in.

[Propulser]

Originally Posted by hjmontijo

I found this site that offers prefab home kits at a really low price. Yes they are just the shell of the home, but the pricing is well under 15k for the model that I was looking at. So this is another option that I may consider. The builder is Argus Building Supply and from the reviews I've read, they seem pretty reputable. However, If I can get a prefab home kit for this low, why can't I build something for cheaper? I plan on, if possible using used windows and doors to help with the cost. Also, my fiance and I will be doing most of the work ourselves.

Argus Building Supply

Again, we do not need much. We want to leave a small footprint on this precious plant of ours. We are simple and plan to live as simple as possible. I know that we are up for the challenge and will not run away from hard work to make our dream come true. Thank you again to those of you who send your words of encouragement. Mahalo!

I find it very hard to imagine that living small is a "dream". Perhaps you can leave a provision for expansion, because once the "romance" aspect has worn thin (in about a week, I suspect), you 'll be looking for elbow room. JMHO