Chicken Coops To Grand Champion Homes
BIA’s 2006 Parade of Homes pays tribute to those who literally built Hawaii
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Bill Paik
Show” and “Grand Champion.”
Bill Paik of Grace Pacific Corporation and BIA president-elect is chair of the judging committee. He and seven experts devote a week to Parade of Home judging chores that take them to all parts of Oahu and three Neighbor Islands. Winners are announced at an awards gala on Thursday, Oct. 5, at Ihilani Resort.
Each project is judged from the perspective of an appraiser, architect, builder, financier, interior designer, landscaper, and realtor. Scoring on a 10-point system, the builder for instance looks at:
* Quality of workmanship. Does it meet or exceed industry standards and codes?
* Products used. Does the home have visual appeal (i.e., good proportions in building masses, creative use of materials and color, appropriate use of materials and details, unified design, curb appeal, etc.)?
* Building materials. Are they used appropriate to the design?
* Materials. Do they reflect current trends and innovative technology?
* Value. Good value relative to the asking price and target market?
The top-scoring project is hailed as the most outstanding home on the market today. Discerning buyers will undoubtedly have their personal favorites as well.
Fully furnished models range from Ala Moana Hotel’s condo unit of 297 square feet, to Gentry Pacific’s Monterey Residence 3 at Cypress Point of 5,000 square feet.
Merle Higa
Getting 25 entrants for the Parade of Homes, including a first-time entry on Lanai, is no easy feat. Inventory of new homes is slim to none as voracious buyers comb the marketplace for best buys.
“Homebuilding and commercial projects will drive our industry for the next five to six years,” says Paik. “There are fewer heavy construction projects like the H-3. But due to a labor shortage, it’s a long wait for home-builders wanting to start new projects. This affects home prices.
“That’s why BIA’s priority is the building next year of the Construction Training Center of the Pacific, where we can educate craftsmen,” he states. “High schools no longer offer industrial training, and we need to bring it back. There is no place to train employees for Hawaii’s third largest industry.
“We need support for this training center, so homes can be built quicker and efficiently. The worst thing we can do is to bring in people from outside the state,” he adds.
The Construction Training Center is scheduled to break ground next April at Waipahu’s Mill Town Center. Completion is expected by early 2008.
Meanwhile, BIA uses available classrooms here and there, and has graduated 40 students since its pilot program two years ago. Seventy percent of them are employed in construction today, 27 percent of whom are women.
The outlook continues bright and favorable for Hawaii’s construction industry. Developers, encouraged by strong housing prices, plan to build more and more new homes in the next 20 years, according to city surveys.
BIA’s Parade of Homes will keep pace with the momentum. For 50 years, it has been the welcome mat to Hawaii’s finest new homes. More importantly, it is the catalyst to the American dream of homeownership.
Robert M. Kaya, the Parade’s beloved “grand marshal,” would be pleased.
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