Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are Multi-Facetted Homes built to code? What about permitting?

A. Yes, all our home packages are built in conformity with the most current UBC (Uniform Building Code) used in the United States.

In addition, all the Multi-Facetted Homes Plans are architecturally stamped, and we guarantee you building code compliance for your permitting process.

If desired (on the Big Island) we can also walk your plans through the Hawaii building departments, for quicker issuance of your building permit. Feel free to talk with our designer for more specific questions.

Q. Is there anything special about the construction of these homes?

What about structural strength? Hurricane Winds? Earthquakes?

Hawaii Architectural Design Review Stamp Engineering Building Permits

A. You want a home that will last. Multi-Facetted Homes possess the highest quality features, not only in natural life-time materials, but also in structural strength and superior construction methods -- including screwed (not nailed) framing, and a host of other special built-in features that place them well above conventional building methods and materials.

Click here to find out more about how our engineers and craftsmen go the extra mile

to build in superior Structural Strength Qualities and other

"hidden" features of the Multi-Facetted Homes.

We're pleased to offer these excellent life-time homes,

not only for their beauty and ease of assembly,

but for the added measures of superior quality and

furniture-grade workmanship that goes into

every Multi-Facetted Home package.

Custom Cedar Hawaii Prefab Home Shells go up in One Day. Marine-grade materials, superior structural strength, Cedar/Redwood Lifetime quality.

Q. Can you ship my home package to any of the Hawaiian islands?

A. Yes. Our wall and roof system panels are made to fit inside a shipping container, and can be shipped/delivered and unloaded at your building site for your project.

Just give our office a call at (808) 987-4343 and we will be happy to give you a shipping estimate, based on the size home you would like to build, and the location where you would like us to ship to.

Q. What about termites?

You do not need to chemically treat or tent these woods, as they are naturally repellant to termites.

A. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other agencies have found that All-heart Redwood and the white Cedar (Port Orford) that we use are two of the most rot- and termite-resistant woods available for home construction.

The white PO Cedar has been used for many decades for boat building (yachts), because of its excellent strength and durability in the elements. And All-heart Redwood is commonly selected for the special demands of outdoor decks and patio furniture for the same reasons.

The UBC (Uniform Building Code) actually indicates that the purpose of treating construction lumber is to bring it up to the termite-resistance that is found naturally in Redwood and Cedar.

Natural wood has an unmistakable warmth and adds a special look and feel to your home.

Concerns about longevity and termite-resistance are important in Hawaii, and that is why we have selected and choose to build with these species of termite-resistant, life-time woods.

Natural Woods, Marine-grade materials, superior structural strength, Cedar/Redwood Lifetime quality.

Q. I'm concerned about so much wasted lumber in home building projects.

How does that affect the overall cost of building my home?

And what about the forests and timbers that are used for construction?

A. Our excellent quality natural All Heart Redwood and Port Orford Cedar come from 2nd growth, sustainably grown harvestable forest sources.

And ...

We are proud to have a very minimal lumber waste of less than 2%, as compared with the customary 10-15% waste of siding and framing materials generally budgeted and experienced with on-site home construction methods.

How can you conserve so much on building materials?

Thanks to our panelized building system, we are able to order and stock our Redwood in specific lengths for our panels and make good use of cut-off Cedar sheathing pieces as needed for the various tapering widths of our roof systems,.

We are able to pass this savings along to you, in the final results:

a superior lifetime-quality custom-designed home
at a lower overall price,
due to our efficient (labor and materials) panelized building process.

In other words, you don't have to pay a comparable price

for a lesser quality home, to allow for wasting 15-20%

of the lumber needed to build it.

Q. How long does it take to get our new home package, once we order?

A. Turn-around time in our shop is very quick, just a few weeks or less, depending on the size of your home order.

We schedule a Production Time window for you, depending on your needs and also the availability of materials we will order for you, such as your custom-chosen windows, doors and/or any lumber specified for your custom home design that may not already be in our stocked inventory.

We arrange a Completion Date with you at the start, so that everything will come together in an efficient period of time.

