An Award-Winning New Home is Designed in Detail

This energy-efficient home is designed and built with excellent design and craftsmanship.

Sixteen years ago, the owners of this stunning new home moved their family of four into a very different house on the property. Built in 1962, it was not only dated but its layout felt increasingly unsuitable as the children grew older. Over time it became apparent that they needed to make a change, so the family decided to build new.

Peter Vincent of Honolulu-based Peter Vincent Architects designed a tropical-modern single-family house for the family to enjoy together. Mokulua High Performance Builder took the extra steps to build a home that achieves environmental certifications, including LEED Platinum, Energy Star and EPA Indoor AirPlus. Beyond its efficiency and durability, the home is built with excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail that the family appreciates every day.

“We’re perfectionists,” explains Mike Fairall of Mokulua High Performance Builder. After the original house was deconstructed by Re-Use Hawaii, Fairall’s team went to work to build the new home with quality craftsmanship and materials every step of the way. “These guys nail it time and time again,” Fairall says of his crew. “All the minute details – which you don’t really notice – are things we appreciate.”

On the exterior, the Mataverde Ipe Rain Screen Hardwood Siding lines up perfectly with the front door, appearing almost as though the pieces are connected. It took three weeks to build, and it’s one of the first things the homeowners see when they come home. The ipe appears to connect inside the house, where it serves as the backdrop to the banquette seating on the other side of the wall. “It’s made to look like it passes through the house,” Fairall says.

The staircase leading to the second story, with its multipurpose recreational room, bathroom and lanai, is also intricately designed. The tread and riser height are each precisely 3 7/16 inches, with the risers tying in the vertical grain Douglas fir ceiling in the great room and the parents’ bedroom. The second step wraps around the staircase as a bench seat with LED lighting underneath. Beside the staircase is one of two drop zones for the family to leave their keys and accessories when they come inside. This space leads into the great room on one side and toward the owners’ suite on the other.

The kitchen faces into the great room and much of the prep work for meals is done around the corner at the wet bar or in the large butler’s pantry. “We wanted to have a big, open kitchen with a big island because we do entertain quite a bit – or at least we used to,” the homeowner says. Aristocratic cabinetry in custom finishes from Pacific Source keep kitchen supplies and tools well-organized. The kitchen opens up to the banquette seating on one side, outdoor seating on another, and a cozy sitting area to watch television or talk story.

A 30-foot-stretch of Fleetwood Series 3070 doors from Pacific Source slide open to connect the great room to the covered lanai and yard beyond. A barbecue with a Neolith basalt black countertop from Pacific American Lumber and custom solid surface dining table make preparing and enjoying meals in the fresh air a breeze to cook and clean up.

The owners’ suite and boys’ bedrooms are on opposite wings of the house. The parents have spacious his-and-hers walk-in closets designed by California Closets and a large bathroom with separate toilets, a tub and a walk-in shower with rain shower head for a spalike feel. A hallway skylight and private garden contribute to the indoor-outdoor feel of the space. The Zen-like bedroom has a built-in bed and custom cabinetry by Axiom Design.

On the opposite side of the house, the boys access their bedrooms by a walkway that appears to float over the pool. The older son’s bedroom opens up to a reflecting pool, while the younger son’s bedroom opens to the pool in the backyard. He can slide open the Fleetwood 3000 Series doors, step outside onto stones that are above the waterline and jump into the pool.

“The pool is very inviting,” the homeowner says, adding that he and the family’s Portuguese water dog use it every day. “That’s kind of my therapy for what’s going on in the world. It feels kind of like a resort pool.”

The new home has been a refreshing change for the family. It was finished a few months before the pandemic began. “It’s helped me immensely,” the homeowner says. “To be able to come home and enjoy the house and just kind of decompress has been very helpful.”

Editor’s Note: For this project, Mokulua High Performance Builder received the Hawaii Home + Remodeling Editor’s Choice Award, part of the Building Industry Design & Construction Awards program.

Project Team and Materials

Architect: Peter Vincent Architects

Builder: Mokulua High Performance Builder

Doors and Windows: Fleetwood, from Pacific Source

Front Door and Siding: Mataverde

Interior Design: Indigo Republic

Kitchen Cabinetry: Aristocratic, from Pacific Source

Landscape Architect: HHF Planners

Landscaping: Ultimate Innovations

Pool: DeBiasi Pacific