The First Half of November 2024
🔨 📐 Carport Roof!Yay! 📐 🔨
Hopefully eventually a dry flat place to unload the car!
November 2nd, 2024
Carport Roof Rafters! Woot!
One of the major driving design factors of this house is the hope to have the ability to drive up to a covered parking spot level with the interior of the house. No steps into the house. No rain on our head. No fighting with the car door while it's on a hill. It's still nowhere near ready to live in, but at least the 'bones' of the carport roof are now here! Woot! ( It may not be all that exciting to you, but you're probably not getting all wet while slogging groceries uphill into the kitchen and rainy season has just started).
There was an issue with a lack of space below the sun deck door and the top of the decking. It isn't all that apparent in the picture, but the beam between the "posts" (portions of wall that support the roof) is roughly 6" x 8" instead of a 4" x 12". Nick increased it to 6" wide and trimmed it down to make it work. He's a really good builder.
Looking at this picture, it's pretty obvious that the bathroom window under the carport roof doesn't line up with the sundeck door above. I'd thought the roof would obscure it a bit more. Of course, once it's roofed over, it will be darker under the roofing so less obvious?
House hiding behind the mac nut tree
it has been trimmed a lot, but it is still there!
It isn't exactly where I would have planted it, nor is it the exact species of tree I would have selected for there, BUT it takes a LONG TIME to grow a tree so even though it isn't perfect, keeping what's there is way better than starting over. Mac nuts do make a nice dense shade so in the summer, it will be lovely to have a shady spot at the end of the lanai. Might have a bench there with a bit of raised planter nearby or some such thing. Kinda a nice transition between the exterior lanai and the yard. We want the house to sort of extend into the yard. (Hopefully there won't be a problem with chickens in the house).
The digger is over in the corner clearing it out and making it level since there will be a container with the roofing and septic system in it arriving sometime soon(ish). About the only spot for it was that back corner. In any case, the jobsite did need some cleaning up, all the lumber piles can spread around if they're not rounded up occasionally.
Flat and Covered Access to the House
(it's really hard to wait until it's done!)
This picture was in the early evening and the light was an odd pinkish color. I didn't edit the colors, about all I do with the pictures is crop, resize them a lot smaller and then condense that for an even smaller picture footprint so the odd pink color is just some sort of odd pink color. Once the roof decking is on, it will be a lot darker under the carport roof but the pink is kinda fun.
Not sure exactly how we're gonna manage to access the carport from the Hilo side, but we will figure it out, no doubt. From the Waipio side, it's easy - especially with the concrete driveway there. However, on the Hilo side, the access is tighter and has a sharper elevation change. Not quite sure how we will manage it, but there's the digger for revising the landscape until it works. That digger has made a huge improvement in what we can build. (Plus it's a lot of fun!)
November 5th, 2024
Front Walkway Beginning!
The front of the house is beginning to become visible in it's final format. The walkway between the lanai and the front sun room now has floor joists. Yay! It still needs the floor decking, though. Nick can just blithely walk across it, but I've not ventured out there yet. Maybe if I had a handy anti-gravity unit, I'd be brave enough to walk out there?
Two of the three 4x4 posts in the center of the building will hold up a beam under the Crow's Nest Lanai. Originally, the Crow's Nest lanai had been planned to just be cantilevered, but a cantilevered deck always seems to sag after a decade or two and hopefully the lifespan of this house will be in the hundreds of years, not merely a decade or two. So, now there's posts there, no need to worry about sagging cantilevers in a couple of decades. The posts also hold up the front walkway. Which will be a very handy walkway and not only let folks walk from the lanai to the sun room, but it will allow us to wash the outside of the front windows, too.
There's still quite a few bits to still be added and changed from this picture to get to the final finished house. The front window on the left will be lowered by several feet from what's shown in the picture. The big front windows pretty much start at floor level, but the siding plywood was nailed on without the window holes cut out so it extends up several feet from the interior floor. Cutting the siding after it's installed makes for a more accurate cut.
