January 21, 2025
Worked on the roof framing today. Roof rafters all in place and the fascia is installed.
January 22, 2025
Cut and installed bocking between the roof joists over the walls and through the center.
Then I began installing the roof deck boards. As this will be a walking deck that will be open to the weather, I am trying to clamp the boards together as tight as I can to help with keeping it from leaking into the bathroom below. Once the boards are all in place, I will cover this with elastomeric roof coating and hope for the best!
I need to go to Kona to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a copy of the registration for the truck. The registration expires in February and I will need to pay the local mechanic shop for the “safety inspection” that really does nothing to check for safety. But you have to have the physical piece of paper that is the registration . . . and I cannot find it, . . . so I need to go to Kona, pay them $5 for a duplicate copy, then get the inspection, then pay the registration!
I had to find the title to take with me just in case!
January 24, 2025
On the makai side of the bathroom – the side towards the ocean – there are, or will be two windows. I am making the window frames from some 1 x 6’s I salvaged from some pallets. I sanded them once, then spread wood filler over them to fill the nail holes, and gouges. Then I will sand them again before building the window frames and installing them into the openings.
My neighbor has a stronger solar energy system that will run an electric sander, and he lets me use his power. I have cut and sanded all the parts for the window frames as well as the windows themselves.
I had ordered two old fashioned lantern type solar lights for outside the bathroom. They arrived in the mail today, so I hung them up!
January 25, 2025
When I made the doors for the bungalow at Ahi, I had cut some strips from the 2 x 4’s I sed for the outer frames. These strips are about 3/4″ square, with one rounded corner lengthwise along the strip. Using a block plane, I rounded a second edge to match this and used these as the battens to cover the joints of the vertical siding boards.
I also have installed the window frames and trim around the windows.
January 26, 2025
A while ago, I had picked up some louvered bifolding closet doors that someone had discarded. Using the table saw and the generator, I cut some 2 x 4’s to use as the outer frame of the bathroom door, and these two louvered doors as inserts.
One louvered door is 12″ wide, and the other is 14″ wide. I’m not really sure just how this worked as a bifolding door, but, I took off the three hinges that held them together and glued them together using dowel rods. Together with the 2 x 4 frame, I have a 28″ door.
Then, I cut the corner from some 2 x 6’s, lengthwise 3/4″ x 1 3/4″ to create a “rabbited” door jamb.
January 27, 2025
I fastened the door jamb in place and installed some trim around the door. I also added more of the 3/4″ square battens over the vertical joints of the siding boards.
Rounding the edge of each batten trim board is very time consuming, but, that is all right, I work cheap!
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 
Russ and I had such a fantastic visit with David and Alanah a couple of weeks ago while we were on the Big Island of Hawaii. In fact, seeing them was The reason we went to the island. We flew into Kona and then it’s about a 2 1/2 hour pleasant drive, along the coast, to their property near Naalehu. David gave us directions to his slice of paradise; it’s in a beautiful area on Holowai off the paved highway, surrounded by banana plants and palm trees. After enjoying a refreshing drink of juice in fancy glass goblets, we were treated to a tour of David’s property as he explained his vision. He has done an incredible job clearing the land for his cinder-block structures. It’s amazing all that he has built- completely by hand! He has no water on the property; he hauls in water from the nearby town of Wiohini… which is a major job just by itself! In one bungalow he has a bed and even solar powered lights. He was currently working on the separate bathroom; pouring cement for the shower, and making doors and window frames from scratch. He even has special lantern-type solar lights outside the bathroom. Very nice! His attention to detail is evident by the particular patterned cement floors in the bungalows.
We then drove over to his other property on Ahi, where he’s working hard on the steep driveway. He’s built a gazebo plus another bungalow structure here as well. It’s all very tropical and lovely, and we had a gorgeous view of the ocean in the distance. We even enjoyed ripe guavas from some of his trees. It’s so hard to describe the amount of labor and love they have put into their Hawaiian dream.
We drove over to Punalulu Bakery/Store for lunch and ordered yummy sandwiches and malasada. It was gorgeous sunny weather as we sat outside under the palm trees and ate lunch. David then showed us to the nearby black sand beach. The blue ocean waves, black sand, and large sea turtles were amazing! We can’t believe we’re actually here enjoying this beautiful tropical area. We then drove back to Kona, with the promise of meeting up with David & Alanah soon.
A couple days later, David & Alanah drove the 2 1/2 hour trip into Kona, then we piled into the rental car and drove north along the Kailua-Kona Coast. We had blue ocean views on one side of the road and large areas of black lava rock on the other side; it’s very unusual. We drove to the Northernmost part of the Big Island, to Hawi, King Kamehameha’s birthplace. We, of course, had to take pictures with statues of the King. After pizza for lunch, we went looking for the Old Kohala Lighthouse on a very narrow, deeply rutted dirt road. The road became a “path” surrounded by sugar cane, and David wisely stopped the car. We walked the rest of the way, 1/2 mile, to a dramatic view of the ocean. We found ourselves on the point of a peninsula, with views of the ocean in all directions, but no lighthouse. It was a fun adventure. We drove back to Kona and sadly said good-bye to David and Alanah. They were amazing tour guides and we enjoyed our days being tourists with them. Thank you so much for a marvelous Hawaiian time!
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