Linwood Custom Homes - Custom home packages including house plans

Award winning Custom Home Packages including house plans with site specific design.

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World leader in fiber cement siding and backerboard

Jeldwen Windows & Doors (US)

Reliable wood, vinyl and aluminum windows and patio doors

Milgard Windows & Doors

All our vinyl windows are backed by a lifetime warranty.

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Building It Right

Getting the best result

in building a custom home requires attention-to-detail and a good understanding of the construction process. There are many tasks to be completed which require skilled people to manage them.

The objective for most people who build a new home is to get a valuable return on the investment and a home that fits their lifestyle needs. Value is created when your finished home is worth more to you than the cost of construction.

  • Planning Your Project
  • Preparing a Construction Budget
  • Timing Your Build
  • Sourcing and Delivering Materials
  • Home Building Tips

Keep in mind that there are no shortcuts to achieving a successful result when building your home. It takes expertise, good planning and proper management to build your home right.


Planning Your Project

Building in any remote location has its special challenges. This is particularly true of Lanai. All materials need to be brought a long distance to the building site. Proper planning is absolutely essential to keep costs under control. Making changes once construction has started becomes expensive and time consuming. It can also result in major delays if additional material needs to be manufactured, sourced and shipped.

Design and structural changes require expertise from professionals who have a good understanding of the specific project. Lanai Home Builders has relationships with these kinds of experts and can get them to do the work required on a timely basis.

It is vital to prepare an accurate budget, which includes realistic estimates, which reflect the scope of work to be done. Lanai Home Builders can help you determine what is involved in your specific project. We can also help you make good decisions so you can get a successful outcome.

Preparing a Construction Budget

There are many variables that will affect the costs of constructing your home. The amount you need to budget for will be dependent on the size, location and complexity of the project. Lanai Home Builders helps customers understand the difference between "home construction costs" and "total project costs". Home construction includes the type of design you choose, the quality of finishing products you select and other considerations relating to construction. Total project costs consider site improvement, site preparation and availability of services.

Lanai Home Builders helps homeowners develop a realistic budget estimate that considers the details of the whole project using the proprietary Custom Builder XPM ™ estimating software. This provides comfort to homeowners that they can rely on a proper budget before construction work begins. This process also helps financial institutions validate the project when evaluating construction loans.

Using quotes based on simplistic per square foot pricing for the whole project in your budget can cause major problems. This approach is usually unrealistic and can result in substantial budget overruns. Homeowners do not want to find themselves in a situation where they cannot complete the project if the cost of materials and work involved has been underestimated.


Timing Your Project

To determine a realistic timetable to finish the project so you can occupy your home, it is necessary to understand what is involved in the construction process. The reality is that it usually takes about six months to build a relatively uncomplicated home. It can often take a year or more to build a custom home.

Activity From (wks) Up to (wks)
Selecting Design and Materials 8 12
Permits and Approvals 2 20
Construction and Inspections 15 38
Projected time to occupancy 25 70

The Lanai area has a climate that allows work at almost any time of the year. However, the seasonal rainfalls in some parts of the island can make excavation work more difficult. Concrete cannot be poured if the foundation work has become saturated with water.

Building materials made from wood need to be treated to be insect resistant. It is best to use kiln dried lumber as non-dried lumber commonly sold at local supply yards has a tendency to warp. It difficult to get a good result when applying drywall over non-dried lumber as the walls will warp and the nails will pop when the lumber dries. This means painting and the application of trim become extremely challenging.

Low maintenance and energy efficiency should also be considered when selecting building materials. It is important that suppliers can offer meaningful warranties as replacing key components on an island can be an issue. Lanai Home Builders has the expertise to help you plan the timing of your project and make sure that all the materials and trades are available when needed.


Sourcing and Delivering Materials

Lanai Home Builders constructs homes in most regions of Lanai. We generally serve the more populated areas, but also have familiarity with the challenges of the more remote locations.