There will also be a small "return" wall at the far right corner. I'm thinking we should have a matching bit of wall on the other side of the lanai to keep that post from looking so spindly? If the post on the left side of the big lanai doesn't get a portion of wall, we will probably sheath the posts so they have a lot more heft. Hmm, boxed out to 14-1/4" x 11-1/4" below the walkway and then put a sloped post that goes from 6-1/2" to 9-1/2" at the base? Have to think about it, but I think that'd look a lot more "proper" than the bare 4x4 posts.
Dining Room Sub-Framing
(isn't it pretty?)
Okay, so you don't actually have to get excited about the subframing below the dining room floor, but don't you at least think it is pretty? Even a little bit? Hmpf! Well, I like it. Nick is doing some amazing work in this area. This dining area is not only a big half circle with a fourteen foot diameter BUT that half circle will go up to meet a slanted ceiling. Amazing things will be happening soon!
Visitors!
(ladders aren't as easy as stairs)
There haven't been a whole lot of visitors so far, but our neighbors are considering building a house so they came to visit. It's much easier for them to think about what sort of home they want to build when they can walk around one somewhat similar to what they may want to build. It will be a lot easier once the stairway is in, but they were willing to climb ladders and get a feel for the space.
November 9th, 2024
Honokaa Renaissance Faire 2024
We don't spend our entire time building a house, especially with a Renaissance Faire near by! 2024 was Honokaa's third annual Renaissance Fair and it was the biggest so far. The Renaissance Faire happens in early November, should you want to start planning to attend next year's fair.
Rossini, our Wonderful & Great Wizard of Acquisitions, had a fun time at the faire, chatting with folks and causing 'stick envy' by having one of the best wizard's staffs at the faire. His wizard's cape is a folded and pleated bedsheet that was out and about for the day. It has since gotten the stitches removed and is back in the linen closet. The hat and staff will resurface next year, no doubt. But he still has his Wizardly Acquisition skills!
Alisha and Chris of the Ohana Fiber Mill had a booth at the faire and were showing off their fresh yarn, woven goods and spinning skills. They've just recently opened the new fiber mill in Kukuihaele over near Waipio Valley. They have become helpful and active in the community as well as being lovely and interesting folks. Should you need some fresh yarn on your next trip to Waipio valley, they're on the lower road into Kukuihaele directly next to the post office. Hmm, actually, the post office is in their building, so maybe the post office is next to them, instead.
The Container!
we've been getting ready for it for weeks now
Of course the container just has to arrive on the same day as the Renaissance Faire! It had been quite the production. First, we had been clearing the jobsite area for weeks in order to create space for it when it arrived. Then, earlier in the week we had gone over to Mountain View where the container was at the roofing folks' place and had the septic folks deliver the septic tank and septic field parts to the container. The septic folks didn't have a driver who felt comfortable about getting a big delivery truck to our jobsite so delivering it to the container solved that difficulty. Delivering it to the roofer's place was much easier since there weren't any narrow roads or somewhat steep hills involved. We had to go out there to load it into the container, though. Roughly a hundred and fifty mile round trip but it was a lovely day and we spent time in Hilo along the way.
After all that preparation and organization, of course, the container just had to arrive on the same day as the renaissance faire. Fortunately, the road to our house wasn't blocked by cars going to the fair and the container was able to show up. We did have to leave the faire early to organize the final bit of the container delivery. But, it all worked out well. Darren of Darren's Towing brought us the container and he managed to get it up the hill perfectly! It's nice to live in a town with lots of compentent folks.
It fits!
Darren got the container up the hill and even got it all tucked away in the corner. Tucked and level, too! The mac nut tree did have to get a bit of a trim to make it happen, but that was all that was necessary to get it to fit. Well, other than the several days of general lumber organization and clean up of the jobsite. The septic tank, the parts for the septic field and all the metal roofing are in the container.
After the septic tank is removed, we will be able to shift the stuff from a storage locker over in Kona into the container and save on storage locker fees. The fancy plywood for the kitchen cabinets and the bath tubs are over in the storage locker. (Plus all the parts for a green house, too, but there's a container sitting in what could be the green house spot.) Once all the stuff in the container is installed and the container is empty, then it can be sold so that area can become the back yard.
