27 replies to this topic

[bgl]

Yesterday was the big day - I was able to begin moving into my new house on two acres on Pomaikai Street here in Leilani Estates. To show the progress in exactly 4.5 months, here are two photos. The first photo was taken on 16 November 2011, the day before we broke ground. The second photo was taken yesterday, 31 March 2012, from the exact same spot and facing the exact same direction. Kevin, my contractor, has done an outstanding job, at times pushing ahead under adverse weather conditions. We had 50 inches of rain in November/December!

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[bgl]

First, a photo of the front of the house, and the 10,000 gallon catchment tank. Yes, I will landscape around it and a couple of years from now it will be mostly hidden behind palms and other vegetation - planted at a safe distance away from it!

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[bgl]

The 16 x 20 ft lanai from a couple of different angles. The little ravine right in front of the lanai will be completely landscaped. Lots of palm planting space!

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[bgl]

Inside the house, there's a fairly large main room, and two bedrooms at the other end. A couple of views of the main room, with the kitchen and an office corner. The built-in bookcase is almost full of books already! Floor is bamboo and the ceiling is SPF (Spruce-pine-fir).

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[Tassie_Troy1971]

Wow Bo the house has come up really nice . The woodern floors look great what kind of timber was used ?

I can only imagine how the garden will look in a few yrs time !

Troy

[bgl]

And two more lanai shots! As mentioned in my other "House thread", these are ohia posts, from trees that we cut down on the property. Unfortunately, it's not an uncommon sight throughout Leilani Estates, and elsewhere, to see large ohia trees dying, and we harvested a few that were "on their way out", so no healthy ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha) trees were cut down.

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[bgl]

Troy, thanks! And the floors inside the house are all bamboo. Here are two photos showing the bathroom with the shower. There's a larger outdoor shower as well. (First photo in post #3).

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[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Looking great Bo. How does the catchment tank "catch" any rain water if it has a lid on it? Uh oh, your refrigerator door is on backwards.

[james1234]

Can't wait to start seeing pictures of the evolving plants around the house.
James

[peachy]

Indoor plumbing...how uppity.
Peachy

[palmisland]

Woo hoo! Party at Bo's new place

[BS Man about Palms]

Cool Beans!

[palmmermaid]

Dean.

I noticed the refrigerator door as well!

Bo, Looks great! Can't wait to see the landscaping.

[Trópico]

Congrats, Bo! Looks very inviting. I love the wood interiors and the bathroom floors. It's a long shot but I hope to be able to visit one day.

[Dr. George]

Very nice! Kevin has done a great job for you.

Where do we sign up for a tour?

gmp

[George Sparkman]

Congrats Bo !
It will nice to follow the plant growth when you start planting around the house.
Please keep us up to speed.

Happy growing,
George Sparkman
Cycads-n-Palms.com

[bgl]

Everybody, thanks for the comments!

Jerry and Kitty - refrigerator door: very observant. Long story. I actually bought it for the rental, where I have been for almost a year and a half, and then Kevin and James moved it to my house a few days ago. At the time when I bought it, the orientation of the door was not something I gave any thought. Kevin has actually spent a fair amount of time checking into this. Whether it would work to turn it around. Not possible on this model. But actually, surprisingly, it's going to work just fine. First of all, the door opens almost 180 degrees, so it'll be perfectly natural to take stuff out and put it on the island. But more importantly, my work space/desk will be in front of the built-in bookcase. I get up frequently during the day to get stuff out of the fridge, and from that direction it opens "correctly". This is how it will be used at least 80-90% of the time. And Jerry, the water that goes into the tank is caught off the roof and then goes through underground pipes to the tank. A lid is critical in order to keep debris and bugs out of the water.

James, welcome to PalmTalk! And I see you're also interested in bromeliads. This will be primarily a palm and bromeliad garden, even though there will certainly be other plant groups as well!

Peachy, I know, but apparently indoor plumbing is the latest fad! So, I decided to go for it!

Palm Island - there will be a housewarming party! I'll be announcing it here! Probably not for a few months, though.

Bill - well, I hope to see you here soon! See my comment above...

Frank - ditto, and why not?

Dr G - well, I know you're going to be here - just a question of timing! Let me know when you're coming this way, and you can sign up on arrival!

George - now that the construction phase is behind me, I can also begin planting around the house, and that's going to be an extensive and exciting project!

Bo-Göran

[redant]

Best of luck at the new place, looks great. Can't wait for the new garden pictures to start

[John in Andalucia]

Looks great, Bo. Very Swedish on the inside, naturally!

[Fallbrook Jason]

Great looking place Bo! Thanks for posting all of these updates on the progress, I've enjoyed following them and can't wait to see how the garden starts out!

[paulgila]

looks like a wonderful home,inside & out.

[DoomsDave]

Very nice!

I remember back when the interior was bare to the sky, with bare framing . . .

[bgl]

Guys,

Thanks a lot for the comments, and yes, it will definitely be fun to start planting in the areas close to house, now that the construction phase is behind me. Lots of potential! And there will be photos posted!

Bo-Göran

[MattyB]

Looks nice and fresh Bo! Keep us updated on the progress. Knowing you, the garden will be progressing at an accelorated rate!

[amazondk]

Your place looks great Bo.

dk

[bgl]

Matt and Don, thanks a lot! And yes, I am looking forward to putting more palms and bromeliads in the ground. Planted the first palms in January 2011 and some of them have grown quite a bit since.

Bo-Göran

[Kathryn]

Looks great Bo. I enjoyed your other thread showing the building process. When we were looking for our farm property, I was hoping to build a simple, cute, farm house. We found a great place that we couldn't pass up but it had a larger traditional home.

I'm looking forward to seeing the planting progress.

[bgl]

Kathryn,

Thanks a lot! And "simple and cute" - great concept! I hope you and Craig will be happy in your new home. And once I get all my stuff in order in the house I will begin planting again. Lots of palms that I want to get in the ground! And I can't resist posting two more photos to show the transition. The photos are taken in approximately the same location and facing the same general direction, not quite 16 months apart. The first photo on March 31, 2012 and the second photo on Dec. 10, 2010.

Bo-Göran

EDIT - no idea why they showed up in the wrong order... The older one obviously should have been the first photo....

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