Gunite and gutters

We made a lot of progress last week on our rainwater catchment system. We had given considerable thought to what type of water tank we should install. Most homes in Hawaii that rely on rainwater catchment use corrugated steel tanks. These are probably the most economical. But we didn't really like the look of the steel tanks and were hoping to find something that would be easier to hide. In order to get homeowner's insurance, we are required to have a 10,000 gallon tank - ostensibly for fire protection - although it never made too much sense to us that the required tank size was the same no matter the size of your house or your lot. So we're talking about a pretty big tank.

After some investigation, we decided to go with a concrete tank from Pacific Gunite. They had the most experience on the island with these types of tanks. The cost was twice what a steel tank would have been, but we decided the quality, durability and look were worth the investment. We could bury most of the tank below grade, and with a concrete lid, it would be sturdy enough to build a shop or storage shed on top.

The tank installation was very interesting! I had never seen something like this built before. The hole for the tank had already been excavated last fall when we had the other sitework done. The tank crew placed a layer of fine base gravel, then formed and poured the bottom of the tank. Next, they put up three layers of different sized wire mesh, from coarse on the inside, to fine on the outside. Then they sprayed the gunite (concrete) onto the wire mesh, on the inside and on the outside. The tank wall is about 4 inches thick at the bottom and about 2 inches thick at the top. Finally, they formed and poured the lid. They also formed and poured an interior support column at the same time. This whole process took about six days over a two-week period.

Installing the wire mesh

Wire mesh reinforcing completed

Spraying gunite on the inside

Spraying gunite on the outside and troweling the inside

Smoothing the outside

Forming the bottom of the lid

Additional formwork for the lid (under a rain tarp)

Lid reinforcement

The tank is important, but it's only part of the rainwater catchment system. The other important part is the roof gutter and downspout system. The gutters catch all the rainwater that falls on the roof and send it through four downspouts connected by piping under the house and into the tank. With over 100 inches of rain a year, we should have more than enough for our daily water needs. Maybe even enough for a hot tub one day! The other wonderful thing about having the gutters installed was getting rid of the dripline that just poured off the roof next to the front steps. There was no way to go in and out of the house during a rainstorm without getting drenched!

One of four downspouts connected to the roof gutters

After the tank is completed, we will disinfect the water with UV and remove particulates with filters. The collection piping also has cleanouts so we can remove leaves and other debris that might come off the roof.

Time off

We decided to take a weekend off and head to Honaunau for three days of sun, hot showers, laundry and great company with our friends Dave and Beth, who run Beth's Hawaiian Hideaway. We'd been planning this getaway for three weeks - as soon as there was an opening in our favorite Paniolo Suite. We were dying to dry out for a few days. Since we arrived in Volcano on October 16th up until November 20th when we headed to Honaunau, we had been blessed with over 24 inches of rain, according to hikermikes Volcano weather station. Everything was starting to smell moldy to me, including me!

This break was just what the doctor ordered. On the way back to Volcano we made the required stop at Costco in Kona and took the long way home through Waimea and along the Hamakua coast.

Geckos on the kitchen wall

Poolside at Dave and Beth's

Riley and George at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau

Another gorgeous sunset

Hiking and wiring

Last week we had visits from our plumber, the electrician, and the guy who will be building our water tank. It was hard to relax with contractors coming and going every day. But it was satisfying to see what was accomplished in just a few days.

First, our electricity meter was installed.

Then the electricians did most of the wiring to all the outlets, switches, lights, and smoke detectors. For some reason, our little 1,000 square foot house is required to have five smoke detectors. There is plenty of overkill in the Hawaii residential building code. The electrician crew finished all the rough-in in two days, including covering the exposed wiring with redwood channel.
 

Besides the numerous smoke detectors, another overkill item is the requirement for two 8-foot long copper grounding rods that have to be drilled into the lava rock. The poor guy who ended up with this job came out on Saturday morning. One of his drill bits got stuck fast in the rock and he spent most of the afternoon trying to unstick it. He finally gave up and went home to take his kids trick-or-treating, leaving the rod sticking out of the ground. He came back Sunday morning after church, with his cousin in tow. But even cousin did not have the magic to get the Excalibur drill bit out of the ground and they ended up cutting it off. After that, things went more smoothly and both rods were installed by early afternoon. Now we're more than prepared if the house is ever struck by lightning!

While the electricians were working in the house, we decided to go on a hike so we would be out of their way. Our neighbor Robert had an idea for a 4-mile round trip hike to the Pu'u Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve, which is just a couple of miles down the road from our neighborhood. If you ever decide to try this hike, pay attention to this note in the hike description: The trail is often very muddy, so boots are a good idea. There was plenty of boot-sucking mud! But our dog Riley, and Robert's dogs - Mystic and Boggs - had the time of their lives.

Boggs even has his own favorite bog to swim in!

 

Return to Volcano

We arrived back on the Big Island on October 15 and spent a blissful evening at Beth's Hawaiian Hideaway. If you're considering a trip to the Big Island, you could not find a better place to stay than this place in South Kona, away from the Kona crowds and close to snorkeling at Two Step and Kealakekua Bay. It's also just up the road from the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park - one of our very favorite places to watch the sun set.

The following day we headed to Volcano, where our daily life is best described as "roughing it." However, I've learned that scaffolding makes excellent furniture. For example, who needs fancy kitchen cabinets?

And a piece of metal roofing makes a handy dish rack.

There's nothing like adding a little makeshift to those daily routines you used to think were boring!

Enclosed and lockable

The metal roof was the final piece that needed to be in place before George could come back to Idaho for the summer. We had a great roofing contractor who did a nice job on the installation. The gutters will be installed later and will direct the rainwater from the roof to our catchment tank when it's in place.

Finally, the house was fully enclosed, weather-proof, and lockable. Time for George to come back to Idaho!

Windows and deck

George had some help with the windows and lanai thanks to our good friend Roger, who works for the Hawaii State Department of Health on Oahu. Roger was on the Big Island for a week for some work with the Hilo office, and was able to take some time off to lend a hand. If you look closely, you can see Roger looking out the bathroom window in the center.

Roger's help was particularly critical when it came to installing the big sliding glass door to the back lanai, which weighed a ton. I can only imagine what it was like for George and Roger to haul that heavy glass door up the ramp (or as George calls it - the chicken board) to the level of the deck. On top of that, imagine the chicken board wet and slippery from the rain and you have a horrible accident just waiting to happen. Fortunately, George and Roger managed it without incident.

Getting out of the rain

One of the facts of life in Volcano is the almost daily rain. Many days, it's just a light, misty sprinkle. But other times, it's a steady downpour. So we really looked forward to getting a roof over the house so that the inside could actually dry out.