After the long slog to do the foundations, the work pace now is more akin to a sprint. Every time I go by our job site, there's been some impressive progress. Contractor Bob Kirk's three man crew work very well together following Bob's stepwise, quality-oriented building approach. Little issues arise, and are dispatched, on a regular basis. Nothing seems to stand in the way of building toward the sky. In a way, it will be sad to no longer be able to see Hawaii's cerulean blue sky above once our roof goes up and on. But it when there is a roof over our heads, the empty shell of the frames comes one step closer to being a home.
Below you will find some pictures of the rapid progress from bare concrete foundations to two houses (main and master suite) framed in. The tank you will see is our catchment tank. Since we will be living off the grid, one aspect is catching rainwater in the 10,500 gallon tank, purifying it, and using it to drink, shower and clean. Next to it is the cement pour for our new backup generator that will kick on if the solar batteries are not able to keep their charge.
The island of Hawaii (aka "the Big Island") has so much to do and explore. I will be adding pictures from my travels around the island to future blogs. Aloha!
You can't beat this, it's a rainbow greeting me yesterday morning after 3 weeks off-island in NY
After my morning walk to the Pacific and back, I quickly went to see what progress had been made in my absence. Our contractor and his crew had already finished framing on the ground level in the main house, and built the posts and joists for the deck and flooring to go in on the second level. It's starting to look like a house! They also built the catchment tank (we're totally off the grid, and will catch and purify rainwater in the tank), and hooked up the backup generator. (this is for the solar system to charge our batteries in case there's an extended rainy period and we can't make enough power for the houses). Below are a few pictures to show the progress on the house, tank and generator. After that, I thought you'd like to see just a selection of what was blooming yesterday. There are a bunch of different vireyas showing off their blooms, and numerous other flowers brightening the jungle that Robert has tamed. Enjoy, aloha!
Catchment water tank and generator in foreground
Completing the joists for the second story flooring and deck
10 foot high ceilings make the two guest BRs and bathrooms more airy and light-filled
Hey Robert, you're a landscape designer, you better change the view from this guest bedroom!
View from the other guest BR
Da Ocean view...from downstairs, wait til the upstairs is done!
View of the house from the master BR suite
Downstairs lanai taking shape, it's 8 feet all the way around the whole house
Lots of lumber ready to be put to use!
The concrete foundation for what will eventually be a shady hale to nap or have refreshments
View of the main house from bottom of our driveway
We're pickling the interior wood before it goes up
View from where the bed in the master bedroom suite will be
All the flowers in the pictures below were blooming yesterday, April 30, 2014. And they're just a sampling of what's in bloom!
Vireya
Vireya trail -I'll do a whole blog about this later!
Azaleas are blooming soon in NY, but this one in HI is blooming now!
New ginger just planted last month
Pride of Burma tree with orchid-like flowers
Dictionary definition of "florabundant" - angel trumpet flower tree going nuts!
We love this recently purchased plant but can't remember the name...any suggestions?
