Great Location, convenient and easy to get to. The lot is just a very short distance from the end of South Kulani Rd. This lot is a perfect start for plant nursery. Ground is leveled and clear, growing area covered in plastic sheets to control weeds. Good soil in the growing area and a spot dug out for an irrigation pond.
Seller has created a huge stock of very valuable tree starters. These trees and their seeds are highly prized and have an international market. They can only grow in a few, very specific, locations in the world. This lot in Hawaiian Acres is one of those locations.
The lot is partially gated and fenced, with a second set of gates separating the commercial area from the living area. The survey of the lot included markers on each side of the lot to assist with locating the fence line. A house pad in front, leveled and ready to go. Electricity is available with no SSPP fee. The potential is here for a home and business in one convenient, easily accessible location.
Affordable housing is an issue that has been around for a while, here and on the mainland. However, it’s getting worse. With the huge increase in prices here on the Big Island, many buyers are being priced out of the market. They can’t afford to buy that starter home. With the increase in cost of materials, they can’t afford to build it, either.
That is why, when I heard that Elon Musk was investing in a company called Boxabl that manufactures tiny homes, it caught my attention.
Boxable was started by Paolo Tiramani. He was born in Italy, educated in London, where he earned degrees in mechanical engineering, and industrial design. By 1986, he held 144 patents. In 1986 he formed the company, 500 Group, with the idea of turning some of these patents into cash. One of those patents was the rolling tool storage box, which he licensed to Stanley Black & Decker.
In 2017, he formed the company, Boxabl, with the purpose of building tiny homes on an industrial scale. Instead of building homes individually, on site, they are built in a factory. That is not a new idea. Modular homes, trailer houses, have been built in factories for quite a while. The difference with Boxabl is the scale of manufacturing, the emphasis on quality of construction, and on making it energy efficient.
Right now, their only model is the Casita, a studio unit.
Casita
This is just the beginning, though. They are already designing other units, a master bedroom box, a two bedroom box, stackable boxes. Units can be joined together, or stacked to create an infinite variety of building. It is a new way of thinking about building structures. Here is a link to some of those ideas, https://www.boxabl.com/more
These future plans are interesting, but they are not available yet. What is available is the Casita.
The Casita is a 375 sq ft studio unit, quality materials and construction, energy efficient.
It is priced at $50,000. For the single person, or couple, this would be a great starter home. You won’t be able to find this quality anywhere else at this price. That’s the point. They have made getting that first home more affordable. This may also be benefit for government agencies, and non-profits thinking about providing housing for the homeless. That is another pressing issue, here and elsewhere. This may be a solution.
I moved to Big Island about 8 year ago. One of my first decisions was whether to install a catchment system or a well. I grew up on a farm, but for most of my life, I have been a city boy. I knew nothing about water catchment or wells.
I did find the definitive guide for catchment systems in Hawaii. It was written by Patricia S. H. Macomber at the University of Hawaii. The title is “Guidelines on Rainwater Catchment Systems for Hawaii”. This is the bible for understanding and managing a catchment system. It is for sale in several places, but you can get a copy for free and this website;
If you are planning to install a catchment system, this is a “must-read”.
Catchment systems are fairly simple. You need a surface to collect rainwater, usually the roof of the house. It should be a painted metal roof in good condition. Make sure there are no trees or shrubs that would be dropping leaves and branches onto your roof
Do not use an asphalt roof for catchment. I had a listing where the catchment system was on an asphalt roof. The bottom of the holding tank was covered with a black chemical sludge, really disgusting, and probably poisonous. They did not drink or use the water for cooking. It was only used for washing things and taking showers, but still, not recommended.
The gutters and downspouts are connected by PVC pipe to each other and the holding tank. It all works on gravity, so the top of the catchment tank has to be lower than the gutters.
The next element of the system is the holding tank. Mine is made of corrugated steel panels, bolted together, but there are many different options to choose from. People also use the above ground swimming pools for holding tanks, but that is not recommended. They don’t have the structural strength
In addition to the metal tank, I had to buy a liner. Again there are several options for tank liners, but I would recommend get a food grade line. One important modification that I have made is panty hose. The knee high ones are best. I have to say, I get some funny looks when I am buying panty hose for my catchment tank. Despite my best effort, there is always some debris that ends up on the roof, and in the system. I fasten a panty hose to the intake pipe, using a hose clamp. It catches a lot of debris, and is changed monthly, when I do my system maintenance.
Last thing for the tank is the feed line going to the pump. It should have a back-flow preventer to stop water from being pushed back into the tank by the pump. I would also recommend the floating intake. The end is flexible, and the end of the hose is connected to a float which keeps the feed line near the surface of the water. This is important. The panty hose does allow small particles to get into the tank. These particles tend to settle to the bottom of the tank. If your feed line ends near the bottom of the tank, you are probably picking up a lot of that debris. The water is much cleaner near the surface.
Last item for the tank is the overflow preventer. It stops the water from overfilling the tank and flowing over the side. That would not be good for the integrity of the tank. It is an S-shaped piece of PVC pipe. When the water exceeds a certain level, gravity forces the water through the overflow pipe and is directed away from the tank
Now we get to the pump. I have a ¾ horsepower shallow well pump that works very well. There are a lot of options, though. Off-grid systems use very small direct current pumps.
Next is the filters, and UV light. I have seen some systems with three filters, but I use just two. I have a 30 micron filter and a 5 micron filter. The 30 micron filter should come first. It catches the larger particles, and lets the smaller ones through. After the filters, the water passes through a ultraviolet light, which kills any microorganisms that made it through the filters
The last element is the pressure tank. This is basically a canister with a sturdy balloon filled with air inside. This is what pressurizes your system
A lot of local people do not drink the catchment water. However, if properly filtered and managed, it can provide potable water. I have been drinking catchment water for years with no ill effect.
