Building a home in Hawaii

[mdand3boys]

Those little pieces of black lava rock, aka cinders, does a real number on carpet. Wears it out pretty quick. Tile and wood floors are easier to keep clean. Avoid linoleum - those pieces of lava tear it up too.

[hotzcatz]

Aha! I knew there was a reason we didn't see much carpet around here. I forgot about the cinders.

We don't have carpet because we are off the electric grid and vacuum cleaners suck up a huge amount of electricity. Fortunately, those Roomba robot vacuums are much better at not using much power. Yay!

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Those little pieces of black lava rock, aka cinders, does a real number on carpet. Wears it out pretty quick. Tile and wood floors are easier to keep clean. Avoid linoleum - those pieces of lava tear it up too.

Removing one's shoes before entering the house helps to keep the floors clean and minimize carpet wear.

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by Jonah K

Removing one's shoes before entering the house helps to keep the floors clean and minimize carpet wear.

Doesn't help much when the people take the shoes off outside, then take 1-2 steps before going in. Doesn't help much either when people who are barefoot come into the house either. (Hawaii - No shoes, No problem)

[Nalu]

I wouldn't have carpet here because it harbors mold. With our high humidity that's almost guaranteed. I like wood laminate floors, with area rugs in the living areas. if they get worn and nasty just replace. We have two rambunctious kids, 2 large dogs, and our wilsonart laminate wood floors don't even have a scratch after 3 years. That's durable. After scrubbing my grout lines on my tile, I'm kicking myself for not running the laminate throughout the whole house, bathrooms excluded of course. Angela

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Doesn't help much when the people take the shoes off outside, then take 1-2 steps before going in. Doesn't help much either when people who are barefoot come into the house either. (Hawaii - No shoes, No problem)

If the house has a large enough lanai and sits on a post-and-pier foundation, very few lava cinders will be tracked in the house by visitors and pets. However, if the house sits on a concrete slab with a small (or no lanai), all kinds of things will probably be tracked inside.

Anyone that's thinking about building a house in Hawai'i should probably pick up a copy of "The Hawai'i Home Book: Practical Tips for Tropical Living" and check out a few copies of "Hawai'i Home and Remodeling Magazine."