Ohia Homestead is nestled on a full two acres in the middle of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. Located at approximately 3000 feet in elevations, this property is perfectly situated to allow the Ohia trees it is named for to grow and thrive, and they cover much of the property. This elevation allows for an ideal mix of warm days and cool nights, while also getting enough rainfall to keep the trees happy.
As you enter the property, the first thing you will see is the gate set back far enough that you can pull completely off the road to unlock it. The gate can swing both ways, so you never have to worry about stopping too close to it when you are either leaving or returning to the property, which is a really nice feature and not something that a lot of folks think of when setting placing their gate.
Each lot measures 70 feet by 628 feet, so the total size of the Homestead is 140 feet wide by 628 feet deep. This allows the driveway to wind all of the way from the road to the back of the property, but still allows for absolute privacy once you are twenty or thirty feet past the gate. From archival satellite imagery we can see that the driveway was put in sometime between 2001 and 2010, which has given nature plenty of time to grow back around it and to let the remaining forest to thrive. We have had a surveyor come out and verify the pins on the left lot, along with marking the property line every 100 feet or so, and I have placed rocks and branches along that edge to serve as a property boundary. The pins on the second lot have been marked, but I have not had them verified personally.
As you walk along the driveway, you will reach the first clearing off to the left, where there is enough space to park multiple vehicles, or you could set a container there if you were looking to add secured storage to the property. As you keep making your way in, after coming up a small berm you will encounter a large expanse of Pahoehoe lava, which covers a section of the first lot and continues onto a larger section of the second lot. most of this area was covered in invasive grasses and brush which have been thoughtfully cleared, allowing the remaining trees the space they need to thrive.
Just past that you will arrive at what we refer to as Center Tree, a large Ohia that stands almost in the center of the two properties, and the driveway loops around the tree allowing for an easy turn around spot for UPS or Fedex deliveries, as we have had packages delivered by both companies to this lot. Off to the left is another large clearing that goes to the property line, and this is the first structure that you will see that we call The Studio. We originally built this structure to allow some friends to stay for an extended summer vacation, and as such it has a sizeable loft with a twin bed, shelving unit and a rolling crate for clothes storage. There is a propane dryer and electric washing machine on the lower level, which has been an amazing addition as we did our laundry by hand for the first year that we were here.
However, I have been using The Studio as my remote work space since our friends returned home, and as such there are two standing desks on the main level along with the previously mentioned washer and dryer. Our Starlink dish is mounted to the roof on the front of the structure, which gives it an unobstructed view of the sky, which it needs. This is our main source of internet connection, although this property also has a very solid cell phone signal with most of the major carriers, and our Verizon phones have anywhere from 2-4 bars depending on where on the property you are standing, and if you are in a structure or not. If you want to know more about what comes inside of The Studio, make sure to check out its detail page as I will go over everything that is remaining with the property, as it is quite a bit.
There are beautiful elevated areas on both sides of The Studio, and you really just need to walk the property to be able to appreciate them as photos do not do them justice. However, as you continue along the driveway, right after Center Tree the driveway curves over to the right and uphill, which will take it almost all the way across the second lot before it curves back to the left and finished up in the final clearing at the back of the property. The elevation climbs somewhere between thirty to fifty feet in this area, and has the highest point on the property.
Here at the back is where we have done most of our actual living, and again all of this was cleared of invasive grasses and bushes that had taken over. There is plenty of space to park and turn around in the areas that we have cleared, and there are also our main structures. The first one you will see is The Cabin itself, and this is the beating heart of Ohia Homestead. This is where my wife and I slept, and on the main level there is a full size bed that we used for sleeping, but it also doubles as a daybed / couch and our main living space. Our kitchen table is in there, along with our propane oven, full size refrigerator and various small countertop appliances. To learn more about The Cabin, make sure to check out its detail page as everything inside of there has a story.
Off to the left of The Cabin is our solar power system, which will also be staying with the property. There is also a detail page going over all of the equipment that is included, but the quick overview is there are 1600 watts of solar panels, a 3000 watt 12v inverter to provide AC power, 660Ah of LiFePO4 batteries, a 2500 watt generator for backup and 90 amps max of AX/DC charging capacity. Again, make sure to check out the Solar detail page to learn more about this system.
Off to the right of The Cabin of the other large structure that we have built, and we call this one The Greenhouse, for obvious reasons. The front half of this structure is the greenhouse area proper, and has a clear corrugate roof, with clear corrugate on the front openings as well. This allows for a maximum amount of sun, and really heats the space up on the cooler days that we sometimes see. The back half is more enclosed, and we are currently using it as a space to store the items we will be shipping back to the mainland with us. Both spaces have a nice wide opening on the left side of the room that is covered with a roll up shade, and by opening these up along with the door, you get some really nice airflow through the entire space. If it is raining and blowing however you can then lower and secure the rolling shade, keeping the spaces dry and protected. If you want to learn more about The Greenhouse, make sure to check out its detail page as there are details to be learned there as well.
Finally, there are three smaller structures up here as well, all of which serve a purpose. First up is the outdoor shower, which is in front of The Cabin next to the driveway right as you come up the hill. This is a mostly enclosed space, with a propane water heater and water pump that allows you to take a hot shower for as long as there is water. The roof has large overhangs to keep any rain off, and allow you to dry off in peace before heading back inside. next up is The Outhouse, which is located in front of The Greenhouse. This structure is ready for you to install you own composting toilet, and will keep you dry and out of the weather even in the strongest gusts of wind and rain. Last but not least, behind The Greenhouse is The Platform in the far back corner of the property, and this space has had many uses over the last two years, and is the first structure that we actually built here. Its most recent purpose has been for morning and evening yoga, as the light that filters through the trees in the morning in this spot is truly breathtaking, and is just a wonderfully relaxing spot to be. As with all of the other structures, make sure to check out the detain pages for each of these structures as there is something to talk about with all of them.
From the top of the property, standing in front of The Cabin, there is even a panoramic ocean view that you can see through the trees. On a clear day it is a vast expanse of water off in the distance, though it has been harder to see with the vog that has been more concentrated in the lower elevations as the volcano has been erupting inside of the caldera for a good bit of time. However even now I can look down the driveway and see it, which is pretty amazing.
This is hands down the most beautiful property that I have looked at herein HOVE, and I have seen a lot of them. Few places will have all of the different elements that you can see here, from the Ohia trees to both smooth and jagged lava along with an ocean view, this property really does have it all.