Building my new house

[Kris]

Dear Bo,

Nice work,beautiful house.

Wish you all the best..

love,

kris.

[Annika]

I find it very interesting and fun to see the progress of the house even though I am not on the islands! To have documented the development of the home you will live in is a pretty cool idea!

[bgl]

Keith, Kris and Annika - thanks for the comments! And Annika, I KNOW you'll be here at some point and you'll get to see the garden and the house yourself!

Bo-Göran

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Hope that latest 5.0 didn't shake up the new house too much! Looks like a fun project Bo, I'm diggin the simplicity style... Enjoy it!

[bgl]

Bill,

Thanks a lot! I hope you'll be here soon again so you can see for yourself! And when the 5.0 hit yesterday afternoon I was actually nextdoor with Rich, and we were checking out PalmTalk! His house shook for a good while and it took some time for the wine to settle down in our glasses! Other than that, we were fine!

Bo-Göran

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Bo,

I am told that wine, in the belly, does not get shaken by oifquakes. Furthermore, beer, whether in a glass or your belly, is completely unaffected by them. Just sayin'.

I too enjoy your house building pics and comments. Interesting to see different construction techniques for different problems. And, like Sweet William, I think the "simpler is better" motto should be followed more often. I await, with bad breath, er, I mean bated breath, your continued photo essay.

[bgl]

Jerry,

Thanks for your comments! I wouldn't know about the wine vs. beer comment and I'm having difficulties figuring out how to test this theory!

But I will post updates, even though between now and completion date the changes will be less dramatic.

Bo-Göran

[www.dadluvsu.com]

It's gonna be a while before we get out there... Decided we wanna get a larger plot up Hamakua with a waterfall!

Penciled arrival around the Solar eclipse in 2017...

By the way Bo, how much is a sheet of hardiepanel in the 808? Happened to need a stack of the stuff today and we paid $26.48 for a 4x8 sheet... I'm guessin' HI prices are about 30% more than Florida prices due to shipping fares?...

[bgl]

Bill,

Oh sorry, I have no clue. Kevin, my contractor is taking care of all this and he obviously bought a whole bunch, so whatever he paid would presumably be much less than if you were to ask for the price of just one panel. I have a number in the bid for "rough carpentry, exterior siding, trims, rails" so no way to figure out the cost of one panel based on that. Plus, I have no idea how many panels he bought.

Bo-Göran

[KPL]

What happened to the roof? How many trees fell on same early this month? I guess you fixed that really fast.

KPL

[bgl]

Wow, someone is paying attention! Actually, only one tree fell on the roof. That was during very heavy winds on February 7th. A tall and VERY dead ohia tree fell, and landed on the roof. It was only about 25 ft away from the house and should have been taken down before construction began. But damage was minimal. Kevin inspected the roof the next day, and ordered two new panels which will replace the two panels that have a few very minor dents in them. The new panels have not yet been installed but are ready to be delivered to the site. Here's a photo of the house two days AFTER the tree landed on the roof. The extremely minor damage is on the right side of the roof, but it'd be tough to make out unless you know exactly where to look.

The second photo is of the lanai, which is now beginning to get a more finished look. What still remains to be installed are five smaller ohia posts that will support the railing.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Wow that was quick Bo . I really like the way you have incorperated the native timbers into the design of the house .

Troy

[MattyB]

What a beautiful lanai!

[Kim]

It's looking fantastic, Bo, as you know I've been following your blog. I'm really looking forward to seeing the completed house soon. Get this out of the way so you can concentrate on your garden.

[bgl]

Troy and Matt, thanks and the lanai should have a finished look next week, and that will include five additional smaller ohia posts. I'll post a photo.

Kim, thanks! I am looking forward to completion as well! And I have no difficulties concentrating on the garden. My main project these past couple of weeks has been to get rid of all the weedtrees (strawberry guava for instance) in the area outside of the lanai. Keep the native hapu'u tree ferns and the healthy ohia trees and get rid of all the invasive bushes and trees and in time replace them with palms and bromeliads. But it'll be a little while before I can start planting there. Still very dense with weeds!

Bo-Göran

[BigFrond]

Will you be planting all of your palms from you old nursery?