The good news:

Often and for most orders, we can have your panelized building package ready within less than the time it will take for you to get your Building Permit issued and your site/foundation prepared.

So, once your permit is in hand, you are ready for quick assembly at your building site.

For a time-efficient home construction project,

this could be the fastest building method you will find.

Q. What if my family continues to grow, or I want to start off with a certain design for now, and then perhaps add onto my home later?

A. It's very easy to do this with our building system.

Quite a few of our clients have built "starter homes" or guest cottages, and then returned to us later for expansion, adding additional Hale(s) onto their homes.

Connected Breezeway Custom Cedar Hawaii Prefab Home Shells Marine-grade materials, superior structural strength, Cedar/Redwood Lifetime quality.

It's easy to add and connect additional Hale's, either with covered walkways, breezeways and/or room connection areas, as you will find examples in our larger combination home design sections of the website.

Planning for the Future ...

And if you like, we can assist you to make up your initial home design with possible future expansion planning in mind.

This may be something like placing a door or window wall in a certain place, where a new addition, hallway, room or another Hale can be added on later.

So that as time goes on, you can expand your home gracefully to gradually accomplish your dreams and goals.

Q. Will I need a builder, or a contractor to help me put my home up and finish it?

A. Generally anyone with home building or remodeling skills can easily put up a Multi-Facetted home shell.

We provide a simple but detailed shell Assembly Manual, and excellent personalized builder support for Owner-Builders and/or General Contractors.

Prefab Modular Panels, Quick One-Day Assembly of Cedar Home Shells - Hawaii

You will just need one person with journeyman carpentry skills.

On your assembly day you will want to have 3-4 helpers come to assist in lifting and placing the panels.

Your Builder If you have a builder in mind you would like to work with, we can meet with him/her and give them all the tools necessary to successfully and efficiently put up your new home.

Click here for a helpful page you can use to introduce your builder to our panelized system and quick assembly process, for general cost-bidding purposes.

Contacting a builder for estimating your project Every one of our custom-homes is different, and a builder will first need to know the specifics in order to prepare a bid for you. Before you ask the builder for a bid, you will want to do your initial design work and decide on a home design that you have in mind to build ... We will give you a detailed proposal of everything we provide and it will include detailed materials lists to assist with costing the on-site part of your job more specifically.

In the meantime and for starters, we can assist you with general cost estimates based upon your plan idea, and help you to adjust and finalize your design to fit your needs and budget.

Q. I have some carpentry skills ... Can I do the entire project myself?

A. Owner-builders can do most all of the home project themselves, and save substantially on construction costs. It is also possible for owner-builders to hire carpentry assistants as needed for the project. In Hawaii, the building department will require every residential building to have a Hawaii-licensed plumbing contractor and electrician.

Some lenders will require you to have a general contractor for the entire project, and he/she will sub-contract the electrician and plumber, as needed.

Q. What is the first step for me to get started in planning for building a new home?

A. First, we recommend that you select and acquire your building site.

A. Every site is different, and once you have yours, you will begin to see some things:

where your driveway entrance will approach to your new home site
what overall footprint will be best there (long, wide, compacit, tall, etc.)
where the sun rises and sets
where you will want to maximize your views and/or your privacy
where you will want to place or face your rooms and windows
- ... the main entrance to your home,
- ... your living and dining areas
- ... master bedroom, sleeping rooms, etc.
where you might want to have your parking, carport and/or garage, etc.

With the Multi-Facetted building system, it's easy to custom-design the layout of your new home to meet all these considerations and fit your new home exactly to your building site, your needs and preferences, and your budget.

Views and Footprint Shape Consideration, for starters...

Depending upon any views from your property, you may decide to build either a One- or a Two-Story home, and perhaps you will want to have some Decks or Covered Lanais in certain areas.

This will all become clear, as you stand on your property and envision living in your new location.

Once you have this general vision in mind for your building site... you can start to sketch some things in, your desired placements...

Hawaii Prefab Modular Cedar Island Style Home – Plantation Style Roof Covered Lanai

From there, our design and

architectural staff can assist you

in customizing your design,

till it's just right for you.

