Hi y'all!
Looks like Hawaii is on the list of possible candidates again. My husband just talked to a realtor who has a nice parcel of land in the big island for an affordable price. We still prefer WA but...has anyone experienced trying to get a building permit in HAWAII? We REALLY want to build the Grandfather's cottage. :o)
Please let me know if you have any pointers. If I got it right, the parcel is only an hour away from Home Depot! :o)
--maggie
Don't know about building permits, but there as some real benefits for a builder there----you will not need to worry about heating or AC (ceiling fans are good)----not many homes have either----also only need minimal insulation. Most walls are only 2x4s and many cabin-sized homes are only "single-walled"----meaning that the exterior walls are 2x4s with outer sheathing only----not even sheetrock on the interior surface. T-111 cedar with 1x3 battens is very common architecture feature on even expensive homes---sort of a poor mans' board & batten look. All that should allow for relatively cheap building for a owner-builder. However, the other living expenses are pretty high-----but, aahhh that climate!!!
Hi rwanders, it really looks like we're off to Hawaii! My husband lined up a place to live while we build the cabin! That was the deciding factor. We needed a month-to-month with no credit check (I absolutely OPPOSE paying any "credit check fee" or "application fee" on principle) d*. It had to be near the property we saw for sale and we had to afford it. We ended up finding not one but three different houses for rent that would be willing to work with us. So we leave by end of june and the adventure will begin! I can't wait!
By the way, if anyone wants to buy some art for their houses check my sig...I'm selling all our paintings now since the car transport company won't allow us to load our belongings in the cherokee. >:( So we're selling way cheaper than usual.
I'm not looking forward to paying more for shipping our paintings but there are certainly advantages! :) One of the realtors I spoke to on the phone today said her son just built a cabin himself in a lot! We gotta be friends with these people, they can help us figure stuff out. :) She said permits are slow, but she wasn't sure. She just guessed it because it took her son so long to build.
If we don't like Hawaii at least we'll leave after one year and will have land with a house on it to sell. That oughta double the property value at least!
By the way, the lot is 8040 sq, at $19,000. :)
--maggie
Hooray----good on both of you! Not a lot of sandy beaches on the Big Island, but the active volcano should provide some great inspirations for your art works----it'll be great for someone who uses color with such exuberance! We will probably be on the Big Island next March---usually go to Kauai, but the wife has never been to the Biggie. I haven't been there for quite a few years. Land prices are definitely much lower than the other islands. Keep us posted here on your progress----perhaps we can admire your home building and art in person then.
That sounds pretty reasonable, Maggie. Hope all goes well there.
A bold choice, and certainly (at the least) a year of adventure.
I know you could've found 5 to 10 acres in Washington for similar money--but it might've been too remote for your needs.(????) The real estate market has slowed down everywhere (more in Oregon than in Washington), and there are DEALS to be had.
Have you checked out the cost of airfare? I don't know where you'll be flying from, but it's EXPENSIVE.
FYI, lots of cool info about Hawaii.
http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/index.html
Hi y'all, this is what I found out about Hawaii so far...
It will cost us $1055 to ship our car from Long Beach to Hilo. The car can't have anything in it and it's going to have the windshield replaced otherwise the shipping company can't take it. There's just a 6 inch crack on the glass and they still don't want to take it! Grrrr...
We are having to let go of our kitty cat because Hawaii quarantines pets. The fee for them to allow the kitty into Hawaii is $1080 for holding her for 120 days! That's annoying. We can't afford that right now, especially because, recently, to register our car in the People's Republic of Mexifornia the LA DMV made us spend a fortune (car failed the communist standards of inspection -- check engine light bulb was busted, cost $65 to diagnose, $95 to change, $5 for bulb...$60 for smog check, $178 for title $62 for registration...).
