Hawaii - Off the Grid (Hilo: college, agriculture, office)

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Anywhere from 20-40 years - but I'll be long gone from that house by then as I generally flip them every 5 years or so.

From boredom, or For Profit?

[caryberry]

Originally Posted by caryberry

Any recommendations to research rental property that is off the grid?

My husband and I are considering a move to HI. We are in our 50-60's, retired with/cats pursuing a small house/cabin. We are interested in eco-farming (we are vegans and yearn to grow our own food) along w/environmental preservation & conservation, yoga, and surfing. Not full-time candidates for "rain-forest" areas as we love sunshine. We are experienced in hurricane survival, island living, don't care if anyone comes to visit (including but not limited to children, family, and sofa surfers), and shopping on-line with delivery from UPS/Fedex.

Open to all possibilities any island - Thank you!

I really appreciate all the conversation about solar systems between posters in Ca and HI...but can we please stay on topic.

My topic - see above. Thank you.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Robin Rossi

From boredom, or For Profit?

For profit - What has worked well for me it to live in the home the first 2 years - then rent it out the next 1-3 years. When you live in the home for 2 years of the previous 5, the gain is tax free. I started doing this in San Franciso and caught perfect timing in the early 90's when prices were depressed in the Marina District due to the 1989 earthquake - then was able to ride the .com boom near the baseball park/downtown/South Beach. I ended up keeping my Pacific Heights condo as rents right now in the bay area are crazy stupid right now - far more expensive to rent in the city of San Francisco than anywhere in Hawaii. Very small 2 bedrooms go for $4,000+ and easily rent for $5,000+ in the 1,800 sq ft. range.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by caryberry

I really appreciate all the conversation about solar systems between posters in Ca and HI...but can we please stay on topic.

My topic - see above. Thank you.

Sure - I'd look into the Huelo and Honopou areas of Maui - you need to center searches with abundant rainfall not only for drinking water but also rain water for your plants/vegetables. It also gets enough sen to power the solar.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by caryberry

I really appreciate all the conversation about solar systems between posters in Ca and HI...but can we please stay on topic.

My topic - see above. Thank you.

The other day I saw a local notice by W.E. Shipman Company in Kea'au (Puna District, Big Island) that they are looking to get more of their idle "post sugarcane" land into productive agricultural use by doing long term leases on parcels as small as 5 acres. That may be more than you have interest in, but then again, to raise all your own food you'll probably need at least a couple of acres. And for anything like fruit trees you aren't likely to get meaningful harvests for several years. Papayas are one exception... from seed to first harvest typically takes a little less than one year.

This probably won't help you specifically, since you are avoiding the rain that Puna is known for, but maybe the general principal will. There are other large landowners in the state with fallow land who don't want to sell, but might lease. And there are agents and internet boards which specialize in agricultural properties you might find helpful to your search.

In other news, your request piqued my interest, so I scanned Apts/Housing for Rent on CL to see what IS showing up there these days, and noticed a couple of listings that might fit your wants and needs... one was a live-in caretaker position on a 2 acre property, partial to full rent swap for gardener/handyman duties. The other was an ohana* cottage rental with shared garden space. So I guess there are occasional listings there you might find appropriate. It could be worth your while to scan them from time to time, or even to put your own listing up on Housing Wanted. Just be careful of the scammers.

*In case you are unfamiliar with the term, an ohana is a secondary residence on a property which is designed for extended family members... which is what this Hawaiian term means. Strictly speaking an ohana is supposed to not have a full kitchen... because family eats together, yeah?... and not be rented out or occupied by non-relatives. But in fact the laws on this are widely ignored, and enforcement is very lax in most places, so today some people openly advertise them. In some cases the term is *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* code for something that was built without legal permits or inspection. And frankly, I suspect an awful lot of the truly "off the grid" properties fall into that category. If that suits you, it could be a useful thing to know.

Good luck!

[caryberry]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Almost always on Craigslist, there are a couple of strange little shacks in Puna, that have the shower and plumbing in a separate building, water catchment, and no power at all.

