Windows and sliding doors
Typically 10 to 14 weeksSizes come off the permit set.
Ohana units, ADUs and conversions on Oahu
An ohana unit runs on two clocks: the permit and the container.
Hashimoto Ohana Builders builds second homes, garage conversions and in-law suites for Oahu families who share a roof across generations. Before you sign, we put both clocks on paper: when the city is likely to answer, and when your windows, trusses and cabinets can reach the island.
- A written permit path before any contract
- Licensed and insured for building work in Hawaii
Clock one: the permit
The permit path, in six steps
Every ohana unit and ADU follows the same road. What changes is how long each stop takes on your lot, so we write the road down with a range for each step and a name beside it.
- 01Before drawings
Step 1: Lot check
We pull the parcel: zoning, lot size, access for a truck, utility lines, flood and shoreline zones, and the age of the house. You learn what can be built before you pay for drawings.
- 02Weeks 2 to 8
Step 2: Drawings
A site plan and floor plan drawn to your lot, with structure, fire access and wastewater shown. You see the unit's door and the path to it.
- 03Weeks 6 to 14
Step 3: Utility sign-offs
Water service, sewer or a wastewater system, and electric service each have their own office and their own queue. We start them early because they run side by side.
- 04Weeks 10 to 30
Step 4: City review
The plans go to the Department of Planning and Permitting. Comments come back, we answer and resubmit. This is the one stop neither of us controls, so we say so up front.
- 05At approval
Step 5: Orders and site prep
Long-lead items can be ordered at your risk before approval, or held for the permit. We lay out which is which and what a plan change would cost you.
- 06Months 1 to 5
Step 6: Build and inspections
Foundation, framing, roofing, rough work, inspections and finish, in the order the inspector needs to see them, then the final sign-off.
Sample content.
A sample schedule. Your lot and the city's queue set the real one, and the written version comes before any contract.
Clock two: the container
What comes by sea, and when to order it
Almost everything in a house reaches Oahu by ocean freight. The boat is the short part. Making the item, waiting for a booking and getting it from the harbor to your lot are the long parts.
Made to order, shipped in a container
Ordered from the plans, so it can't start until the plans are final.
Kitchen cabinets
Typically 8 to 12 weeksBuilt after the layout is signed.
Roof trusses and engineered beams
Typically 6 to 10 weeksEngineered to your plan and wind rating.
Stocked on the island, but tied to the boat
Often on a shelf, sometimes not.
Framing lumber and plywood
Typically 1 to 3 weeksTreated for termites where the plans call for it.
Flooring and tile
Typically 2 to 6 weeksCommon styles on hand, specials by order.
Made here
No container to wait for.
Concrete, rebar and site work
Days, not weeksScheduled around the pour and the inspector.
Sample lead times, counted from order to your lot. We confirm each one on your written quote, because mills and sailing schedules change.
Who it's for
Built for the household, not just the lot
Most of our calls start with a family decision: a parent who shouldn't live alone, an adult child coming home, a cousin's family that needs a place. The unit has to work for the people who will live in it.
What we draw first
A step-free path from the driveway to the unit's own door
A bath with room for grab bars and a shower you can walk into
Its own entry, kitchenette and bath, with a door that closes
A plan for who lives where as the household changes
What we build
Five ways to add a home to a lot
Each has its own permit questions and its own shipping list. Pick the one that sounds like your lot, or ask us which fits.
Permits and utilities
The paperwork, the water, sewer and power, handled as one job.
See the permit work
After move-in
What families tell us afterward
“My mother moved into the unit behind the house last spring. The permit took longer than the build, and Aiko told us that at the first visit.”
Betsy K.Detached ohana unit
“The lead-time sheet is the page I kept. When the windows slipped two weeks, we already knew which jobs could move around them.”
Hai T.Garage conversion
“They talked to my parents about the step at the door before they talked about the kitchen. That told me they were building for them.”
Gabrielle N.In-law suite
Sample reviews.
Where we work
Urban Honolulu, Leeward Oahu and the North Shore
We build on Oahu only. The same crew and the same permit coordinator follow your job from the lot check to the final inspection.
Urban Honolulu
- Kalihi
- Liliha
- Alewa Heights
- Moanalua
- Salt Lake
- Waikiki
- Ala Moana
- Wilhelmina Rise
East Oahu
- Kuliouou
Leeward and Central Oahu
- Waikele
- Waipio
- Makakilo
- Waianae
- Nanakuli
North Shore and Windward
- Waialua
- Laie
We don't build on the neighbor islands. Each has its own permit office and its own freight schedule, and a crew that has to fly changes the price and the calendar.
Questions
What families ask first
Can I build a second unit on my lot?
It depends on your zoning district, lot size, access, utilities and the rules in force when you apply. We check all of it against your parcel at the lot visit and write down what we find. You should confirm the answer with the Department of Planning and Permitting.
Why does the permit take longer than the building?
City review runs in rounds: plans go in, comments come back, we answer. The building is a sequence we control. Review is a queue we don't, so the schedule gives it a wide range.
Can I order windows before the permit is approved?
Yes, at your risk. If the plans change in review, an item made to the old size is yours. We list which items are worth the risk and which aren't.
Can I rent the unit?
Rules for long-term and short-term rental differ and have changed. We won't plan a unit around rental income. Ask us what your lot allows, and confirm it with the city.
My house was built before 1978. What changes?
If your house was built before 1978, the EPA's lead-safe rule covers paid work that disturbs paint, with narrow exceptions for minor repairs and none for window replacement or demolition. We test or assume lead, set up containment and clean up to the rule. Ask us how it applies to your job.
Start here
Tell us about the lot and who it's for
A lot visit is an hour at the house: measurements, photos and questions. A written permit path and a lead-time sheet follow, and you decide after.
Phone(808) 555-0103
Text(808) 555-0103
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed