Big Island: Any Manufactured Home Dealers? (homes, buying, construction)

[HankDfrmSD]

And read this thread, Paddy;

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

[Paddywagons]

Thanks for the ideas. Hank, I checked out the thread you linked me to ... like everything else I read here for the most part: great questions, answers and comments.

Just a little story: I made a decent side-living for the past 20 years here in South Florida buying numerous old homes and condos, and flipping them after living in them for various periods while I fixed them up. I tried many things to get the most for my investment such as pools, luxury cabinets, expensive tile, free furnishings included, and on & on. What always seemed to work was curb-appeal: trim; landscaping; and attractive paint schemes. The rest was OK, but to most buyers, the expensive extras and upgrades were not what sold the place. The lesson I learned: you can make almost any simple home in decent structural condition look very nice for a reasonably affordable price if you learn how to do the following: simple repairs, cabinet installation, both interior and exterior trim, somewhat advanced painting techniques (not so hard), and effective landscaping.
I have turned mundane and even downright ugly boxes into lovely homes that I made a decent profit reselling to a happy buyer. Now I know I can buy a simple box structure base home and make it very pretty. I go to WA once a year to spruce up my ex-partner's manufactured home as he's just lazy when I'm not around. His house that he only paid $75,000 for, is now so pretty that he's been offered $150 in only a little while. This is what I'm aiming for in Hawaii if possible. If I can just get the basic home for a bargain, and it's structurally sound, I can make it gorgeous for a very reasonable price myself.

[eekwine]

Check out this company Built to Ship. They have an office in Hawaii.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by eekwine

Check out this company Built to Ship. They have an office in Hawaii.

I sent them an email asking if the wood they used in their homes was treated for termites. Below is the answer I received:

Hank

Yes, all of our HI homes are built with Treated lumber, Borate treated, all meeting or exceeding local codes and requirements. Are you on the islands? We could send you a list of existing homes for you to look at, or provide you with any additional information you may need.

Thank you for considering us at Allen Associates Built to Ship.

Jon Heffner, LEED AP

Assistant Production Coordinator, Built-to-Ship

Allen Associates - Building Green for Healthier Living

(805) 884-8777 ext. 122

(805) 450-8077 Cell

jheffner@dallenassoc.com

[dstrong2000]

I have been searching the package homes and the pre fab homes for a house in Hilo, I like venturaprefabhomes out of brazil 7k to ship and truck to site. 50k for 1300 sq ft 3/2 houses look much like teak-bali without the price made from grapia and angelim hardwoods. Brazil is very simailar in weather and termites, wood is very hard and resistant to termites ground may still need to be treated depends on county. Check out the site I am headed over this spring to build mine and could help build you one possiably. The company also said that they could send someone over to help with the construction process not sure what that costs.

[Crysta]

I have property on the Big Island and here is a list of companies that I am aware of that offer/build pre-pkg. homes. bambooliving.com has already been mentioned as has the site for Teak Bali homes. Here are 4 new ones; packagehomes.com is Big Island Package homes, hpmhawaii.com is the local building store in Hilo that offers a catalog of pre-pkg. homes (owner-builder), eastsidebuilders.net in Hilo (they offer a complete package, home, grading, catchment, cesspool) and mandalahomes.net (based on Maui). If there are any others I am not aware of them. Good luck on your ventures to living in Hawaii...Aloha.

[JoeyT]

Build to Ship looks like manufactured anyway, from the looks of the floorplans, w/ the evenly divided halves adjoined by the support beam running the length from one end to the other. Venturas have nice two-story European designs, plumbing economically stacked down one common wall. The huge question in all this is how willing the building department is to issue a building permit, especially on Oahu and Maui, assuming one can find a vacant lot for less than $2,000,000.

[hotzcatz]

Mobile homes were illegal for many years in Hawaii. I heard awhile back they were thinking of changing the law but I don't know if they did. Folks did bring them in to use as construction trailers but those were considered temporary so they got in under the line. You may want to call the Planning Department & Building Department for your island and ask if they are permitted. You will probably have to pull a building permit for it which should be an interesting project since it is most likely something the Building Department doesn't have much experience with and you will get to share a learning curve with them.

[juicerock]

Can Anyone living in a multi-facetted home please tell me of any issues they have had....termites? rot? ventillation problems? High turn-key cost? Other? ....thank you.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I don't know anyone living in one right now, but our neighbors built one and they are very expensive to build. We were thinking of building one and couldn't find a builder who would take it on. I think part of it is dealing with someone else's materials (our builder said they were low-grade) and part of it is that you have to get everything precisely right to fit together. Where we are the wind and moisture are tough on the cedar exterior, and it has to be restained just about every two or three years.