We're almost in the hole with all the crazy expenses we had this month, mostly government bs...we can barely cover first, last and deposit on the house in Pahoa, plus car shipping and plane tickets, but we're going forward because we have to leave this bs behind. Alaska would have been the perfect alternative but rent in Alaska is expensive, more than Hawaii. We know the excremental matter is about to hit the fan in the mainland and it's time to move out, stock up on dry goods etc...
So anyway, if anybody wants to buy some art for their cabins and help us escape, please see my link on my sig... d*
Glenn, if you read this, your son sent me some samples of his art, my jaw dropped! He is SO talented, I love his art!!
--maggie
Hope you get things worked out maggie. Hard telling how long things will hold together -especially in the cities over here.
Glad you like Simon's art -- Your's reminded me a lot of his although he is bent a little more toward the weird. [crz]
Wish you the best on your plans! Never been to Hawaii, but from the pix I've seen & what everyone says, it's beautiful - great weather, wonderful beaches, lots of gorgeous scenery. You're young, why not take the chance & see how you like it! 8)
Thanks for the comments guys! :o)
We've been reading about the building permit situation.
http://www.hawaii-county.com/permits/permits.htm (http://www.hawaii-county.com/permits/permits.htm)
There is one paragraph I found a bit confusing:
QuoteAll plans and specifications authentication shall state, "This work was prepared by me or under my supervision." Additionally, it shall bear the authorized seal or stamp of the duly licensed professional engineer, architect, or landscape architect licensed with the State of Hawaii and under the seal or stamp, the authentication shall state, "Construction of this project will be under my observation" and signed.
But if we buy the grandfather cabin plans here...they are not drawn by an architect in Hawaii. I wonder if they mean approved by a Hawaiian engineer/architect after the fact?
A LOT of people build unpermitted there. But I heard that the CCRs are beginning to get enforced more. Obviously the globalists in government are trying to reduce the number of places where americans can still be free. But anyway...
We leave to Hawaii at the end of the month. Then we'll inspect the land for sale and possibly buy it. I am guessing the construction process will be very slow due to the way building permits work in Hawaii. I can't wait to get started!
We found that the majority of houses there are on pier-and-post foundations. Water systems are by rain catchment only which means we need a Berkey filter. Berkey filters are Alex Jones-approved so I won't complain about the investment. I posted a guide on the free stuff forum about how to create a water catchment system. Sewer is septic and I am guessing it has to be the first thing in the property...there is power on the street and phone in the area. I don't really want a phone line. It is well known that AT&T is compliant with the FBI and CIA to keep an eye on the public. Many smaller phone companies actually belong to them under assumed names. I much rather have high speed internet and use something like Skype. But cell phone service works well in the area...just don't use them for sensitive information, since the government does have digital voice-to-text software in their satellites and can recognise key words that can mark you as someone to keep their eye on.
Owner/Builders can only run one project every two years and the houses cannot be sold for a year after building.
Here's a link I liked about building in Hawaii:
http://bigislandliving.com/building_a_house_in_hawaii.htm (http://bigislandliving.com/building_a_house_in_hawaii.htm)
I'm hoping these posts will help other owner/builders in the future who do a search for Hawaii on this forum...
--maggie
Very good information. One of my clients will be building in Hawaii, and I'll forward your research to him.
From your quote about engineering/architect, you will have to pay for engineering, though probably you won't have to have the plans redrawn if you make only minor changes. Shop around--prices vary. I found that some companies charge two and three times more than others.
The phrase
Quote..."Construction of this project will be under my observation" ....
bothers me.
If that means that the engineer or architect will have to inspect the building at various stages of construction in addition to or in lieu of the building inspector it will add $$$$ to the cost of construction. It is one thing to require an engineers stamp on the plans but that implies involvement throughout the process.