November 11th, 2024
Big Avo!
and tiny tomatoes
Between the Avocado Lace Beetle (I think that's the name of it) and the big wind that blew all the avocado blossoms off early this year, it's been a really dreadful avocado season. Instead of the dozen or more avos per day like the tree usually produces I think we've gotten about a dozen total avocadoes the entire season. Sigh!
However, this one is a worthy avocado. It scaled out at 2 pounds and 10.1 ounces. Lots of guacamole! We do, of course, pay no attention to any recipes which say silly things like "use two avocadoes". This one is perhaps the equivalent of about a half dozen Haas avos? This avo variety is buttery and stringless, too. Not sure what the exact variety of it may be, though. Hawaii has about a hundred different types of avocadoes as well as bananas, too, for that matter so most of the time we haven't a clue as to the actual variety or even if it is a named variety.
Now that we finally have an avocado to make guacamole, we need some sort of citrus. Fortunately, there's lemons now, too. Well, technically guacamole is supposed to have lime in it, but we have lemons. So we use lemons. It's an old style somewhat sweet and somewhat bumpy skinned lemon and easy squeeze, too! Frequently lemons have to be squeezed really hard to get the juice, but with this old variety, it's realoly easy to get lemon juice. Plus they taste better than the curent lemon varieties.
The parent of our current lemon tree was planted by Chester Matsumura probably around the mid 1970s or so. I haven't a clue what it's variety may be, but because it's such a nice one, we took a cutting from that tree and planted it here when we moved. That was in 2015 or so and now it has started giving us lemons so we now have more of these really tasty old fashioned lemons again. I'll probably either entirely relocate the tree (depending on the septic tank location, it may have to move) or take a cutting from it and plant another one uphill. It will be on the same lot, since the ohana we are building is in the backyard of this house, but eventually this house will be restored/renovated and it will be a rental. So it will be nice to have another copy of this nice lemon tree uphill.
I'm not sure if this dreadful avocado season is the result of the lace beetle and early spring's strong winds or if the tree is just aging? How long does an avocado tree last? I've saved the seed and will sprout it and let it grow in a pot for a few years. If the parent tree isn't thriving in a few years, then I'll plant the new avo in the ground. If the parent tree recovers to it's usual production, then I'll gift the little avo to someone who needs one. Hmm, maybe an air layer would be better than sprouting a seed? Well, gotta build the house before getting back into gardening.
Ha! Google to the rescue! ( Although I dunno about the accuracy of the new AI answers at the top of the first page of search results.) But, checking several different sources (those ones who don't seem to be mirroring each other) an avo tree can last several hundred years! So, our tree isn't gonna die off any time soon. It doesn't show up in the picture of town from the late forties or early fifties they have on the wall at the post office, so the tree is less than sixty to eighty years old. They do mention that the production drops off after the first twenty to thirty years. But, it can keep producing up until it dies so we should be able to hope for avocadoes from the big tree for years to come.
Well, enough gardening, back to house building.
The View from the Avocado Plateau
(still not many avos, though)
The view of the house from the Avocado Plateau is shaping up nicely. The big Waipio side lanai (the side facing us in the picture) is almost completely defined now. The last bit of roof deck is on the front now. The dormer still needs some siding and the dining room wall doesn't have any siding. If you look in the shaded area on the lanai, you can see the upright supports indicating where the dining room windows will be. The front walkway at the ocean side of the house is starting to fill in, too.
Waipio side view
(the same side as the previous picture)
A bit closer view, although it's still a bit hard to make out the dining area half circle in the shaded lanai area. The dining area is directly behind that diagonal bracing board in the center of the picture. It would be really nice to get some sky lights along the lanai since I suspect it is going to be dark there. Perhaps a skylight over the kitchen window on the right, then one in the dining circle and one over the front door? All these great ideas pop up while building, not sure if they will ever be implimented or not.
On the left side of the lanai, that one 4x4 post holding up the roof beam looks very spindly. It's strong enough, it just looks out of proportion in comparison to the rest of the build. We will have to do something to beef it up a bit. Even if it's just visually.
