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.
A reminder of the plantation days in the Landing Camp subdivision. This house was built in 1938 and still retains much of its original charm. It has four small bedrooms and a total of 915 square feet of living space. It is located on the beautiful Hamakua Coast, a very popular and expensive part of the island. Priced at $350,000, it is the only residential listing in that area priced under $500,000.
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 just released a new listing. This one is not for your average homeowner. It’s way at the back of Hawaiian Acres, remote and private. It’s not that hard to get to, though, if you know how. It is very close to Fern Acres. You can take Plumeria, which is paved, all the way to the end. Then you turn left onto a road that connects to Hawaiian Acres. The property is just short distance from Plumeria. It is a two bedroom, one bath home, built to be off the grid. Electricity was provided by a generator, and water from a catchment tank. It has a detached garage, that is actually larger than the house, and on a concrete slab. The house and garage are set way back on the lot, not visible from the road, in a section of the lot enclosed by a chain link fence. If I were buying this home, I would probably try to make the garage space habitable, and live there while I renovated the house. The house is going to take a lot of work to be livable again, but it is priced accordingly. The garage is actually in much better condition, and its very big. It also has a very large carport, so you don’t need to park cars in the garage. This house isn’t for the average person. Besides being kind of remote, it is going to take effort and determination to rehabilitate this home.
But, if you are that person, who has that determination, and are looking for a cheap ticket to Paradise, this may be the place for you.
