Kipuka Hale

Well, here it is, my little shack on Kipuka street. Kipuka in hawaiian is an island of vegetation that lava flows have spared. Well, I live in the Kipuka that Kipuka street is named after. The development is largely exposed a'a (rough jagged crumbly lava) which most people have to bulldoze and bring in dirt to landscape their yards. My place has been spared by this lava and is under 2 giant old mango and monkey pod trees which completely conceal it from the rest of the neighborhood. The shack was dark and without amenities when I moved in, but i've converted it to a pretty livable situation. First thing was to run power, then I put in a kitchen and bedroom, add a front porch and finally painted the place. Take a look (if you hold your mouse over the picture, you can see the"before" picture)

Robinette suggested painting the wood black to make the room disappear and bring the beauty of the jungle into the room. I was skeptical but it really worked as you can see here in the dining room.

In the bedroom, surrounded by nature, it feels like you are camping.

Had fun playing with concrete countertops when I put in this kitchen.

Entryway

And finally, here is the outhouse equipped with a composting toilet.

Here's my driveway. When you go down the hill (which sometimes requires 4wd to get back up) both my truck and house are totally invisible from the street in the secluded jungle land below.