Bamboo Houses in Hawaii

[Mark_NoVA]

These bamboo houses are made in Hawaii, and they sure look beautiful in the photos! Have any of you in Hawaii considered building these, or have knowledge about them? Bamboo Living

[www.dadluvsu.com]

I've considered them expensive and not as green as they are touted to be. Dang things are made in Vietnam or something and then shipped all around the world in a container... Not sure how sludge tankers are supposed green?

The housing concept itself is a fantastic idea, but until these houses are built with local materials and local labor they really aren't as "green" as they would have us believe...

WOOSAH!! had to get that off my chest.

[waykoolplantz]

i have a yard full of bamboo & would like to build a tea house out of my own...wish i knew how

[Plott Palm Trees]

AWESOME I WANT ONE!!! WAY COOL PICS.

[Moose]

i have a yard full of bamboo & would like to build a tea house out of my own...wish i knew how

Don't you dare cut down that gorgeous blue bamboo you have Mike!

[JungleGina]

They've been building homes from bamboo in China and South America for hundreds of years. These structures are hurricane proof and stand up to the test of time. Bamboo is structurally stronger than steel. We have much to learn. In Hawaii, they are building AND coding these homes, which makes Hawaii a leader for the U.S. in what could become a very important industry once people learn to accept it and wrap their minds around the concept. This will lead the way for those of us that would like to live in homes like this but live where permitting makes it impossible because they can't think outside the McMansion box. Bamboo is a sustainable product that grows up to a foot per day and can be harvested mature in 3 to 5 years; whereas hard wood can take 10 to 15 years or more to harvest. It is also not a clearcut product but continually regenerates itself once mature so that harvesting can be done on a continual basis. Our current housing practices are not sustainable and bamboo should prove to be useful in sustainable culture. The problem is the general unavailability of it in the U.S. and having few large plantations, problems with importation of various species, and people misunderstanding bamboo and being fearful of it. Once people in this country start to understand its importance and usefulness, these types of structures will be more available. Personally, I CAN'T WAIT!! If you look up the structures being built out of guadua bamboo in Columbia by Simon Velez and Marcelo Villegas and you will be amazed at what they can do. We need people in this country to grow structural bamboo so it can be locally sourced and then it will become affordable and "green". I'm working on it as we speak.

[rozpalm]

There are people in Miami that can build these structures. However, the construction quality bamboo (usually Guadua) will most likely be imported from South America. There is also a guy up the coast from me called Bamboo Barry who builds some incredible structures. Bamboo is probably one of the most under utilized building materials in both Europe and the US. Below are pictures I took in Hong Kong where they use bamboo as scaffolding for buildings as high as 20 stories. They also use twine to bind the bamboo together to make the scaffolding.

[Kim]

My husband and I looked into this fairly seriously. The house kits seemed reasonably inexpensive until you figure in all the labor, foundation work and finishing costs for electrical, plumbing, etc. Add in the cost of everything to complete a house, and they are not a bargain. In the end, it was moot because buying a relatively new house had become cheaper than any kind of new construction, not to mention painless in terms of time and effort -- living and working in California while building in Hawaii? Complicated...

[paulgila]

hard to get yer furniture to fit in a round house,from what i hear.

[Mark_NoVA]

Kim, that's interesting you looked at that in detail, and what you found out. How did the cost compare with new construction of the traditional sort? Did you find out from owners how well they age and stand up to the elements?

JungleGina, yes, I've seen some of those structures built in Columbia by Velez, and they are spectacular! China has other species of construction-grade bamboo, notably Moso. When I re-did my basement floor and stairs, I used 2 different kinds of flooring made from Moso, and they're wonderful!

Waykoolplantz, I think building a house-like structure requires certain species of bamboo, with culms identified of the right age (they get thicker/stronger over a period of years), and then they need to be dried/cured. Things like fencing or trellises could probably be made with arbitrary bamboo cut down in the yard. That'd be cool if you have the right kind of bamboo and built something!

I think there could be a big market for yard structures made of bamboo--pavilions/gazebos/teahouses etc. Since code-compliant houses can be built with bamboo, I'm surprised bamboo yard structures aren't more widely available.

