Hawaii Bamboo Houses by Bamboo Living
Bamboo building designs are growing increasingly popular because the material is sustainable and grows fifteen times faster than traditional wood. Many Hawaiian plantation style prefab homes use bamboo because of the many benefits it has to offer.
The Benefits of Building a Bamboo House
© BambooLiving.com
Some of the many benefits of constructing a bamboo house include:
Bamboo is a Sustainable Material
Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant. Even in areas of the world where the sun barely reaches the ground because of thick canopies, bamboo is able to grow. Due to the plant’s natural habitat where the sun may not reach the ground, it has evolved to reach toward the sunlight.
Due to these natural evolutions, bamboo is highly sustainable.
In just a few months, and in the right condition, bamboo can grow to be over 100 feet tall. There are records of bamboo stalks growing 2 – 3 feet in a single day. For building purposes, most bamboo stalks will be around three years of age when they’re harvested for home building.
Additionally, bamboo will grow multiple trunks per year, allowing builders to:
- Harvest a small percentage of trunks
- Cut bamboo without killing it
Furthermore, bamboo requires one-fourth of the land needed to grow the material for a home compared to hardwood.
In fact, bamboo can live for 120 years and will regrow after you cut it. In terms of building, bamboo is a sustainable material that grows fast enough to meet global demand.
Bamboo is Exceptionally Strong
Bamboo may be a plant, and it is lightweight, yet it is not a weak building material. In fact, in terms of weight, bamboo is even stronger than steel. When compared to wood, bamboo is around two times stronger, with a compression strength that is on par with concrete.
The tensile strength of bamboo can be as high as 52,000 PSI, which is even higher than most steel grades.
However, a bamboo house is not only strong but also flexible.
Even in extreme conditions, bamboo homes can survive, such as:
- Category 5 hurricanes
- Strong earthquakes
Due to the lightweight and strength properties of bamboo, it is also able to flex and return back to its normal shape. If comparing strength, flexibility and sustainability, bamboo is a material that excels in areas where wood and steel do not.
Bamboo Eco Houses for Sale On The Big Island Hawaii
© BambooLiving.com
Bamboo Living Homes is a Hawaii-based company that is harnessing the sustainability and strength of bamboo to build prefab homes. Currently, the company has built homes in:
- The Caribbean
- The South Pacific
- Southeast Asia
- Southern California
Since 1995, Bamboo Living has designed hundreds of Hawaiian plantation style prefab homes for people around the world.
The company’s Signature and Hybrid homes come backed by a 20-year structural warranty when built by a certified builder.
Hybrid vs. Signature Bamboo Living Homes
Bamboo Living’s Hybrid and Signature homes have similar bamboo building designs, but they differ in their abilities to meet building codes.
Hybrid Home Packages
The Hybrid package is for double-walled homes and is the ideal choice when building codes require insulation for heating or cooling.
Walls are framed with local lumber and materials. The Hybrid kit will include the roof structure, exterior siding, covered porch and trim, which allows builders to easily insulate the structure.
Hybrid homes are ideal for hot and cold climates.
Signature Home Packages
The Signature home package is for structures that do not require insulation. These structures are best suited for locations in tropical or temperate climates.
Signature home packages include everything that comes with the Hybrid package, but you can skip the step of framing with local lumber to speed up the building process.
Bamboo Living’s Bamboard Material
The homes from Bamboo Living feature Bamboard Interior and Bamboard Exterior material. These are patented materials made for Bamboo Living homes.
- Bamboard Interior: Pressure-treated split bamboo that is laminated onto 12mm plywood that’s pressure-treated. The interior is then coated with polyacrylic with very low VOC to help retain bamboo’s natural color.
- Bamboard Exterior: Pressure-treated split bamboo that has been laminated onto 15mm plywood. These boards are coated with low-VOC Sikkens Cetol, which provides protection against weather and UV rays. The coating also helps give the boards a golden finish.
Bamboo is a naturally strong and durable material, but Bamboo Living’s special interior and exterior boards enhance these properties even further.
Prefab Round Homes and Other Models from Bamboo Living + Pricing
Bamboo Living has a number of prefab home models to choose from, and the company is transparent about its pricing.
Their models and floorplans include:
Zen 100
https://bambooliving.com/zen-100-detail
The Zen 100 is a single-room shelter with 100 square feet of interior space and 40 square feet of porch space.
Prices start at $11,350 for their Hybrid package and $14,850 for their Signature package.
Ohana 16
https://bambooliving.com/ohana-16-detail
The Ohana 16 has 305 square feet of interior space and 171 square feet of porch space.
This round prefab home starts at $32,000 for its Hybrid package and $42,500 for its Signature package.
Zen 560
https://bambooliving.com/zen560
The Zen 560 is a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom home with 560 square feet of interior space and 160 square feet of porch space.
The home starts at $48,350 for its Hybrid package and $63,695 for its Signature package.
Pacific 612
https://bambooliving.com/pacific-612-detail
The Pacific 612 home has 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom with loft space. The home features 492 square feet of interior space, 120 square feet of loft space and 462 square feet of porch space.
This home starts at $69,145 for its Hybrid package and $84,170 for its Signature package.
Villa 2018
https://bambooliving.com/villa-2018-detail
The Villa 2018 is one of the largest homes offered by Bamboo Living. It has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and more than 2,000 square feet of interior space. This home starts at $198,880 for the Hybrid package and $242,500 for the Signature package.
You can view all of Bamboo Living’s home models on their website along with galleries and more information about the layout of the space.