Building Costs in Hana Maui - Septic, Power, Water (how much, houses)

[ilovemaui]

I am considering buying a plot of land similar to 377 Ulaino Rd in Hana Maui, Hawaii

I am wondering if anyone has built in Hana (or other Maui rural area) successfully and what the costs were.

I understand septic costs about $20,000 to build, and $500 per septic truck service, which you will need about twice per year?

For power, I'm wondering if you can use only solar, and a generator if need be? What are the other options?

How do you know if power is available in rural Maui? How much does it cost to meter and connect?

For Water, it seems to be the most difficult issue. I imagine there is nowehere you can tap into a natural water source and make a well, so what are the options there? What services are available from the country to connect to a water source in an area like this? How much would it cost to bring in on a truck?

Lastly, what is the cost of building a modest home in this area? Bamboo pre-fab homes tend to be incredibly small, and then there's the issue of trucking it in. What are some affordable options here? What are the costs of certifying, surveying, permits, etc?

Please indicate if you have experience with this or if you have simply researched it. All comments are welcome regardless of which category you fall in.

[whtviper1]

I have experience with solar - while you can get a charge when cloudy - it isn't well suited to Hana given the constant rain/clouds in the area - you'll need more power than the solar can provide for a typical solar layout.

[hothulamaui]

perhaps you should contact a contractor that builds homes. the water company could tell you what you need to know about the water issues

[goofcat]

As for water, make sure the land you buy has a water meter on it already. I've heard that the permit process to get a new meter can take years. It'll be even better if there is an established well or rain water catchment system. But just plan on everything being more complected, expensive and taking longer to accomplish.

[CyberCity]

My comments in red.

Originally Posted by ilovemaui

I am considering buying a plot of land similar to 377 Ulaino Rd in Hana Maui, Hawaii

I am wondering if anyone has built in Hana (or other Maui rural area) successfully and what the costs were. Not Maui, but yes for rural Hawaii Island.

I understand septic costs about $20,000 to build, and $500 per septic truck service, which you will need about twice per year? Check Maui companies' websites for info, here is one. And companies are just a phone call away, they can help give referral to other businesses if they cannot do what you need.

For power, I'm wondering if you can use only solar, and a generator if need be? What are the other options?

How do you know if power is available in rural Maui? How much does it cost to meter and connect?

My comments in red.

Call Maui Electric at 808-871-9777 for information on power options and new construction (connecting).

For Water, it seems to be the most difficult issue. I imagine there is nowehere you can tap into a natural water source and make a well, so what are the options there? What services are available from the country to connect to a water source in an area like this? How much would it cost to bring in on a truck?
Call County of Maui, Dept of Water Supply at 808-270-7730.


Lastly, what is the cost of building a modest home in this area? Bamboo pre-fab homes tend to be incredibly small, and then there's the issue of trucking it in. What are some affordable options here? What are the costs of certifying, surveying, permits, etc?
Google Google Google

Please indicate if you have experience with this or if you have simply researched it. All comments are welcome regardless of which category you fall in.I've built a rural house on Hawaii Island. You have a ton of research ahead of you if you are planning on doing the construction yourself. But if you plan on hiring a general contractor, then contact one from the get-go and they can give you detailed info on all your questions.

[jportal]

Just to let you know, there is no water or electric service from just past the "Kaeleku Caverns/ Hana cave tours.(google for location) The area of your example lot is in that area. Water sources other than trucking is all catchment. Drilling is complicated and expensive. Depending on your needs you can live completely PV, in that area. There are already quite a few houses on Ulaino Rd that are completely solar. I live just above the area you are talking about. Am on the grid, however, I have a place in Kipahulu also, which is completely off the grid, so I know what I am talking about. Most people off of the grid have solar and usually a back up generator that will charge batteries if there is more than a day or two of clouds. I was lead on a job where the owner put in a 2kw solar system in Kaupo. It is just about like living on the grid. So it depends on your budget?? This is only ballpark, too many variables for not knowing you. But, if you buy a package for about $75,000, and do most of the work yourself you might get away with double that includes: solar, catchment, septic, wiring, and plumbing. Phones are another issue. no phone lines down Ulaino. Depending on the location I have seen people with Yagi antennas get a very good signal. My qualifications: I am a licensed contractor but now days I usually just to remodels and finish/custom work. I am obviously new to this site and forum, but am here now. I do not know if you can PM me I might be able to help out or at least point you in the right direction. good luck and maybe, welcome to the neighborhood. aloha

[ilovemaui]

Hey jportal,
So it's about 75k to get "hooked up" for everything you need then as a rough estimate out there?
That wouldn't require having a water meter right?

Thanks so much.

[jportal]

ilovemaui I PM'd you give me a call.

For others $75K is for a materials package. It would be about another $75k for a simple catchment, septic, PV .
would not include any labor or cost of land, of course. Lots of other variables depending on location, budget, life style you are looking for.

[DancingSea]

Originally Posted by ilovemaui

I am considering buying a plot of land similar to 377 Ulaino Rd in Hana Maui, Hawaii

I am wondering if anyone has built in Hana (or other Maui rural area) successfully and what the costs were.
My answers in red. I have researched this extensively in upcountry Maui, though not specifically to Hana. The principles are largely the same with Hana having a higher transportation cost for materials. A contractor can clarify.