[bgl]

BigFrond,

Well, we sold most of the palms in the nursery as it was being liquidared a year ago. But I still have quite a few palms from the nursery, and many of them will definitely be planted, but certainly not all. For instance, I probably have 30 Beccariophoenix in 5G pots - not going to plant all those, even though I'm sure it would be an interesting look! I have planted about 200 palms up to this point, but most of my time is taken up by preparing a few different areas. Getting rid of weeds and weed trees. After that's done I can plant in those areas. And there will be photos posted here! In time (and not in this thread).

Bo-Göran

[BigFrond]

BigFrond,

Well, we sold most of the palms in the nursery as it was being liquidared a year ago. But I still have quite a few palms from the nursery, and many of them will definitely be planted, but certainly not all. For instance, I probably have 30 Beccariophoenix in 5G pots - not going to plant all those, even though I'm sure it would be an interesting look! I have planted about 200 palms up to this point, but most of my time is taken up by preparing a few different areas. Getting rid of weeds and weed trees. After that's done I can plant in those areas. And there will be photos posted here! In time (and not in this thread).

Bo-Göran

Unreal No. Your house is not completed and you have 200 palms planted. I can't wait to see the palm pictures.

[Harry]

If you don’t mind me asking, how much did the house cost (per square metre, not the total)?

A similar house, but with a more conventional construction (i.e. concrete framework and brick walls)

would cost here about € 1.100 Euros per m2

(not including land, architect’s fees, permits, utility connections, ac units etc).

[bgl]

Harry,

A bit difficult to compare because I am assuming your cost per sq.m. is for living space. My total cost does include utility hookup (fairly pricey since the house is about 100 m away from the street), water catchment tank, large lanai and carport. I don't have a breakdown for those items, but when I do a rough estimate and deduct them from my total I believe my cost per sq.m. is just a bit higher than yours. Probably between 5 and 10%. One thing to keep in mind though - this may be a fairly small house, but it's completely custom built. I could have chosen a kit (and there are many that are available) and probably saved close to 25%.

Bo-Göran

[Harry]

The empirical estimate given above is derived by calculating the total cost of the house including garages, verandas (or lanai – nice word!), perimeter walls, fencing, external paved areas, plumbing, and central heating provisions but dividing only by the area of the enclosed living spaces. The assumption is also of a custom built house, ordinary foundations and average quality floors/ wall finishes/ carpentry.

I would have thought that your costs would be much less since timber frames & drywall are much cheaper than reinforced concrete. I guess this is because all the materials have to be imported.

Anyway, your house looks wonderful!

To me this method of construction is perfect for a tropical climate like Hawaii. I especially like the wood ceilings and decking on the lanai.

The only problem with owning a brand new house is that maintenance starts the day you move in!!

[bgl]

Oh, I am familiar with the maintenance issue, even though I don't expect it to be much of an "issue" for quite some time. And yes, pretty much everything that is needed to build a house has to be shipped over to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland (or from elsewhere) and that certainly adds to the cost.

[rozpalm]

Your house is the perfect design and size to be in the middle of a palm jungle. I love the lanai. Its very inviting.

[peachy]

Versailles was quicker to build.

Peachy

[bgl]

Versailles was quicker to build.

Peachy

That's not how I remember it! And Ron - thank you - the lanai has been completed now. I'll take a photo later today.

Bo-Göran

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Hi Bo,

Do you have any detail shots? How the interior flooring is installed? How the roof/ceiling is framed? How any insulation is installed? A radiant heat barrier? Plumbing shots? Kitchen shots?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Jeff Searle]

Bo,

With a fresh start for the landscaping, have you thought much on what some of your favorite palms species will be planted near and around the house?

Also, anything you would do differently this time around compared to your last home/garden? Less species, less/more groupings, spaced out more, other plant groups used more,etc?

Thanks!

