Questions about building a small cabin in Fern Acres Hawaii (Hilo: apartment, rental)

[Balad1]

Gray water and what you want to put in a bucket go into an approved cesspool or septic system with drainage field as in most states of the union.

[Jasmine728]

Yea that would be a concern with a Yurt.
What about Starplates? My friend built a barn in a weekend using them...

THE STARPLATE CONNECTION

[AlohaAlaska]

Jasmine728, Thank you for that info I am researching it right now. I am interested in using perhaps 10' 2x4 struts if I went with this type of construction. It seems very basic and economical, anyone know of this technique being used on the islands? Also, would this pass permitting and are they available to purchase in Hawaii or would I have to bring the starplates with me?

Mahalo

[Balad1]

Here is a buliding supply company that has 3 locations on Hawaii that I have used. They sell home building packages that include approved building plans and the materials. They will also help in submitting and obtaining building permits. Home packages start at 480 square feet. They will also recommend builders or you can do it yourself.

HPM Building Supply: Home Builder (http://hpmhawaii.com/homeplanning/homeselector - broken link)

[alaskangrown]

Palmer- nice area We're from Fairbanks, just finished with college- when are you going to be there? We're building from Dec-Feb this year.

A yurt! Good thinking, have you looked into Bamboo for the lattice? That would be cheaper than 1x2s or really anything else, and it's fairly easy to get ahold of.

So if you're going without 'running water', I would suggest doing the bucket/leachline method. It's popular here in Fairbanks, and I have several friends in Mexico and Hawai'i that do it this way, and have had awesome results. Kumara, Banana, Plantain, Taro and tons of other plants can be grown in wastewater, in fact they thrive in it. I use my dishwater (using no sulfate biodegradable soap- usually glycerin or castille) and laundry water for my banana, palm and jasmine plants, with no problem.

As far as composting, I think we are going to be doing woodchips/leaf litter for a bit when we first arrive; woodchips are tougher to get ahold of on the island than in Alaska, so leaf litter can be good for short-term, or chip the trees you cut down for building space. We will be using the manure for tree planting (dig out holes, fill with 1-2' of waste, plant tree=sweet!) initially, then composting the rest for fertilizer. We may or may not get a "Biolet" as their maintenance is kind of ridiculous, and requires the constant purchasing of material, so most likely we will stick to a pit toilet, or "long drop" as some call it. With a tank, you can even get it pumped, instead of composting it, but I'd rather build my soil with than pay to have it taken away :/

As far as permitting, we are building a similar size structure (450sf, + lanai) and a mandi (75sf, Indonesian-style bathouse for laundry/bathing) and we're still deciding whether or not to go with permitting our house as a 'non-house' structure or not; it would be cheaper, and then we would be side-stepping all of the nonsense with plumbing and wiring. Because we are going to have no electricity (only small solar setup), no plumbing, and doesn't really qualify as a house. The permits are cheaper, easier to get, and we don't plan on selling it ever, so it doesn't really matter to us. The drawbacks is that it makes it harder to sell, and it can't be insured as a home. But those things don't really matter that much to us, and seeing as how we are building it ourselves, it shouldn't be a problem.

[alaskangrown]

Also, for your yurt platform supports, HPM has 4x4s, pressure treated, for $1.10 per linear foot, which is a little cheaper that what we pay here, not sure on OSB or decking.

[Balad1]

What the Big Island doesn't need more of is Non Permitted structures/houses. The county is cracking down of this and all it takes is one person to dime you and you'll have wasted your money to date.

To be honest the B.I. is popular to many folks from Alaska and unfortunately many don't want to conform to county code with septic systems, running water and occupancy permits. For these people I would say, conform to our laws, be an asset or else don't come.

PS: OP, I'm not saying this is your plan but some of the advice you're getting is trying to lead you down that path.

[alaskangrown]

Good advice Balad- be an asset. And being conscious of your own waste, while harming no-one is what I call being an asset! I know that doing things differently than most people can be scary, but it comes down to different strokes for different folks.

While "outhouses" are not permitted, small-capacity cesspools are, as are biodegradable toilets, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

[Balad1]

Sorry, not trying to be an ass but you just wouldn't believe the number of unpermitted houses on the B.I. I'm kinda a rule and regulation following guy and it drives me crazy at times. We've got people here living in everything from McMasions to caves. As you can imagine all the unpermitted houses are probably plumbed and wired to no safe standard.

[alaskangrown]

I understand, there are a *lot* of unpermitted places, but in some cases it makes sense. I've spent literally hours on the phone with the county planners, trying to clarify poorly written codes. And really, what I've come to find out is that most communist countries have more liberal building laws !

I know code is for a reason, and I do believe in it, but whether or not I have a humanure compost, hot water, solar lights or a hand pump for water should be MY business.

That said, I'm pretty sure my neighbor here in Alaska has been living under a tarp in a house built of blue foam for three years. That is insane. Or my neighbor in Hawai'i that lives in...I'll be honest- it's a tree fort, minus the trees, made out of paintbrush eucalyptus that's rotting away while he's back in Boulder, and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't have a house next to me when I return...

But what really gets me is all the bureaucracy, redundancy. I know most people aren't intelligent enough to figure out how to build a home safely, but 175+ pages plus of rules seems excessive. But that's really one of the bigger problems with the country :/