Maggie,
Much Aloha and congrats on comming to Hawaii. It seems we are flipping spots. Ive been living on Oahu for 4yrs and am know moving to B-ham to start my cabin in a few months. I looked at a lot of land on the Big island last year its great , but I was still working on my last project (know complete) restoring an old sailboat. I chose to wait for my next move to do the cabin thing. If you and your hubby need any help (info, airport rides, etc.) let me know.
Hi Johnny! Thanks for the offer! One thing we haven't figured out: how easy is it to transfer a car from island to island? We saw some very good deals on cars but they are on Oahu and we're going to Hilo. If I buy a car on a different isle, how can I get it ferried over? Any idea?
I don't remember how much the building permit in B-ham was but it scared us. Especially because it seemed to require inspections and approvals every step of the way. In Hawaii it doesn't look like we're going to spend much on permitting. If push comes to shove we'll build unpermitted. If there's so much unpermitted work going on we'll be a leaf in the jungle. Only problem is if we try to sell later. Also, no homeowner's insurance (which I think is a scam anyway).
I just found out there's no real door-to-door postal service in the area we're headed to. This complicates things a little. We'll need to get a P.O. box. Looks like we won't be shipping much, we're only taking what fits about four suitcases.
--maggie
It is pretty easy to get a car from island to island. Two companies ship Matson and young brothers. I dont know the prices off hand. Another option is using the ferry that unfortunatly doesnt go to big island, but it does go to Kahului Muai. It costs around 50 bucks. Then you might be able to ship from Maui to Hilo for cheaper. Either way Im betting the charge from Honolulu to Hilo is around 200-300, but that just a guess. If you guys are handy with cars you might consider picking up an old island bomb pick-up truck for around 1000.00 that might simplify things a little. Hope this helps
Maggie there was another member building his own cabin there. I don't recall who it was but if I get a chance I will tryto go back and find him. He is a member of a construction company as well as an owner/builder.
Hi guys, I worked very hard today getting this apartment cleaned up so I'll have to make it short. Thanks for the tips and info, both of you...by the way Johnny, are you selling a car? Just wondering. ;-) The young brothers site at http://www.htbyb.com/yb/shipvehicles.php?sub=Costs (http://www.htbyb.com/yb/shipvehicles.php?sub=Costs) shows a cost starting at $149 to ship between islands. That's great! DH ("dear husband") has a near fanatical devotion to his Jeep and we fought a lot today over the fact that I don't want him to ship it to Hawaii when he can sell it here and buy something else there. The problem is that the Jeep has a golfball crack on the windshield and Horizon Lines won't ship it if there is any crack on the glass at all...so $1055 to ship the car plus $450 to replace the glass? Not if I have something to say about it.
Thanks to your tip about the Young Bros site I now know we can just find a car on craigslist anywhere in hawaii and are not limited to the Big Island/ :o)
Redoverfarm, thanks, I look forward to reading about other builders in HI!!
--maggie
Maggie "travis" was the guy building in your place of endevor. Here was his post. I haven't seen him on here for a while. He doesn't list a E-mail. Maybe he might pick-up on a PM .
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=3799.msg43740#msg43740
Quote from: maggietoh on June 06, 2008, 12:00:22 AMDH ("dear husband") has a near fanatical devotion to his Jeep...
I fully understand that, IF it has been modified to his likes. But not if it's just another ordinary Jeep.
Maggie depending on the year jeep and it's condition are you going to be able to find comprable transportation over there for $1500 which would be the cost of shipping your's there. Just a thought.
A sidenote: I thought I'd picked a rainy spot in Washington! Hilo is the wettest city in the United States, with 127 inches a year. :o We get 89 inches in Hoodsport on the Olympic Peninsula, with 136 sunny days.
How about a Hawaii record?
12 months (U.S.) Kukui, Maui, HA Dec 1981–Dec 1982 739 inches.
Thanks for the link, Redoverfarm! Do the countryplans.com plans come with instructions on how to build that type of foundation? I see a lot of pier and post foundations in Hawaii like that, in photos.