I understand septic costs about $20,000 to build, and $500 per septic truck service, which you will need about twice per year?
In the regular part of Maui, a 3 - 4 bedroom septic system costs in the $10,000 range, I had quotes as low as $8,000 and as high as $15,000. Twice a year for pumping seems awfully frequent. I rented a 2000 sf house in Kula for 8 years and it never need to be pumped during that time.

For power, I'm wondering if you can use only solar, and a generator if need be? What are the other options?
The only other option is to find the nearest power poll and ask MECO how much it costs to run power to your site. Unless power is really close by, it will be far more cost effective to have solar. Running power poles is very expensive, I forget exactly how much, something like $15,000 a poll, but I may be low with that guess.

How do you know if power is available in rural Maui? How much does it cost to meter and connect? As others suggested, call MECO - they have maps that are often even accurate. I did this for catchment land upcountry that had power stumped to the site, wanted to determine hookup costs. They could never give me a definitive answer, so they can be a little laborious to deal with. Bottom line, if all your neighbors are on solar, it's 99.9% likely solar will be your best way to go.

For Water, it seems to be the most difficult issue. I imagine there is nowehere you can tap into a natural water source and make a well, so what are the options there? What services are available from the country to connect to a water source in an area like this? How much would it cost to bring in on a truck?
For upcountry Maui, it costs about $100 per 1000 gallons of water by truck. That's really really expensive and something only to be used as emergency in times of draught. Don't know if there are Hana based water haulers, but I doubt it seriously given the large amount of rainfall in the area. To pay a central Maui hauler to haul to Hana could be $300 per 1000 gallons, who knows. There are wells on Maui, but really, catchment is the way to go and the preferred choice of most in your situation. A 20,000 gallon system costs about $15,000 upcountry. Keep in mind, while yes, a Maui County water meter is an asset, there are plenty of people who live only with catchment and prefer the water quality to what is supplied by the County which is notorious for added chemicals - and it's just surface rain water anyway. However, if you run out of catchment water, the County will not help you - at all, they have no sympathy. If your land does not have a water meter, wipe your mind clean of any reasonable notion of obtaining a meter. The waiting list has about 2,000 people on it. The lady who is #30 has been on the list since the late 70's. Also, catchment is best with a metal roof. Hana gets tons of rain, no need to worry about having enough, just make sure your tank is large enough to cover the dry season and that your original plans include the catchment system and include plenty of roof space in your calculations. For those building in areas that are more dry than Hana/ Haiku, really do your due diligence in terms of obtaining building permits (prior to purchase) with a catchment system. If the County does not think there's enough rain, you won't get a permit.

Lastly, what is the cost of building a modest home in this area? Bamboo pre-fab homes tend to be incredibly small, and then there's the issue of trucking it in. What are some affordable options here? What are the costs of certifying, surveying, permits, etc?
BambooLiving.com, a Maui based bamboo kit company, has kits for any size house you want. They are very cool looking. I just couldn't get over the idea of my house being made of bamboo manufactured in Viet Nam. Bamboo is the material of choice for the most poorest of the poor people in the world whose houses last a few years and are rebuilt. Bamboo Living does treat their bamboo, but will it stand up over time? Who knows, they've only been doing it for 15 years. Yes they have a 20 year warranty, but will they be around that long? Is there a good reason they are the only bamboo kit company in the western world? Are they smarter than everyone else? They are a very nice people. Maybe they are smarter, but I did not want to risk it. I could see Bamboo if there was a noticeable cost savings vs conventional, but they cost just as much, or more, than a conventional house. Once I got passed the very cool photos of their bamboo homes I decided to go conventional wood with hardie-board siding. Another option is concrete like Castleblock.com from the Big Island.

Survey is under $1,000. Permits are not expensive, just a cumbersome and at times lengthy process. Can be as short as 6 weeks, as long as 6 months or more, depends on the mood of the County. It helps to have a contractor do the permits for you. Upcountry, cost for a non-high end house are about $175/sf, not sure about Hana mark up. Keep in mind, it is against the law to hire a non-licensed contractor to do a contractor's work. It is illegal to hire someone who is "working under someone else's license", they have to have their own. The law carries penalties for both the fake contractor as well as the owner who hires them.

Please indicate if you have experience with this or if you have simply researched it. All comments are welcome regardless of which category you fall in.

Spent 12 months and countless hours researching (mostly by phone), know more than I care to know

Useful websites:
For sun house - Sun Hours - Hawaii Energy Connection
Maui rain - http://www.hawaii-guide.com/images/b...cipitation.jpg
Building permit database to spy on your contractor's past work - KivaNet 9.1.2.1
To check on a contractor's license status - Check Out A Business Online — Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
County of Maui contacts - Maui County, HI - Official Website
Property tax records to see what neighbors paid for land - Aloha and welcome to the County of Maui’s Real Property Tax Assessment Website
No one has studied Hawaii catchment more than this fine lady - http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf

[DancingSea]

One more thing to keep in mind is that off the grid (no power, no water) can potentially be difficult to finance. This effects you when you purchase/ build, and also when you sell. A bank could require 3 comps within the past 6 months in your area, which you may or may not have. Not saying to not buy this sort of land, just be aware of the pros and cons and do your complete due diligence. A realtor can help, but in my experience, it's best to find out all the details yourself. You'd be surprised how uneducated realtors are when it comes to these sorts of special circumstances. I've found them to often assume things without really knowing for sure.