Good Contractor for New Home Build?

[hotzcatz]

Originally Posted by satwatcher

I am in the same boat and will be on island next week. I've been trying to get info remotely but it's just not the same visiting in person. Hope to visit some of the kit suppliers there as well. Any suggestions will be most welcome! Property is in Volcano CC subdiv.

Island folks (contractors, employers, landlords, etc., etc.) don't usually like to respond to mainland folks since frequently it's a waste of time. There's loads of folks on the mainland (especially when it's cold over there) who want to move here but then never do. Probably about 80% of requests from folks on the mainland is just 'tire kicking', they're not really interested in actually doing anything.


For kit homes, HPM & Argus are two of the major suppliers. The added bonus to a kit home is that many contractors have already put together the kits and are familiar with them.

[grantw]

What did they say at HPM when you met with them?

[satwatcher]

They were quoting me home prices 300K+. I said thanks and left. Argus was much better to work with and his company is the one I will be going with. I'm just waiting for COVID to be over as I can't go back there now without the 2-week quarantine.

[Luau Time]

Originally Posted by satwatcher

They were quoting me home prices 300K+. I said thanks and left. Argus was much better to work with and his company is the one I will be going with. I'm just waiting for COVID to be over as I can't go back there now without the 2-week quarantine.

Glad that you have found a company to work with. The prices quoted to you by HPM is what new homes are going for, excluding the lot. We wound up going approximately $200K over than what we wanted to spend looking for an older home already built. It was worthwhile considering the cost of already built older homes. We’re happy with the location, the one-acre lot, and the contractor building our home. He offered us his basic design and we made minor adjustments. The lot was $195K and the contract to build the home is $358K plus we buy the appliances. The contractor charged us less than his usual price because he is a friend of my SIL.

Best Regards
Judy

[hotzcatz]

One of the least expensive ways to get a house is to buy a fixer upper and do the work yourself. It's a long chore, though. We're finishing a year long project fixing up an extreme fixer upper. The final numbers will be just over $200K and that includes buying the property. But that also doesn't factor in any wages for ourselves while working on it.


Another option for less expensive housing for Hawaii Island is to build one as 'owner-builder'. You can hire all the work done, but there's no general contractor. As Owner-Builder, you do need to hire licensed plumbers and electricians, but you can do everything else yourself. The house can't be sold for a year after it's finished.

[niko1873]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

One of the least expensive ways to get a house is to buy a fixer upper and do the work yourself. It's a long chore, though. We're finishing a year long project fixing up an extreme fixer upper. The final numbers will be just over $200K and that includes buying the property. But that also doesn't factor in any wages for ourselves while working on it.


Another option for less expensive housing for Hawaii Island is to build one as 'owner-builder'. You can hire all the work done, but there's no general contractor. As Owner-Builder, you do need to hire licensed plumbers and electricians, but you can do everything else yourself. The house can't be sold for a year after it's finished.

"Owner-builder" is exactly what I want to do but I'm trying to get my head around whether or not I need course of construction/builder's risk insurance while doing so (sorry, just doing Sunday night accounting chores).

[motormaker]

What kind of home are you wanting to build and what area?

[hotzcatz]

Ortho has a book called "Basic Home Building" which covers a lot of the basics. It's inexpensive and worth reading, IMHO. I've built a couple 'owner - builder' homes using that book. That was, however, about three building code changes ago. Now there's a lot more requirements for braced walls and a lot more Simpson fittings. However, as an owner-builder, you can hire some carpenters who know how things should be built and hopefully learn from them while helping.

Basically, you hire someone with big equipment to grade the area. Hire a plumber to install the septic tank. Hire a crew to form up the foundation and pour the concrete. Then maybe hire another crew for the rough framing. Either the framing crew or another crew for the roofing. Then once it's sorta weather tight, then the electrician comes in for the rough electrical. Then the framing inspection, then interior drywall, finish the electric and plumbing and call for the final. As 'owner-builder' you don't actually have to pick up any tools, but anything you can do will save money on the final build.

Ask an insurance broker what insurance would be necessary in case of worker injuries. We like Maurice Miranda in Honokaa, he's a broker of all types of insurance.

Also, try to source most construction items locally. Getting things shipped in is way expensive and takes a long time.

Put in for a building permit as soon as possible, they're all electronic now and totally swamped. It's taking them awhile to get the new system working very well although they called today to ask a question about a set of plans that was put in last July, so they're working through the pile.