Any Experience Building a LOG CABIN in Hawaii... Big Island?

[davephan]

Would it be possible to build the log cabin with "EverLogs"? EverLogs are structural hand-crafted concrete logs. I've never seen EverLogs, but I've seen fences and trellises in botanical gardens that looked like tree branches, but they were actually made out of concrete. The concrete logs would probably eliminate the termite problems. The EverLogs might be very expensive since the web site mentioned they are used for high-end luxury log homes.

Handcrafted EverLogâ„¢ concrete logs for luxury log houses and hand-hewn log homes. | EverLogâ„¢ Systems

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by 1freespirit

I think a log home would look nice in certain areas of Hawaii like in a mountianous region per say?

I had a dream once about a log home in Hawaii. We had won the lottery, moved to Hawaii, bought some property up in the mountains and had a really nice log cabin built. What we found out was that it sometimes gets cold higher up in Hawaii and my wife was EXTREMELY mad that we finally got to move to Hawaii and she had to be cold. I told her that at least we had a fireplace. This did NOT help.
My wife is a very peaceful, kind, loving, nonviolent person. However, this was not the case during this dream of mine.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by davephan

Would it be possible to build the log cabin with "EverLogs"? EverLogs are structural hand-crafted concrete logs.

Man, as far as I'm concerned, if anything ever looked like something that doesn't belong in Hawai'i, that would be it.

Properly designed, a concrete structure could be an excellent choice, but concrete logs? With fake snow for the roof perhaps? How about a lumberjack decorating scheme?

A far better choice, it seems to me, would be to design a house, or or buy a kit, with at least a nod to traditional Hawaiian lines that won't offend the eye... with low profile, deep roof overhang shading the windows and keeping rain off the walls, peaked roof, maybe a wide porch, lots of ventilation... and then build it out of concrete using something like the Castleblock system, which employs structural foamed plastic forms, kind of like giant Lego blocks that lock together, then rebar is added, and finally concrete is pumped in to fill the forms, which stay in place once the concrete cures. What you wind up with is a poured concrete building, with a layer of insulation inside and out, that is many times stronger than concrete block or wood-frame construction... storm resistant, earthquake resistant, and termite proof.

The guy that runs the company in Pahoa, named Rob Tucker, has years of experience in construction in Hawai'i, and he's an authorized dealer for all kinds of innovative building materials, and including metal insulated sandwich roof panels that require no rafters for support over long spans. Very nice, very helpful guy. He's the guy that also runs the local website called punaweb.org as a public service. His own house is built this way, and I found it to be very spacious and airy feeling, attractive, and surprisingly cool when I visited on a hot afternoon.

Here are some designs done by a local architect...

Affordable Housing for Hawaii - Castleblock House Packages


Oh, and here's a wild idea... if you wanted to be ultra "with it," and had some extra money to throw at the project, you could substitute basalt rebar for the conventional steel rebar, and never have to worry about rust or corrosion of the reinforcing grid, so the structure could last for centuries. Basalt rebar is lighter weight yet stronger than steel rebar, and it's made from molten volcanic rock... although not in Hawai'i... so Pele should be pleased. Here's a little reading...

Basalt rebar, the alternative to steel and fiberglass for reinforcing concrete

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

I had a dream once about a log home in Hawaii. We had won the lottery, moved to Hawaii, bought some property up in the mountains and had a really nice log cabin built. What we found out was that it sometimes gets cold higher up in Hawaii and my wife was EXTREMELY mad that we finally got to move to Hawaii and she had to be cold. I told her that at least we had a fireplace. This did NOT help.
My wife is a very peaceful, kind, loving, nonviolent person. However, this was not the case during this dream of mine.

I had to laugh McFrosty, your dream is my reality. When we first moved here, my wife often complained about the chilly mornings in Oceanview. But she's now come to the realization that the sunshine of Kona or the beach areas is nice-in doses. But for us, the cool evenings/mornings and often cloudy weather here is more to our liking as a day in and day out climate.