[kahili]

When I lived in Hawaii, I made a screen out of bamboo that went around the shower area and it lasted forever. A lot of material will break down from moisture in a jungle on the rainy side in Hawaii, but bamboo stays perfectly strong. Its easy to cut or split (can cut the skin easily though while splitting). I used it for many other purposes as well-posts in the house, furniture-its a great plant. I never dried it before using it, but I didn't make a house out of it either

[Walter John]

They've been building homes from bamboo in China and South America for hundreds of years. These structures are hurricane proof and stand up to the test of time. Bamboo is structurally stronger than steel. We have much to learn. In Hawaii, they are building AND coding these homes, which makes Hawaii a leader for the U.S. in what could become a very important industry once people learn to accept it and wrap their minds around the concept. This will lead the way for those of us that would like to live in homes like this but live where permitting makes it impossible because they can't think outside the McMansion box. Bamboo is a sustainable product that grows up to a foot per day and can be harvested mature in 3 to 5 years; whereas hard wood can take 10 to 15 years or more to harvest. It is also not a clearcut product but continually regenerates itself once mature so that harvesting can be done on a continual basis. Our current housing practices are not sustainable and bamboo should prove to be useful in sustainable culture. The problem is the general unavailability of it in the U.S. and having few large plantations, problems with importation of various species, and people misunderstanding bamboo and being fearful of it. Once people in this country start to understand its importance and usefulness, these types of structures will be more available. Personally, I CAN'T WAIT!! If you look up the structures being built out of guadua bamboo in Columbia by Simon Velez and Marcelo Villegas and you will be amazed at what they can do. We need people in this country to grow structural bamboo so it can be locally sourced and then it will become affordable and "green". I'm working on it as we speak.

Excellent report thanks for posting, I agree entirely. People still don't get bamboo here either, they still think it's all invasive and will eat you and your dog.

[Kim]

Hi Mark -- we sent an online inquiry, and this was the response:

Aloha Kim,

Thank you for your interest in Bamboo Living Homes, eco-friendly homes built

from earth's most sustainable and renewable resource.

The cost of our newest line of more affordable bamboo homes will run

approximately $70 psf for the Plantation style home. We ask people to

estimate double the house package price for a total finished cost. So if you

spend $70,000 for a 1,000 sq ft model, you would end up adding another

$70,000 to finish the house for a total of $140,000.

Each model and floor plan vary in price based upon size, complexity to

build and interior wall design. Let me know what size would work for you and

I will work up a cost for that home model.

You or your builder are responsible for the foundation. We have project

foremen that can come to your site to erect the house package for an

additional fee. The homes usually go up in just a few days. Then you are

ready to finish it out: Plumbing, electrical, cabinets, flooring etc.

Let me know if you would like me to send you any literature or house photos.

Our website will be getting a facelift by the first of May.

Let me know how else I may serve you.

Mahalo,

--

Kirk Heiner

_________________________________________________

Sales Manager

Bamboo Living Homes & Resorts

P.O. Box 1238 Haiku, Maui Hawaii 96708-1238

www.bambooliving.com ph. (808) 572-1007

The house we bought is about 800 sq. ft., 4 years old, and with the acre of land, a better deal than quoted for the bamboo house above. Yes the bamboo is cooler looking, but...

[Mark_NoVA]

Thanks for the info, Kim!

[John in Andalucia]

Couldn't resist any longer..

[ariscott]

Bamboo is as green as you can go. They grow so fast... faster than most trees & they replace themselves just as fast. I think more stuff should be made of bamboo, not wood!!

House made of bamboo is hard to do here though, as we have the 2nd highest cyclone coding for our houses... But down south, I don't see why not. They have started using bamboo for flooring now, which is good to see.

Regards, Ari

[Kim]

Bamboo is as green as you can go. They grow so fast... faster than most trees & they replace themselves just as fast. I think more stuff should be made of bamboo, not wood!!

House made of bamboo is hard to do here though, as we have the 2nd highest cyclone coding for our houses... But down south, I don't see why not. They have started using bamboo for flooring now, which is good to see.

Regards, Ari

Yes, bamboo flooring is all the rage here, very beautiful and durable as well. We've talked about using bamboo for many refurbishing projects in the Hawaii house when the time comes: flooring, cabinets, furnishings. Furniture made from bamboo plywood/laminates (as opposed to the traditional pole furniture) is not so easy to find right now, but I expect we'll see it more widely available in the coming years. The bamboo laminate materials make for a very fresh, modern look.

[Mark_NoVA]

They're even coming out with bamboo lumber and decking now. The decking looks interesting...here are some project photos at Cali Bamboo.