Managed is the key word. Every month, I inspect the entire system. I also add clorine to the catchment tank. I have a 10,000 gallon tank. Each month, I add 8 cups of bleach to the tank. If it is not full, I prorate that amount. 8 cups seems like a lot, but I cannot taste or smell the clorine after it has been added to the water. I also add 8 cups of baking soda to the water. Because of our volcanos, the rain tends to be mildly acidic, which is not good for copper pipes. Baking soda reduces the acidity.
Changing the filters is another story. It really depends on how hard they are working. I was changing the filters quarterly, but lately, I have been having to change them every two months. Some people change them every month. One good indicator for changing the filters is water pressure. If you notice that the water pressure in the house seems to be failing, it a good bet that the filters needs to be changed.
The final maintenance item is the UV light. That needs to be changed annually. The UV light that I purchased has a digital display that counts down the days and starts beeping when the count gets to zero. You don’t replace the entire unit, just the light bulb, a long glass cylinder.
Wells are a different thing. When I was deciding between well or catchment, price was the deciding factor. The catchment system ended up costing about $5,000 for a 10,000 gallon system. A well would have cost $3,000 for the equipment, and $100 per foot for drilling the well. How far they have to drill depends on your elevation above sea level. I am at about 400 feet above sea level, and the contractor estimated I would have to drill down 150 ft, which would have cost $15,000. So, instead of a holding tank you have a hole drilled down to the water table. Other than that, the systems are going to be pretty much the same.
Choosing well or catchment depends on more than price. Catchment is dependent on the level of rain, which can very considerably, depending on location. I live in Hawaiian Paradise Park on 28th Avenue. We get lots of rain. My tank is generally overflowing. However, as you get closer to the ocean and lower elevations, the amount of rainfall drops significantly. From 10th Avenue to the ocean, it is predominantly wells
Well, that is my article. I hope it provided some useful information about catchment and wells on Big Island. As I said above, though, the best source of information about catchment systems, is the guideline published by Patricia S. H. Macomber, “Guidelines on Rainwater Catchment Systems for Hawaii.
This is an old blog post, but I really like it. It is still true today
I should explain what is going on here. This is an experiment. I have a vague idea of using the internet to promote my real estate business. I want to share content about the real estate market, and about living in Puna. I hope to make it interesting and entertaining, and at the same time, use it as a platform to promote my real estate business. I realize that it is sort of amateurish, and not very sophisticated, but I am okay with that. I am learning something new, and that gives me a childish sense of excitement. I feel like I am living on the edge. Alvin Toffler, the famous futurist says that the illiterate of the future will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
That is part of the Puna experience. Since moving to the Big Island two years ago, I have been constantly learning new thing, challenging and re-inventing myself. It seems to be a common experience here. From hurricanes, to volcanic eruptions and dengue fever outbreaks, one never quite knows what to expect next. It is also very economically challenging. Jobs are hard to find. I see a lot of people becoming entrepreneurs, creating their own jobs. Its exciting. Not everyone can handle it, though. I’m sure many people find themselves looking for something more secure elsewhere. But, if you are looking for the spirit of adventure, Puna may be just the place for you.
Farmers’ markets are a part of the Big Island experience. One of the most successful markets is the Maku’u Farmers Market. It is located between Keaau and Pahoa on Hwy 130, just past Ainaloa Boulevard on the left. It’s hard to miss. They are open on Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm, and when they are open the huge parking lot is filled with cars. Maku’u Farmers Market averages over a thousand visitors every Sunday. It’s amazing!
The market is run by Hawaiians on land leased from Hawaiian Home Lands. The Maku’u Farmers Association, which runs the market has three goals. They want to educate people about Hawaii, maintain the Hawaiian culture, and support the local farmers, and small businesses. In line with these goals, they are collecting a dollar from every vehicle entering the parking lot. That money will be used to build a community center nearby. They are doing a great job. The market is a mix of vendors, selling produce, plants, things to eat, and a wide range of other products. Besides being a place to buy stuff, it is also a social venue for the Puna area, a place to meet your neighbors and talk story.
I visited Maku’u Farmers Market last Sunday. In additional to the normal vendors, I saw a couple fundraisers going on. This one for Ke Kula o Nawahiokalaniopuu school was raising money to send the students on a cultural field trip to the island of Oahu. The school is a Hawaiian language immersion charter school for grades K-12
The market also features live music every Sunday. This band, Russell Ruderman and Friends, was raising money for the The Food Basket, a Big Island food bank.
I found some handcrafted jewelry
I talked to “Banana” Marvin. He is from Santa Barbara. One of his comments really caught my attention. Marvin said that his choice to move to Puna on the Big Island, and sell banana plants at Maku’u Farmers Market, was not about finding a job, but finding a lifestyle that suited him.
As I walked around, taking pictures, and talking to the different vendors, the story that really touched my heart was that of Ben and Tamar Gilson. Tamar battled with cancer a few years ago. Part of that process was learning to eat healthy. Eating healthy led her to balsamic vinegars, and to creating her own balsamics.
Their tag line says it all, “One taste and you’ll say Wow!”
As I write this, I realize that Maku’u Farmers Market is not just a marketplace. It is part of the fabric and story of Puna and the Big Island. It’s about people’s hopes and aspirations, about finding another way. You have got to come see it, get a taste of the flavors of Puna.