Dining Area Window Frames
From the carport end of the lanai, there's the big plate glass kitchen window which is flanked by louvers on either side. (As you can see, some glass installation is still necessary.) At the end of the kitchen window are the studs to hold the dining area windows. I'm thinking we will still be able to see through the dining area once the windows are installed? The front door is on the other side of the dining area bump out, hopefully the front door won't be too hard to find. It will be visible when coming up the driveway, at least.
From the inside looking out
This is some pretty intricate framing and Nick does it with ease! He's amazing!
There will be big tempered glass sheets between each of these studs in the dining area half circle. The tops will all line up at the same height and there will be louvers below for ventilation. It's a better view if one is just looking through glass and not looking through glass and a screen so the window's view and ventilation functions are separated.
From the loft stairway looking towards the dining half circle
We are gonna have to find a big round table for this half circle dining area. The small teak garden table kinda fills in enough to get an idea of the space, but it really needs a big circular table. Maybe one with a big lazy susan in the center? A big round table with that crazy chandelier hanging over the center of it, of course! Hmm, now my mind is wondering - and probably wandering as well - that perhaps we may need a ceiling medallion around the hanging hook of the chandelier? I'm really trying to keep it sort of "beach cottage" decor not to go all Art Nouveau or Victorian Style all over it but I like bling and gingerbread sorta things.
November 12th, 2024
Big Truck Arriving!
(and "tiny" house?)
Big Truck leaving!
(and house not even dented!)
Mark Mendes is an excellent equipment operator! Loads of soil arrived and not a single house was damaged during the process! Not even the hedges were injured, Mark is amazing!
A lot of the soil which had previously been in this area was hauled uphill several months ago to backfill the four foot tall concrete foundation wall between the carport and the house. We needed more soil there to widen and level the back yard area on either side of the carport. Moving that soil uphill made a big hole here so now Mark has brought us more soil to fill in the hole.
November 13th, 2024
Day Two of Mark & his Big Truck!
(and some rain, too)
Still Need More!
(soil that is, not rain)
We still need to fill several feet in this area. The soil needs to be brought up to within about three feet of the top of the galvanized culvert tin up by the corner of the house. We were doing really well for soil arriving for several days and then the rain became a deluge and then the weekend arrived so it's been a couple of days with no new dirt. Well, hopefully next week more soil will appear.
November 14th, 2024
Next day after a night of rain
Most of the soil has stayed put, but we've gotten some erosion from all the rain. With all the rain, it gets really muddy so I've not played in the dirt for several days because of too much mud. I may trundle the excavator down to the road in front of the house below and see if any mud needs removing. But, mud is very slippery, excavators weigh a lot and going slip sliding down hill on an excavator is not on my "to do" list. One learns caution on, in and around heavy machinery. Not that in the world of excavators our digger is all that big, but it's big enough to be in the "heavy machinery" category.
Carport sun deck!
All this roof decking isn't anywhere near rain proof yet, we have to have the inspector come out to check the nail spacing before we can install the tin roof. Which has delayed getting the interior dry by a month or more. Rather humbug, that. But, there's now the roof decking over the carport so the new "sun deck" area is lovely.
There will be windows on either side of the door out to the sun deck and a toilet and sink in a small room on the left side of the door, but the toilet area walls aren't built yet. From the inside, only one window and the door will be visible, but it will be symmetrical from the outside.
Dining area enclosed!
It is much more accurate to cut the window holes in the siding after it's nailed on the studs. So, for now, the dining half circle looks like it is all boarded up. Ross has a lot of the window frames made, but we don't have the glass for them yet since we haven't figured out any way to clean the used glass that we got last year. We have just started getting quotes on new glass. Framing sheets of tempered glass is not anywhere near as expensive as buying pre-manufactured windows, but it will take awhile to get the tempered glass here. At least, expect it to be so.
Interior view of the enclosure
It isn't as much fun with the siding over the window areas, but eventually this will be a wall of glass. The headers are in so you can see where the tops of the windows will be. The lower squares will be louver windows.
Nick has started work on the stairway. Those are the stair "stringers" (the stair step cut boards) leaning up against the first dining area window frame. See the nice low slope of the steps? It should be an easy to walk up stairway. Nine steps up to the landing, then an additional five steps up to the catwalk. Shallow risers make for an easier to use stairway but increases the number of steps.