It is sometimes difficult to source all of the specialized components needed to build a custom home locally. All goods need to be shipped from the mainland, which means local suppliers are reluctant to carry inventory of specialty items. Transportation is also relatively costly. This means getting the right quantity and quality of materials sourced and shipped together is very important.

Lanai Home Builders uses a proven system for purchase and delivery of materials that is cost-effective for Lanai residents. We have formed preferred buying alliances with local and national suppliers based on the mainland to provide a wide selection of high quality building products to our customers. Materials are consolidated and shipped directly in full loads to your building site to save on freight costs. This process saves you a significant amount of time and money.


Home Building Tips

Building a custom home successfully requires attention-to-detail and a working knowledge of the construction process. There are many tasks to be performed and this requires a combination of good management and skilled people.

Homes have become more complex over the years and building code requirements more stringent. As a result, more construction expertise is required. This is why most homeowners agree that it is safer to hire building professionals to complete their projects. In some cases, banks will require a proven general contractor.

Any construction project is a major undertaking in terms of both time and money. The objective is to get a valuable return on your investment and a home that fits your lifestyle needs. Value is created when your finished home is worth more to you than the cost of building it. This is best achieved by good up-front planning and then making the right purchasing and hiring decisions.

Getting ready to build

The building process starts with selecting the right design and combination of materials. Once these key decisions are made, you can start to plan your project in detail. It takes time to get ready for actual construction, as a number of issues need to be addressed before work can start.

There are many design possibilities and thousands of building components with different performance characteristics to choose from. To get the best result, it is important to choose someone early on in the process who is a design and building material specialist. This enables you to develop a site specific design that can actually be built on your property.

Hiring the Right People

Someone needs to act as the general contractor and be in charge of the entire building process. Some homeowners act as their own general contractor and hire builders and trades directly. Others hire a general contractor to look after the project.

You should select a builder who is qualified for your type of project and is available to meet your time frame. Getting someone who can find, manage and schedule the right people is also important. You can only prepare an accurate budget by obtaining construction quotes that are based on rates that apply at the time of construction. Evaluation should also be based on the expertise offered and the ability to finish the project. Selecting a builder based only on the lowest hourly rate is never the best choice.

Contractors who are not properly insured automatically transfer the risk of injury and damage-related lawsuits to the homeowner. A contractor's business liability insurance can protect you if your home is damaged by the contractor or his employees, or if he causes damage or injury to third parties.

Having a meaningful written contract with your builder is essential. The key elements are scope of work, procedures for changes, payment terms and provisions for sign-off at the time of completion. The construction contract should also address responsibility for work-related injuries, damages to third parties and property damage (builder's risk insurance).

Getting building permits

Home building is a highly regulated process. Building permits are required before construction can begin. The time it takes to get permits is dependent on:

  • Availability of finalized blueprints
  • Compliance with local building regulations
  • Processing time by the planning department
  • Seasonal planning department work loads

Apply for permits as soon as you have your construction blueprints because you can only start foundation work when building permission has been received. You can always delay construction, but you can't move forward without permits.

Preparing the building site

Once the land is cleared, the actual construction of your home can commence. This starts with excavating so that foundations can be formed and concrete poured when the weather conditions are right. It is important to get the foundations in place as soon as blueprints are available and permits have been obtained. Cement cannot be poured below freezing temperatures or other adverse weather conditions without special procedures.

Construction to Lock-up

When the building is at the lock-up stage it means that the home is now weatherproof and secure. The roof is complete with windows and doors installed. An inspection will take place at lock-up. This key milestone inspection will determine the structural soundness of the home and its compliance with building codes.

Finishing to Occupancy

When all of the exterior and interior finishing work is complete you can apply for a final inspection. Any deficiencies identified need to be remedied by you or your general contractor prior to granting an occupancy permit. You may be able to move in prior to receiving an occupancy certificate but you will need one prior to obtaining a mortgage, home warranty protection or selling your house.


Lanai Home Builders - Member of Hawaii Builder Network - 1.866.582.8453