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I'm going to jump in and try to be more charitable but not necessarily more positive. I think it's great you've looked into work and rent and considered the school issue. You seem to care about your kids and aren't just looking to escape for whatever reason. Hawaii *is* a great place for what you seek: kids being outdoor doing sports or exploring in the forest, having family time in a nice place such as beaches, and generally being family friendly overall.
Also, you've put up with whtviper1 without blowing up at him, which is actually a good test. By that I mean people do things differently in Hawaii, and you definitely get treated differently as a newcomer, sometimes unpleasantly. So not getting upset and keeping the discussion going is a credit to you--and believe me, we've seen some people start ranting on here and that wouldn't fly in Hawaii.
On the negative side... You've already moved schools to help your kids, so you are concerned about their education. We've heard both sides of the coin about Hawaii schools, some posters have had good experiences working around the issues, others not. The public schools definitely have issues, and some charter schools try to fix them. But schools tend to be spread out and options can be far apart: nobody wants to drive an extra 10-20 miles twice a day to drop off/pick up kids.
Which brings us to housing. You saw the prices on Craigslist, but what you haven't experienced is how hard it is to get a rental. There is more demand than supply, and people have trouble getting a place. And I hope you didn't want to bring a dog with you.
Finally, while I admire your attitude about the realities of living simply on a tradesman salary, it *is* expensive here. Electricity is expensive, gas (for vehicles) is expensive, food is more expensive. Yes, there are ways to reduces costs, but those take time and effort. Another point, especially with any sort of child custody, is the cost of flying to the mainland. I fly to Austin every Chistmas, and it's at least 800 per ticket round trip.
I do think HVAC is a solid field here, but maybe a bit limited. All the resorts and stores have industrial systems, but only a few houses have complete residential systems. A lot of people have window units or mini-splits, but not everyone. It's not like Texas or Arizona where every house is fully ducted and has a large unit in the roof or on a pad.
So I really do worry you would be struggling more in Hawaii with budget worries or uncertainty than you imagine.
I'm not the best at typing/texting lol my son will not be allowed to continue with the current school this coming year. They only go to 8th grade. As far as custody issues go we don't have any. She's disappeared basically and lives in Florida. She didn't even answer their calls when they called on mother's day. They have given up hope on her as well plus it would be her cost to visit not mine. Since not all residential have a/c and your limited on commercial places what island/city would you think would have the most consistent work as far as a/c goes? I know more but that's always been my trade. I can do any general construction/maintenance basically and even willing to always learn other types of work but that sure changes things since I doubt there's any entry level jobs that would pay better
Due to high costs of electricity in the islands, very few houses have A/C and even fewer have any sort of heating. We also have a very cyclical construction industry that seems to be either boom or bust. (It feels to me like we're nearing a peak and may hit it in the next year or two, but that's merely my opinion so take that with more than one grain of salt.) There's no neighboring states to go work in when a bust happens so a lot of construction folks have other lines of work they do when things get slow. But the folks that are good manage to stay busy during the slow times somehow. We do lose a lot of the mediocre and bad ones when things get tight.
If you already have a job lined up, then investigate that island first.
Kauai is slower than the others, a bit more insular but a gorgeous island. Not sure about how much A/C or HVAC work there is there, though, it's not my island.
Oahu is a crazy busy full island and I'd not recommend it for a single parent with two kids to attempt to relocate to. Too much competition for everything on that island. Jobs, housing, parking, space at the beach, whatever is going around, there's four people who want it these days.
Molokai is very slow and probably not enough A/C or HVAC to keep you busy. Pretty much the same with Lanai. Niihau isn't an option, nor Kaho'olawe, so that leaves Maui and the Island of Hawaii.
Maui may have more A/C & HVAC than the Island of Hawaii, although the living costs may be a bit higher. Big Island has two sides, Hilo side and Kona side. More money on the Kona side so more A/C & HVAC, but higher living expenses. Lower cost of living on the Hilo side, less A/C & HVAC. Although, as mentioned, very few houses have any A/C and even less have HVAC.
Hawaii is a very pro-family state and there's lots of outdoor stuff to do. If you can manage to make it work financially, it may be a brilliant move. It isn't likely to be easy, though. If possible save a place on the mainland to go back to in case things in Hawaii don't work out. Don't burn any bridges to get here, you may need them later.
