Building a Home In Hawaii (Hilo: broker, houses, neighborhoods)

[JeepyJeep]

Hey all, my girl and I are beginning our 3 yr plan to move to Hawaii and I am curious as to the laws and additional costs to build a home.

We are planning to live/buy on the eastern part of the big island as land/home prices seem to be more in our range there. We also want to be in a more rural quiet setting away from the big cities.

So here goes, and any help is greatly appreciated. Assuming we do not find a parcel of land we like with a home already on it.

1. No laughing here, but do homes in hawaii have basements? correct me if I am wrong but I am thinking that due to the geography of hawaii that most homes do not have basements and are slab on grade, I kinda figure its mostly rock once you start digging so a basement is a no go.

2. Are there any laws different for building your own home. What I mean is that I plan to physically build the house myself with the obvious exception of excavation, and concrete work. I have over 10 years of experience in construction of homes and my father and grandfather owned a construction company for over 30 years. Ive been building houses since i was 14, I can do all the wiring, carpentry, plumbing and HVAC myself. So can I do this so long as everything is built to code and passes inspection?

[Balad1]

No on the basements, yes mostly slab and post and pier foundations.

You talked of being rural, what about working and the commute, what's your tolerance as far as time and distance?

Have you looked in the K'au area, it's pretty remote also.

[JeepyJeep]

I would be willing do drive an hour or more to work.

I still dont even know what job industry I may be working in. Im currently in the I.T. field, but am working on a degree in Electrical Engineering. But I have good work experience in construcion, law enforcement, equipment operation, as well as many other trades so I have a vast amount of expertise in many job fields. This is why its a 3yr and possibly 5yr plan, but I am the kind of person that plans everything out first which is why im starting here. not to mention I want a significant amount of money saved up before we come. Another concern I have is if I buy land that is undeveloped could I put a trailer on it?? Just to live in while I build the house. I guess that would be regulated by zoneing. Believe me I dont want to live in a trailer but it would only be for about 6 months.

I will check out the K'au area as well.

[tyvin]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hawai...ig-island.html

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

OP, you can build your own home. No different laws apply. You will want to use a local architect to (1) help you design a house to fit your property, (2) help you decide whether to go slab or post and pier, and (3) stamp your drawings for the building permit. Note that Hawaii currently uses the 1991 UBC with around 150 pages of amendments.

I would think that the only problem with living in a trailer would be if you were in a neighborhood with CCRs.

Part of your 3 to 5 year plan should be lots of visits to different neighborhoods before purchasing property. Once you find an area you like, plan to spend time there during the day and at night. Different streets within a neighborhood can vary as to noise levels, etc. Don't forget about the coqui frogs -- you definitely don't want to hear their singing.

[mdand3boys]

No basements and the building codes on the Big Island are a little up in the air right now. The codes were supposed to be amended effective in May 2009, to the 2006 international standards. Right now, the codes are something like 15+ years old, with a few quirks thrown in here and there. The permitting process is rather arduous and cumbersome. In other words, you may find yourself trying to build to a more rigorous, mainland code that you are already familiar with and discover that it doesn't pass here. (yes, hard to believe)

The only real advantage to being an owner/builder is that you are allowed 3 years to complete your home.

With the current glut of empty homes and low pricing, it makes no sense to build as it is probably cheaper to buy, unless you have very specific requirements that could not be met with an existing home.

[Nalu]

Homeowner builder is allowed, but in the state of Hawaii you must use a licensed Electrician and a licensed Plumber to pull the permit and do the work. You also can not sell your house for a year from completion. Angela

[cynmkolohe]

February 2, 2010

With the move to toward energy- efficiency goals, the County of Hawai‘i has replaced the building energy code with amendments to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for new and renovated buildings, which the County Building Department will be enforcing starting May 11, 2010 under Ordinance No. 09-48, Bill 385, Draft 2, passed the Hawai‘i County Council.

Public Works News Release (http://www.co.hawaii.hi.us/pwpress/Energy020210.htm - broken link)

There have been some recent changes to the building code being used by Hawaii County, so please be sure to check with the proper departments for updated information on any new projects.

(The last time I tried researching this, I was in a meeting with our Hilo Commercial RE broker and we were on the phone with a local architect who is active in working with the county on building code issues. He was not yet clear on how the enforcement would work with homes in progress... I haven't gotten any new info since that conversation. If anyone sees anything online that deals with the changes, I'd love it if you would DM me with a link.)

[mdand3boys]

OOOPS. I mentioned May 2009 - I should have said May 2010 was to be the adoption of the modified 2006 international code.

Enforcement will be very interesting with the 3 year owner/builder permitting process! How would that go? It's 2012 and you pulled the permits in 2009 to build a house with modified codes of 2006 that were passed in 2010.... LOL

[hotzcatz]

The county goes by what codes were in place when you got the permit. Which is why a lot of folks are scrambling around getting building permits now for buildings already built.

Here's the main page for the County of Hawaii's Building Department.
Building Permits - Department of Public Works

You can PM me if you have any specific questions, I'm a draftsperson and have helped loads of folks draw up the houses they want to build and get building permits to do it.