Jeff

[bgl]

Jeff,

Yes, it's very exciting to have an opportunity to create aother garden. And this one will be quite different. Not because I regret the way I planned and planted my old garden, but simply because it will be fun to try different approaches. First of all, this garden is smaller (2 acres vs. 5 acres in my old garden). Secondly, the topography is quite different with a gently sloping little ravine right in front of the area where I have the lanai. Third, while I like all palms, there are many palms that I planted in my old garden that I will simply not use in my new garden. I will focus on a smaller number of species, and yes, generally plant in groups. It will not be geographically divided the way my old garden was. Instead, I will attempt to combine different palm (and plant) groups in a way that will be interesting and (I hope!) aesthetically pleasing. Some of my favorite palm genera are Clinostigma, Dypsis (primarily the larger ones), Licuala, Calyptrocalyx, Pinanga, Areca and a handful of others, and there will be plenty of those throughout the garden, accented by groups of Marojejya, Lemurophoenix, Bentinckia condapanna, Carpoxylon and a few others. There will also be plenty of bromeliads, and they will add lots of color and interest to various areas. Because of their size they are perfect companion plants to palms. Anthuriums add lots of color and just as importantly, have color all year round, so there will be plenty of those, as well as other types of plants, like Calatheas, which I think are very attractive.

Jerry, I will add some "detail shots" later today!

Bo-Göran

[bgl]

Jerry,

OK, I have a few "detail shots" but maybe not quite as many as you requested! "Roof/ceiling framed" - I think Post #8 on the first page covers that pretty well. Showing the trusses going into place. "Plumbing" - afraid I don't have too much that's really but so informative. I have photos showing the trenches where the outdoor PVC piping will go down, but not too exciting! That's simply for me to have as a record so I know not to plant anything in that general area at some point in the future! And "flooring" - well, we didn't get to that yet. That will be the very last major compoment to go in place in order to minimize potential damage from other work being done in the house. Hopefully the installation will take place next week. But here's a shot of the insulation in the ceiling in the main room. There's also insulation in the walls. Insulation serves several important purposes here (since we don't have heat or A/C in the houses):

1 - keeps the house warmer during cool winter nights. Typically about 10 degrees F warmer than a house without insulation.

2 - keeps the house cooler during warm summer afternoons.

3 - minimizes problems with mold (which can be a serious problem in a house without insulation).

Bo-Göran

[bgl]

Front lanai is now complete (except for a little bench). Here's the whole lanai and also a detail shot of one of the four ohi'a posts.

[bgl]

And the same for the back (main) lanai. Four larger ohi'a posts and five smaller ones. The dimensions: 16 x 20 ft. (4.8 x 6.0 m)

[bgl]

Kitchen cabinets were installed just a couple of days ago. The metal "pulls" still need to be attached. This is maple with a natural finish. Black granite tops still to be installed as well.

[bgl]

And one of my favorite parts - the outdoor shower!

[BigFrond]

Awesome! I love the woodwork and decking. The color give it a nice contrast (almost furniture-like). BTW, how will the wood stand up to the hot and wet environment? My guess is that you will have to re-seal it every year? That would be too much work for me.

[Jeff Searle]

Bo,

Thanks, I look forward to the progress you make as planting begins soon. And I love the color of wood you used for the railing around the lanai. Sharp!

[redant]

And one of my favorite parts - the outdoor shower!

Everthing looks great. I love an ouside shower too. Feels great and nothing to clean up, i use mine all the time.

[Dypsisdean]

Really looking good Bo - it won't be long now.

[MattyB]

Thanks for keeping us updated with the pics Bo! Everything is coming along beautifully. I hope to be able to see it in person one day. Maybe all but the outdoor shower.

[Walter John]

What a beautiful lanai!

Roy Orbison - 1965

Oh, beautiful Lanai, don't you know that I wannay

Hug and kiss you, let you know that I miss you

While we're apart, oh, my heart

All I can say is L A N A I I, L A N A I I, L A N A, I I I hey !

It's a charming place Bo, well done.

[bgl]

Bigfrond, thanks! The wood itself will hold up just fine, but yes, it will need to get a new coat every now and then. The front lanai is much more exposed since that's the direction where the tradewinds (and the rain) comes from at least 90% of the time. The main lanai is on the leeward side and not so exposed. I will probably put on a new coat after about a year and then after that it won't be necessary to do it quite that often. Probably every few years.

Jeff, thanks! And I have already planted quite a few palms, but I expect to really get going once I am in the house.

Redant, thanks, and yes, the outdoor shower is perfect here, and it will be used every single day!

Dean, thanks, and yes, not too long. A couple of weeks hopefully!

Matty, thanks, and I certainly hope to see you here soon! And checking out the outdoor shower will be optional!

Wal, thank you, and I'm guessing that Roy didn't have my lanai in my mind, but hey, I'll take it!

Bo-Göran