I'm not the best at typing/texting lol my son will not be allowed to continue with the current school this coming year. They only go to 8th grade. As far as custody issues go we don't have any. She's disappeared basically and lives in Florida. She didn't even answer their calls when they called on mother's day. They have given up hope on her as well plus it would be her cost to visit not mine. Since not all residential have a/c and your limited on commercial places what island/city would you think would have the most consistent work as far as a/c goes? I know more but that's always been my trade. I can do any general construction/maintenance basically and even willing to always learn other types of work but that sure changes things since I doubt there's any entry level jobs that would pay better
Oahu has 5-6x the population of the other islands, so in my opinion, that is where most of the work is. It's a simple numbers thing.
I'm glad someone else mentioned the boom/bust construction cycle. Again, if you're a tradesman, you'll want to work as much as possible to prepare for the downturn where there will not be any work. NOT cruising on the beach with your kids after you put in your 40. A lot of blue collar guys were riding the bench for YEARS during the last downturn. Making it in hawaii is not a walk in the park, especially at 45k/year and as a single parent.
I actually do HVAC sidejobs, so I may be in a better position to explain some things than some other posters. It can be rough living in hawaii, so good blue collar jobs are coveted, and getting them can be based more on who you know than on your qualifications. Same thing for actually getting jobs or side jobs. So the more personable and willing to network you are, the better.
The main benefit of split systems is that they're more efficient and quieter than window units. The drawback is that it's A LOT more expensive. So your customer base is limited to people that are more affluent. This presents issues when recession does hit, as normal people tend to either use a $199 window a/c unit or fans. It's more of a discretionary expense than a necessity. Then you add the fact that a/c installation actually isn't very difficult. You should pick up other construction related skills if possible. This will assist you in finding other blue collar type work to make more money and diversify your skill for a weaker economy. Try to look at areas that people need services, strong economy or not.
I've always put in my 40 hrs and then some I do understand economy changes things and effects jobs etc. What type of other jobs are recession proof so to speak? I've always been able to learn fast and go out of my way just like now I'm learning which is what this post is about. I'd love to jump on a plane tomorrow but that's just not how things work...unless I win the lottery but that would mean I'd have to play the lottery and after buying a couple scratch off tickets I'd be better off just not lol
when a toilet or septic system is plugged and the owner cannot or won't fix it, it doesn't matter how much they're struggling, they still need to call a plumber
for a residential/commercial building with elevators, when the elevator breaks, it's not an option to leave it broken
for a/c related stuff, being able to repair/service central systems would be a plus because it's not like office buildings have the option to leave the unit broken.
things of that nature.
split system ac installation in hawaii is optional, as the temperature doesn't go crazy high in summer like in the mainland.
I do ac service work. I can most all since I've done ac my whole life. My entire family has done ac work including sheet metal work when we used that instead of flex. I prefer service given pay and the fact I'm getting older and years in an attic have taken a toll on my body physically. I still do installs and change outs because I do whatever I have to do and don't turn away work. We get paid a minimum during winter to keep us employed come summer but maybe twice a year do I actually have to use that minimum because I do it all including changing water heaters and electrical panels etc. Growing up we did anything we could to make a dollar so I've never had that "It's not my job" mentality
Don't do it!! You'll still end up working into the wee hours in order to afford the cost of living. Day to day living will easily exceed the extra pay you're getting plus more. Your kids will get a subpar education and the cost of moving there alone can easily be in the $1000s.
I'd recommend waiting until your kids are on their own or look at other coastal cities. Have you considered Galveston?
OP, I think you said in a couple of your posts that you had some job offers in Hawaii? I think two on Kauai? So then you probably have some idea of how much money you could make.
Now you have to think about how much money you need to make the move and how much you need to live on.
--You can easily find out how much three plane tickets will cost from Dallas to Honolulu or one of the outer islands. You should also budget for an equal amount for those plane rides back to the mainland.
-- Would you only take what you can carry in suitcases, or would you ship some items? If you only bring what you can carry, then you'll need to budget for replacements in Hawaii. Shipping costs and options have been discussed here many times.
-- Are you shipping your car/truck or planning to sell it and get another one on the island? Vehicle shipping costs around $1,100 from LA; I don't know what it costs from Dallas. If buying a replacement in Hawaii, what will you use while you look for one?
-- Are you bringing any pets? Better budget another $1,000 each.
Budgeting for how much to live on will be much harder. Honolulu is one of the most expensive cities in the country, but also most of your kind of work will be on Oahu. Kauai is not much cheaper. There have been lots of discussions here about the cost of living, so I'm sure you've read them.
Good luck with your research.
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