Hawaii Prefab Modular Cedar Island Style Home – Plantation Roof Covered Lanai

Q. How much will my new home cost to build and finish?

How do I get my design ideas to match my construction budget?

A. Once you know your approximate construction budget, you will want to decide on what size home you'd like to build - and then finalize your design. We are here to help you make this as simple as possible ...

With our building system, you have some freedom in controlling

your overall finished building cost range:

Remember, we are supplying the panelized shell package with the framing, exterior siding, door and window openings ready, etc. -- You and/or your builder will finish out the rest.

So this gives you some flexibility and control over your finished home "turn-key" costs ...

1) If you are an owner builder, you can save in many areas, depending upon how much of your project you will do yourself, and how much you will need to hire help for.

2) If you will be hiring a general contractor to handle your overall building project, you will probably add on up to 20-30%, depending on the vicinity of your building site and your contractor's rates. (You can ask your builder for an actual bid, once your plan is determined.)

Labor costs can vary in different locations. For example in Hawaii, building on the West side, or on other islands will be somewhat higher than on the East or South sides of the Big Island. In budgeting, you can eliminate labor costs for any part of your project that you can or want to do yourself.

With our system you have freedom to shop for your items such as your fixtures, cabinets/counters, floor coverings and roofing materials, and this gives you flexibility - both in your budget and in the creative design aspects of your new home.

Please feel free to call us for any additional assistance in getting customized design and building cost estimates for your desired project.

Q. What is the meaning of "turn-key"? What does that include?

A. "Turn-key" is a phrase in construction referring to the total cost of building your home, until all you have to do is turn the key, and move in.

(With your furniture and personal items, of course!)

Hawaii Prefab Modular Cedar Island Style Homes

Using our building system to put up your own personally and custom-designed home shell, you will have a lot of flexibility in finishing things out to the turn-key stage, being able to choose the quality and style of all your fixtures, lighting, floor coverings, etc. and doing as much of the finish work as you may choose.

Once we help you finalize your design, we will be supplying the panelized exterior walls and roof system, doors and windows, interior and exterior wood trim, hardware and roofing underlayment to finish your weather-tight home shell. Plus any additional materials your home may call for, such as decking, paneling, vents, stairs, pickets, interior doors and/or wood flooring.

The other items will be added by you as owner/builder, or by your general contractor. So this gives you lots of room for your personal design and budget creativity throughout your new home.

Q. How can I customize or develop my own floor plan design?

A. You can feel free to print out any of the sample floor plans from our site, and use them as guides to create the layout of your own dream home. For your assistance, we also have provided some Blank Design Sketch Sheets here on the site.

You can use the blank sheets, and cut-and-paste to get a rough design footprint. Then sketch in where you would like to have your various rooms located. It's just a start, and doesn't have to look perfect at this point ... You may probably still have questions and our designer can help you to refine your layout until it fits all your needs.

1) Once you have a rough floor plan sketch, please mark it clearly with your Name and Contact Phone number(s) ... then email or fax to our office. Once we have it, next you'll need to talk with the designer to refine the sketched ideas further.

2) You can follow up with us by phone or request a call-back from our designer who can assist you from there with design refinement, pricing estimates and any other building/design questions you may have.

Q. Is this Style of Design popular or current with the times?

Award-Winning Architectural Design - Hawaii Homes

A. Besides being made with Lifetime, marine-grade materials,

these homes are of a classic, Island-style design, and they

continue to win prestigious international awards, over the years and decades.

Click here to see example ...

www.SunriseBeachCabanas.com

Q. What kind of doors and windows do you provide?

A. For lasting quality and beauty in the tropics,

we include beautiful, top-of-the-line doors

and windows in our home packages.

Multi-Facetted Home packages come with:

Windows: High-quality Almond-colored, solid Vinyl windows - in various sizes, shapes and styles, of your preference, with screens.
Doors: You have your selection of solid Mahogany Carved Panel and/or Glass-French Door designs.
And you also may like to include some solid Mahogany Louver Doors in places where you want to preserve freshness and air flow (bathrooms, closets, etc).