The Jeep is just a car. We are not in the financial situation to spend $450 on a "red tape" formality to get the jeep shipped. DH thinks he's going to need 4x4 traction. I think it's easier to not drive in the mud! We can buy a car there that will do the job, it doesn't have to be THE one he wants. There is no logic in spending $1500 on shipping a car that's only worth about $3000 just because he "loves" his car.
We can buy a used van in hawaii for $500 to $2000. Right now as it is, if he chooses to ship the jeep we will probably have to live on ramen noodles every day. And I'm pregnant! Grr!
We're putting up all our art for sale on ebay really cheap hoping to raise more money for the trip. I usually sell those for a lot more but everything must go. I want us to take just 4 suitcases each...We're waiting for the DMV to send us the title to our Miata so we can sell that as well.
--maggie
Sounds like lots more on your plate than Ramen, Maggie. Men think women are difficult... ::)
You may want to consider the price of cars in Hawaii. One way or another someone pays the ocean freight to get them there
If the vehicle is simply the current, although loved, transport it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay that kind of shipping fee. Whether or not you/he need 4x4 traction would likely be found out once there and you see what the roads are like where you will be driving.
Not only that, but what does gasoline cost in Hawaii? Might be time for a gas sipping model.
Had a couple stressful days a couple days ago but now things are okay again...I gave in and let him ship the car. We sold a few more paintings and it looks like we're going to be doing alright. DH found a site that helped him find a place to replace that windshield for $200. That's less than we thought so I'm willing to give in...even though I still think it's a bad idea to spend the money...
Watched the movie "50 first dates" last night. It's shot in Hawaii and it was weird watching it because it has so many coincidences relating to my life...just small things here and there but they add up. I saw it when it first came out and now it actually clicks more with me.
Our future landlady in Hawaii had this to say:
QuoteI know someone that can help you build your house if you haven't already hired someone.. he's helped a lot of people I know out of problems with other contractors, you have to be careful about that here..
We explained to her we intend to build it ourselves, but it looks like Hawaii requires a licensed electrician and a plumber to do plumbing and wiring...bah. So her friend might be able to help us with that. I don't know about septic either. Sounds like septic might cost a lot right off the bat.
I think that for the first 3 months we won't build anything, just saving money for buying the tools and materials. I like Cody's idea on this forum of panelizing the house frames. That would mean we would not immediately need to buy a generator for use on the building site. Many things to think about.
--maggie
Quote from: CREATIVE1 on June 06, 2008, 07:00:36 AM
A sidenote: I thought I'd picked a rainy spot in Washington! Hilo is the wettest city in the United States, with 127 inches a year. :o We get 89 inches in Hoodsport on the Olympic Peninsula, with 136 sunny days.
That is why I like it where I live 3-7 inches a year total (Eastern Washington) just enought to keep some of the dust down! I used to live on the West Side and hated all the rain!! Mark
I admire you going after your dream! I'll be interested to hear how you like it. Be sure to get your Hawaii Tax ID right away so you don't have tax problems later being self employed. (you have to file business tax bi-annually) One hint... We lost a lot of money on a car we bought from what looked like a decent dealership. We owned it for five weeks. It died a few weeks after we bought it during the guarantee period, yet they refused to fix it... more like they kept blowing me off for weeks while we were without a car! We paid $6400 cash for that 2004 Neon and got $2000 trading it in (after weeks of trying to get them to fix it). We're still debating if $4000 is worth a law suit. Check the BBB before hiring ANYONE for ANYTHING! Had we checked the BBB before buying our car from Cutter Dodge, we never would have done business with them.
Thanks for the advice.
We do think of opening an art supplies store in Hawaii someday..but we'll deal with that when we get to it. Won't be for a while. ;-)
As for the car....thanks for the info, we will definitely have to be careful there. Do people still use dealers anymore to buy cars? We use craigslist for most things.
