Many families decide that building a home in Hawaii is the thing to do. Hawaii is thought of as one of the most private places to go in the entire world, simply because it has a huge distance from other locations. Between 2008 and 2009, the population saw a growth of around 0.6%, while the population in 2010 was close to 1.3 million and continuing to grow. If you are thinking about building a home in Hawaii then you should know a few things. First, the cost of living is higher, so you are going to need to make more money than what you do now in order to keep your standard of living, plus you will need more money to build a home than you would if you chose a different location. Secondly, you should hire an architect to design the home of your dreams. The difficultly level of building a home in Hawaii is going to be slightly challenging.
1. Your first step is to plan your project. You will need to find a general contractor in the area who can aid in the planning of the home. These general contractors will be a dominant presence in the development of the home. They will also be responsible for hiring other people to actually build the home, such as masons, electricians, plumbers other carpenters, and basically any kind of specialty person that they may need for the project. Generally, these general contractors will charge around 25% more than what it is costing to construct in order to make a profit and pay their employees. However, if you do not want to do this you do have the option of self-contract, which means more work for you, however, you can get off slightly cheaper.
2. Next, you will start securing finances. The lender that you are looking into will need a breakdown of all the costs associated with the build, whether you are hiring a contractor or self-contracting. The lender will then give you draws, which are construction loans that are made directly to the subcontractor's and vendors throughout the stages of the project.
3. Once you have your estimates and financing, you need to find a lot that you can build on. This will involve deciding on which island you want. A real estate agent can assist you in finding a vacant lot for your construction.
4. You will want to find an architect that understands the Hawaiian codes that they need to adhere by in order to build a home. They will also know about materials that can and cannot be used and other issues that may arise when building in Hawaii. The blueprints that the architect provides will be used by your contractors in order to make sure that you are getting what you want. Normally, you can expect to pay an architect around 8 to 15% of the finished cost of the home.
5. Your last step is to make sure that your construction goes as planned. Make sure you understand what should be taking place and the time frame that it should take. You will also need to talk about deadlines with the contractors, and basically make sure things are going as planned.