HPP Questions - Grading, Leveling, Ohana, etc. (Honolulu, Hilo: 2014, loan)

[Drkahealani]

I contacted the building department and this is what they said:
No 'Ohana but can build a guest house. Guest house must be no more than 500 sq. ft. and no more than 20 feet in height. It cannot have a kitchen and can only be built after the main house is built. There is no minimum size for a main house. So, I could build a 1200 sq. ft. house and rent it. Spoke to my cousin in Hilo and he said he could manage the rental. Than I could build a 500 sq. ft. guest house to stay in when I'm there. Of course, they said if you have a "legitimate farm" you can build more dwellings on the property. Hmmmm... What could I farm?
Got to find out about filing those State taxes....since I live in California. May be complicated.
L

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Drkahealani

I contacted the building department and this is what they said:
No 'Ohana but can build a guest house. Guest house must be no more than 500 sq. ft. and no more than 20 feet in height. It cannot have a kitchen and can only be built after the main house is built. There is no minimum size for a main house. So, I could build a 1200 sq. ft. house and rent it. Spoke to my cousin in Hilo and he said he could manage the rental. Than I could build a 500 sq. ft. guest house to stay in when I'm there. Of course, they said if you have a "legitimate farm" you can build more dwellings on the property. Hmmmm... What could I farm?
Got to find out about filing those State taxes....since I live in California. May be complicated.
L

Do you plan to remain in California while your house in HPP is being built?

[OpenD]

[quote=Drkahealani;35273761]I contacted the building department and this is what they said:
No 'Ohana but can build a guest house. Guest house must be no more than 500 sq. ft. and no more than 20 feet in height. It cannot have a kitchen and can only be built after the main house is built. [quote]

That's odd, because that's pretty much the definition of an ohana.

In any case, the County's definition of a kitchen is sink + refrigerator + stove, so "no kitchen" meant no more than 2 out of the 3. From a practical standpoint that came down to "no stove." That's why you see so many ohana rentals listed as having a sink, a refrigerator, and a microwave.

And now they say build the main house first because so many people filed plans for a house plus ohana, then only built the ohana. Or in one case that may have busted the scam for others, the filed plan was for a house with detached garage, but he just built the garage and then fitted it out as an open floor plan studio... and bragged about it online.

Of course, they said if you have a "legitimate farm" you can build more dwellings on the property. Hmmmm... What could I farm?

Papayas? Macadamias. Additional dwellings being for farm workers. I know that to qualify you have to file a business plan about your intended farming activities, showing why the additional housing is needed, again because people have scammed the rules, such as building B&Bs on Ag land and calling it worker housing.

Got to find out about filing those State taxes....since I live in California. May be complicated.
L

No, not complicated. Here's an FAQ page about the General Excise Tax (GET). Department of Taxation | General Excise Tax (GET) Information

And you can register online at: https://hbe.ehawaii.gov/BizEx/home.eb

[Drkahealani]

@Jonah I plan on living in Kalapana in a friend's second home so I can oversee the construction. But, of course, I'll take a few trips to Cali to see family and friends.

@OpenD Found this on a realtor site. It applies to O'ahu so not sure if BI has the same code/rules. I agree with you, "It's the same thing only different." LOL

Generically, an ʻOhana Unit is any second residence on a property, either attached or detached from the main house, where another person or persons may live. This would be similar to what would be called a “Mother-In-Law” Unit on the mainland. However, just because a building or attached dwelling is called an ʻOhana by a realtor or property owner does not mean it is a legal ʻOhana dwelling.


It its technical, legal sense, an ʻOhana is a legal second dwelling unit (attached or detached) on a property, where the property is built legally in either in an ʻOhana-zoned area or in an area where the unit was legal at the time of construction. The purpose of an ʻOhana (meaning family) Unit is strictly residential use by family members (related by blood, adoption or marriage).


There are many other restrictions on ʻOhana Units. For example, ʻOhana Units are not permitted on zero lot line, cluster housing project, agricultural cluster, country cluster, planned development housing, R-3.5 or duplex lots (formally known as two family detached dwelling lots).


There are many pre-existing ʻOhana Units that are detached second buildings, however, after October 10, 1992, any new ʻOhana Units built on qualified lots were required to be attached to the main residential dwelling. Owners building these units are required to sign an affidavit that the units will be used only by family members.
It is important to note that Legal ʻOhana Units are different from a second dwelling which is legal simply due to lot square footage and zoning requirements. In the true ʻOhana dwelling situation, the lot size will not meet the zoning requirements for a second single-family structure.


Often, ʻOhana units are detached from the main dwelling and have a second kitchen, and are “grandfathered” in as legal non-conforming structures. There are many restrictions on rebuilding or remodeling existing legal ʻOhana Units and you should consult with the Honolulu City and County Department of Permitting and Planning and other experts when modifying an existing ʻOhana Unit.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by Drkahealani

@Jonah I plan on living in Kalapana in a friend's second home so I can oversee the construction. But, of course, I'll take a few trips to Cali to see family and friends.

What's your total budget to purchase land and construct the house and what kind of time frame are you working with?

Many folks build houses in HPP only to find out later that it would've made better financial sense to purchase an existing home and remodel it. Here's a link to a "residential building cost estimator" that might help...
Building-Cost.net -- free residential building cost calculator

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Drkahealani

@OpenD Found this on a realtor site. It applies to O'ahu so not sure if BI has the same code/rules. I agree with you, "It's the same thing only different." LOL

Sorry, Oahu has different rules regarding ohanas. Maui is different still. Neither will help you in Hawai'i County.

[hotzcatz]

What several folks have done lately is to build their main residence at less than 500 square feet. Then after they've gotten that paid off, they save up enough to build their real main residence. They take out one of the kitchen appliances and apply for a "change in use" and have the first residence made into a guest house and then build a new main residence. Sometimes they are happy with their little house and skip building the bigger one.

[Drkahealani]

Jonah I've looked into purchasing a home but don't think I'd qualify for that big of a loan and they want 30% down on a second home. I did look at that website and a 1400 sq ft house would cost $350,000 to build.

Hotzcatz that's a great idea. A 480 sq ft package home from HPM is around $37,000. I'm sure the labor will be a lot more than that. That size home may be large enough since I won't be living there full time.
6 more days.....
L

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Drkahealani

I did look at that website and a 1400 sq ft house would cost $350,000 to build.

That seems a bit high for that size house - perhaps it costs more to build a house on the Big Island than Oahu.

[Drkahealani]

@whtviper1 - I went to this website: Building-Cost.net -- free residential building cost calculator
I choose 6 corners and Class 3.