--maggie
QuoteWe sell art and that is protected by the first amendment of the constitution
How is the sale of paintings exempted from sales tax by the 1st amendment?
I receive royalties from selling my photographs and have paid tax from the very beginning. I hide nothing and have no worries about ever being audited since it would be a formality, since I hide nothing. Aren't you worried about fines? Penalties? Being arrested for tax evasion? I'd be even more worried about getting caught once you own property. Also, you'll never be able to collect social security since you're not paying into it.
I agree with Nicky. I used to be an IRS Enrolled Agent, now a tax advisor, but am also a hippie/counterculture type. It got my attention when bank robbers and hookers always filed their taxes. More afraid of the IRS than "the law."
That being said, most people in business end up paying little or no taxes LEGALLY. That, my friend, is the way to go.
We do not have a federal sales tax. Sales taxes are state & local taxes and are usually collected by the state. Failure to collect and pay them would not involve the IRS or affect social security, so long as you paid your federal income tax, social security tax, medi.................. I don't know of anyone who received jail time for failure to collect and pay sales tax. Fines, penalties, garnishment of bank accounts, liens and seizure of property are all possibilities.
Quote from: John C on June 10, 2008, 04:51:04 PM
QuoteWe sell art and that is protected by the first amendment of the constitution
How is the sale of paintings exempted from sales tax by the 1st amendment?
It isn't. It's a recipe for problems. I hope she can avoid paying forever, but I wouldn't want the KGB, I mean the IRS after me or even the thought of them after me.
Maybe I am misunderstanding, but it sounded to me like they don't pay tax at all. I don't have to collect or pay any sales tax because the company who sells my work deals with that and I just pay income tax, ss tax, business tax, etc on my royalties... both state and federal. I do know someone who went to jail over sales tax (just for 30 days or some short bid) and also lost their business... and the tax man don't play around. They stuck a huge red SEIZED sign on the front of the building.
I reread Maggie's post and it does indeed sound like they pay no tax at all. Still waiting for how that's derived from the sale of art and the first amendment.
The individual you know who went to jail over sales tax. Did he by any chance collect the sales tax but not pay it to the state? In GA that would be theft be deception and might well land you in jail.
I think Wesley Snipes would like to reconsider his previous tax stance.
EDITED! I realized that my post might have upset some of the nice people on this forum and decided to take it down. My apologies.
--maggie
Quote from: John C on June 10, 2008, 08:52:06 PM
I think Wesley Snipes would like to reconsider his previous tax stance.
Yes he regrets not giving his lunch money to the playground bullies doesn't he? ;-)
--maggie
I choose not to post here what I think of the government, how it treats its citizens, and how it spends our money. Many participants on this site are not in the mainstream, or they wouldn't even want build their own houses. We're working on #2. And our family is full of artists, writers, and musicians.
I also have 27 years of front line experience with the IRS. I'm not going to tell you what to do or why because it sounds like you've made up your mind anyway But, FYI, when you have your baby, it will possibly cost you $2,000 to $3,000 a year NOT to file your taxes.
creative1, I respect you and I do not mean to say I am better than everybody else. If I came across rather unfriendly I apologize.
Your art is absolutely covered by the first amendment. The moment you sell your art for more than you paid for the materials, you have made a profit. Failing to pay taxes on that is the same as not paying taxes on your job at a brick and mortar company. Do I agree with taxes? heck no. Has anyone ever won a case against the KGB, er IRS? Not to my knowledge unless it was just a mistake.
Paying the taxes sucks, but there are far worse things if you don't pay. I work for a company that caters to those who really don't want to be "on the grid" and still be able to purchase/do things today that require plastic..... Even these people have no idea how much all of their activity is known by the KGB.
phalynx, thanks for the message. I do not want to keep talking about this because I don't want cause problems for the nice folks on this forum.
Quote from: maggietoh on June 10, 2008, 09:26:03 PM
creative1, I respect you and I do not mean to say I am better than everybody else. If I came across rather unfriendly I apologize.
