Buying a home in Hawaii has many different nuuance to how the decision should be made.  First it's the where are far as areas, Windward, East Shore, South Shore, Leeward or North Shore.  Once you determine that then you choose a neighborhood or a micro-environment (since they have all sorts of different nuances) then you begin looking at homes.  Not everyone thinks about construction much on our homes until they get inside them.

You see Hawaii, in the established neighborhoods, is comprised primarily of older construction, usually 1950 - 1975.  Most of the homes built during this period are single wall construction.  Some are built on stilts, some on slab and our roofs are a collage of what the heck is that?  Single wall construction is probably the single most terrifiying things for our mainland buyers, unless they'v seen it before which in most cases they have not.

There are many benefits to single wall construction. 

1)  If you have to rewire, it is very easy to do.  No double wall to go through, same with plumbing.

2)  All the single wall construction I have seen is made out of pine.  One of our most durable woods, long lasting and termites aren't thrilled with it.   

Photo Courtesy of University of Hawaii

3)  There is a rumor that single wall construction breathes and expands better in hurricanes.  I have talked to people who have been in single wall construction homes during hurricans and they seemed pretty impressed with how well it withstood Iniki (below) on Kauai (courtesy of NOAA).

We have pitch and gravel still (did you EVER have that), composition, tile of course and many of the other types you see on the mainland. 

Because our market on the south east shore, Diamond Head, Kahala, Kaimuki, Aina Haina and Hawaii Kai are all very long time well established markets, we are seeing more and more of remodels in the name of double wall construction and shake wood roofs (one of my favorite) and monier tile roofs.