Continued from Part 7: Tips on Building a Custom Home: Expect Unexpected Setbacks.
We are no doubt in the home stretch of our new home’s construction. My wife told me last night she is very pleased with how the home is shaping up. Those words are all I needed to hear to know. Like the Bob Marley songs says, everything’s gonna be all right.
Flooring is in the final phase of installation. After checking into the pros and cons of using wood, we chose ceramic tile throughout the entire home. It is designed to look like a wood floor and we don’t have to worry about the possibility of warping from moisture. With ceramic, we never have to worry about spills in the kitchen either. It seemed to be our best bet. We also chose the smaller tiles (6″x24″) on the recommendation of our installer. The longer, wider tiles looked nice, but can cause issues due to cupping. This is when the tile has a curve or bend underneath. Our tile is being installed on the diagonal; a much better look. Extra work for the installers, but worth the effort. We carried the same tile to the covered lanai area.
Finally, the cabinets are all in place and the countertop installer has come to template for the stone installation. My wife was confident she wanted quartz this time in the kitchen. I was leaning toward granite, but that was not going to happen. Choose your battles wisely men. Unlike other hard surface countertop materials, quartz is non-porous, so it resists staining much better than granite, marble, and concrete. Quartz needs no sealer and will not harbor bacteria or viruses. We did opt for granite in the bathrooms and laundry area. I guess there could be a debate as to whether or not you should use the same stone or countertop throughout the home for consistency, but that is a personal preference.
Rock walls for outdoor showers are popular in Hawaii. Our master shower has a sliding glass door that leads out to the outdoor shower/garden. I’m looking forward to this feature as we had one in our previous home and it was the only shower we used. We like the look of A’a rock. It is a rough form of lava rock and adds what I think is a cool look to the wall. Outdoor shower heads can be pricey, but we found one on Amazon Prime that was reasonable. We also built an outside shower for the guest bath.
So, our target for completion is the end of the month; however, the home will not truly be completed for another year or two. I do like to change things as we live in the place. I will keep you posted as we get closer to some finished looks.
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If you have any interest in building a home in Kona, please contact me. I will share with you my personal experience, from the ground up. Follow my blog to learn more about building a home in Hawaii.
Donevon Smth
July 10, 2017
Hello: I will be moving to the Kona area in the next six months. Are there any new developments being built. I was there in July but I didn’t find any. What are the pros and cons of building a new home there. Buying land and getting a reputial builder. How long We are retired and we are looking for a 2000 sf home with ocean views. Donevon