No need to apologize. I'm just concerned.
Maggie, don't worry about the forum. These people are just plain nice. Even when they don't agree with me :). It's rather funny as someone stated in a message above, that most people on this board are similar as they wouldn't be building a house themselves. After looking through so many posts, I think that it's not true. I think everyone here are from all walks of life. I believe different than what I thought many did on here only to find out that everyone is so different. But, they are all here for one thing. Building their dreams. Something everyone wants and few act on.
As for the move to Hawaii.......... I added Hilo into my iphone weather lookup. I always add interesting cities that I would want to move to in there so when I feel down about how hot it is here, I can look to see where "the grass is greener". I wouldn't have even known about Hilo if it wasn't for your dream...... Now, I am intrigued by Hawaii...
See,, you are contributing greatly to the "community". Follow your dream...
Maggie, I hope I didn't sound put off by you. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to see photos of your house once you get started... and I'm also excited to hear about your move and how you like Hawaii. Most people I talk to either fall in love with it here or absolutely hate it and can't leave soon enough. Our 3 year old minpin did the quarantine thing. She only had to do 90 days because we got her blood test done as soon as we knew we were moving here, but unfortunately we found out about this move a whopping 30 days before we had to fly. Quarantine was hard on her and at the advice of our vet, we re-home our two ten year old dogs because the vet didn't think they'd make the flight from NY. Oh, and our house doesn't have heat or air conditioning! That seemed so weird to me at first coming from NY. I've heard the big island is alot nicer than Oahu also... Once you get there, please tell us how much a gallon of milk is there! We pay almost $7 a gallon! [shocked]
As for the tax thing, we all make our own decisions and have to live with the consequences of those decisions. I won't mention it again and please continue to update how everything is going. :)
To start with let me say I do file my taxes as my wife is a Federal Employee and I have to file to get her withholding back. Federal employees are required to pay a percentage of their money in - but can get it back if they have enough other deductions.
Let me also say, surprised as you may be, that Maggie is mostly right. Wesley Snipes is right. Ed and Elaine Brown are right...but I agree with Creative on this -- it is best to work it out so that you can "not pay taxes" legally according to the IRS rules. I use Quickbooks and Turbo Tax. I do my own taxes. Turbo Tax will even set you up with an attorney to defend you for a relatively small fee if you use their program and file reasonably on time.
Studying on it you will find you are only required to pay tax on foreign income - the rest is implied and you are coerced into signing your 1040 and saying you owe the tax. Yup -- I am a sell out -- I sign my 1040 with an Without Predjudice and UCC 1-207 which means you are not signing away your Constitutional rights.
Generally they will roll a bowling ball at you and knock you over no matter what the laws state -- they don't want to hear that.
I fought a audit for a year and a half - simply because I didn't have time to do it and I didn't want to do it. In the end I sent them a copy of my invoices -- they we so happy to get rid of me they returned a letter immediately saying accepted as filed.
So - I say Maggie is not wrong -- maybe not a choice most would want to make or a path they would want to take - from her statements I think she knows the laws and the consequences. Ed Brown is an example of someone who is right and is in jail. Ed Brown wanted to see the law --there isn't one so they couldn't show him, but he's still in jail. They will not let someone who is right off, especially if they have been making a lot of noise, because if they did everyone would want to do it.
I know of several IRS people who have come to know the truth and stopped paying their taxes but they are very educated on protecting themselves. It is not anything you want to try if you don't nearly make a career out of study to protect yourself. Maggie is aware of what she is up against. Note that I don't usually harp on this one as there is too much chance of things going badly.
My semi-win with them did cost me $1500 for the assistance of an enrolled agent. He told me - believe me -- every agent in every office knows who you are so we need to get this thing on track. One thing he never did tell me is that I was wrong.
Good luck, Maggie.