Barbara Abe, Your Hawaii Kai Realtor

The outdoor kitchen is rapidly becoming the social hub of the home, and is a trend especially popular in areas where the climate favors outdoor living almost year-round - what better place than Hawaii Kai!  The outdoor kitchen is now more than a grill and a sink in the corner; it is an entertainment center, complete with storage, TV, seating, ...

Building and modifying homes to accommodate multiple generations is increasingly popular as more Americans struggle to accommodate both their older parents and their grown children under the same roof.The National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show this year featured a single-level residence with a master suite at each ...

The city of Honolulu wants to establish a Board of Water Supply base yard in east Oahu, and oe of the sites under consideration is within Koko Head District Park.  The proposed site is less than 1,000 feet from homes on Kekupua Street and would occupy roughly two of 19 acres once used by Job Corps, a youth job training facility. City ...

HB 1808 has been introduced in the Legislature to control shoreline access, and stop illegal acquisition of beachfront shoreline by homeowners.  Both sides see a need to keep beach access free of barriers to the public. The bill passed out of the House and was sent to the Senate, where the committees on Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian ...

Organized by Malama Maunalua, a community group dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the part of Oahu stretching, mauka and makai, from Black Point in Kahala to Koko Head in Hawaii Kai, students are removing destructive invasive plants - leather mudweed - from Maunalua Bay. “When you walk around out here, you see it’s ...

A recent article in RisMedia explored home trends for this coming year.  They discuss several developments you may see some or all of in Hawaii Kai. 1.  Glitsy Glamour is out, Comfort is In:  home crafts and homey touches. 2.  Black walls.  Smaller rooms can look larger with a black wall.  Use crisp white trim ...

A new law effective Jan.1, 2010 mandates that new housing in Hawaii have solar water heaters.  With a solar water heater, the typical homeowner will pay 30 percent to 40 percent less on their electric bills, or about $750 a year, depending on the number of people in the household and how much water they use.  For a new house, a system ...

Residents and many who follow the news of Hawaii can't have missed learning of the state's budget woes, manifested in teacher furloughs and state library cut backs. I'm pleased to write that our Honolulu Board of Realtors has given a $10,000 grant to the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i in an effort to keep local libraries ...

Kauai-born brothers Arist and Max de Wolff returned to Hawaii a few years ago to work in the family business of asphalt paving.  Their small company, Alakona Corp, has a reputation as a specialist for commercial, government and private projects. After researching the latest industry products and trends, they invested $1 million in supplies ...

A town hall meeting was called this week by state Rep. Gene Ward (Kalama Valley, Hawaii Kai) in response to the death of 17-year-old skin diver Keahihoku Lum.  On Oct. 9, Lum was struck by a fishing boat while free diving offshore of Hawaii Kai’s Portlock Point, although he and a fellow diver had “diver-down” flags ...