There's a stairway in there somewhere!
(fortunately, Nick knows what he's doing!)
This will become a lovely stairway although it may be a bit tough to quite see it at this point. Fortunately, Nick is a very experienced builder so he isn't fazed by this at all.
November 15th, 2024
A new landing
(it is the next day and still raining)
There will be a railing between the post at the front of the lower landing and the post in the foreground in the picture. Also a railing from the far left side of the landing up to the edge of the catwalk and three feet to the left of the post in the foreground.
That post in the foreground is dead center of the house and holds up the ends of the big ceiling beams. Having a railing to help stablize it is a good thing. Not that it actually needs the extra support, but it can't hurt.
The center post will probably eventually get some sort of decorative covering over it. Either some 2x6 on all four sides or perhaps some sort of round column cover of some sort? How difficult is it to make a tapered column?
The other side of the catwalk
This is the view from the other side of the catwalk looking down into the dining half circle. There will be a railing here of some sort, not sure yet if it will be a solid railing or a see through type. It would be nice to get a bit more area spacing between the two areas, especially for sound. Which may mean a solid railing, at least until the loft area reaches the catwalk? It would be nice to have the catwalk just be a platform across to the Crow's Nest lanai with perhaps the same wire railings as will be around the big lanai?
Stair Stringers
These are the stair stringers for the stairway to the loft. There will be three of them for each flight of stairs. One stringer on either side of the stairway and one in the middle. Then some of the 3/4" sub floor will be nailed to them and we will be able to zip up and down the stairs. No more ladders! Yay!
Exterior Dining Area
(hiding behind those boards)
At some point, the floor decking for the lanai will appear. Then we will be able to walk on the lanai and it will be easier to take pictures. But, as of November 15th, 2024, there still isn't any lanai decking and I still don't have an anti-gravity unit so I can't walk on floor joists with impunity just quite yet.
Kitchen doorway to carport
Look ma! No steps!
(it took a lot of work to make it this way)
The amount of work necessary to not have any steps here is actually rather appalling. BUT! No Steps! That's a huge major thing, especially since we hope to live here for a really long time.
The exterior concrete is currently three quarters of an inch higher than the wet sawdust covered sub floor on the inside of the doorway. However, once the oak flooring is installed, the floor will be level. Roll in, roll out. As little transition between inside and outside as possible. At least, as far as elevation is concerned. There will be roofed areas to keep the weather out. Still not sure if chickens will be a problem or not?
Isn't that lovely framing for the carport roof? It's almost too nice to put a ceiling under the floor joists, maybe we will just paint them and leave them exposed? There will be siding on the posts and an electric car charging station in there somewhere.
Carport roof "sun deck"
(not sure of exact size yet)
This area is a sun deck, although I don't know if we will ever be out here tanning or not. It will be away from the prevailing Tradewinds, though, so we may end up using it more than we think.
Carport roof "sun deck"
(not sure of exact size yet)
The poor mac nut might get trimmed again, if there's too much tree near the sun deck. It might be nice to have some shade on the sun deck, though.
We aren't quite sure how this deck is going to be made waterproof as well as walkable, but those sorts of details get sorted out as we go, it seems like.
Same view we started the page with
(but two weeks later)
This is basically the same view that started the pictures on this page. The back of the house from the center of the lot. Looking at the new carport and new carport roof/ sun deck. Yay! Hopefully soon we can start on putting on the metal roofing. We will then have dry spaces to work, hope it can get done before rainy season gets too heavy.
The offset bathroom window does sort of blend in with the shadows now and isn't so obvious. Yay! Of course, when we add the cream colored trim around it, that may then become much more visible. Well, we will see how it goes.
This has been a huge amount of pictures, but they've been condensed more than usual so perhaps the page will load quickly anyway. There's also some new code on the pictures, so they should only load a bit before they're scrolled to, so hopefully that will improve page loading time, too.
If you like, you can send us an email and ask about bunnies, yarn, Hawaii things, what we should have on our webpage or just about anything else.