Since it is Puna, they are almost always on a couple of acres. They are less than basic little houses, but the rent is really cheap, and they come with land that can be used for a veggie garden, plus free pork from the local wild pigs.

One step up from camping, but not by much.

Wild pigs? Oh - heaven's no...we're old vegans

Thanks for the info regarding Puna...just saying the name out loud sounds fun!

[caryberry]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Sure - I'd look into the Huelo and Honopou areas of Maui - you need to center searches with abundant rainfall not only for drinking water but also rain water for your plants/vegetables. It also gets enough sen to power the solar.

With rainfall totals varying wildly within an island and from island to island - is there a repository of more specific weather information? I did a couple of "google" searches and found mostly "tourist weather" info and over-the-top scientific.

Thanks for your help!

[caryberry]

Originally Posted by OpenD

The other day I saw a local notice by W.E. Shipman Company in Kea'au (Puna District, Big Island) that they are looking to get more of their idle "post sugarcane" land into productive agricultural use by doing long term leases on parcels as small as 5 acres. That may be more than you have interest in, but then again, to raise all your own food you'll probably need at least a couple of acres. And for anything like fruit trees you aren't likely to get meaningful harvests for several years. Papayas are one exception... from seed to first harvest typically takes a little less than one year.

This probably won't help you specifically, since you are avoiding the rain that Puna is known for, but maybe the general principal will. There are other large landowners in the state with fallow land who don't want to sell, but might lease. And there are agents and internet boards which specialize in agricultural properties you might find helpful to your search.

In other news, your request piqued my interest, so I scanned Apts/Housing for Rent on CL to see what IS showing up there these days, and noticed a couple of listings that might fit your wants and needs... one was a live-in caretaker position on a 2 acre property, partial to full rent swap for gardener/handyman duties. The other was an ohana* cottage rental with shared garden space. So I guess there are occasional listings there you might find appropriate. It could be worth your while to scan them from time to time, or even to put your own listing up on Housing Wanted. Just be careful of the scammers.

*In case you are unfamiliar with the term, an ohana is a secondary residence on a property which is designed for extended family members... which is what this Hawaiian term means. Strictly speaking an ohana is supposed to not have a full kitchen... because family eats together, yeah?... and not be rented out or occupied by non-relatives. But in fact the laws on this are widely ignored, and enforcement is very lax in most places, so today some people openly advertise them. In some cases the term is *wink*wink*nudge*nudge* code for something that was built without legal permits or inspection. And frankly, I suspect an awful lot of the truly "off the grid" properties fall into that category. If that suits you, it could be a useful thing to know.

Good luck!

Wow - I think I love you Thank you for the AWESOME information. Your suggestions (and others) regarding Puna are being revisited with a much more open mind. After all, weather - including rain is subjective and definitely a matter of one's personal preference or comfort level.

After living in Arizona...let's just say, we are ready for ANYTHING!

Thank you for your post!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by caryberry

With rainfall totals varying wildly within an island and from island to island - is there a repository of more specific weather information? I did a couple of "google" searches and found mostly "tourist weather" info and over-the-top scientific.

Thanks for your help!

I'm not sure, but you might check with NOAA.

We are part of a volunteer group that does our own daily reporting. You can look on the website to see rainfall amounts that are posted on a daily basis, but there are only scattered locations on the BI. Just as a point of information for you, we have three people in our subdivision who track daily rainfall, one at 800' elevation, one at 1200' and one at 1400'. The two at 1200 and 1400 are generally similar, but can vary from day to day. However, we (1200') usually get twice the amount of rainfall as the person at 800'. And that is within the same subdivision! The website is CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network

And elevation is not the only factor. If one goes down the road 10 miles and past a ridge, even the people at 3000' get far less rain than we do.

[hotzcatz]

Aloha caryberry,

You could try looking into a high end WWOOFing situation to find an off grid situation. There are some that are almost nothing more than camping out and there are also some that are quite nice. If you are planning a longer stay and are a reliable person or couple, you may be able to score one of the nicer positions. You work a bit in exchange for your room and board, each situation is different depending on who is offering it.

It would also be interesting to know what exactly you mean by "off grid", we have it available in many different levels.

A hui hou