Then there’s the Thing in the garage.
One afternoon, while the home was still under construction, David and Graham were driving along Hāna Highway when a bright yellow Volkswagen Thing zipped past them. “I said, ‘Now there’s the perfect car for an electric conversion,’” David recalls. Graham was instantly intrigued—even more so when he learned that David could do the conversion himself. David logged on to Craigslist that evening and serendipitously found a 1973 Thing for sale on Maui. He forwarded the listing to Graham, who bought the car a few days later. Today, the home’s battery system charges the fully electric Thing, which also has its own backup energy storage.
Graham hopes his Ha‘ikū home will not only serve as a model for off-grid living, but also demonstrate the upside of downsizing and having fewer material possessions. After all, he says, “The best stuff in life isn’t stuff at all.”
Watch a multitasking New York apartment transform before your eyes in this video!
Resource Guide
Acer Water Tanks
Available through:
Eco Products Maui 808-878-6762
Chris@EcoProductsMaui.com
Maui Water Tanks 808-870-3041
MauiWaterTanks@Hawaii.rr.com
Andersen Windows & Doors
800-426-4261 • AndersenWindows.com
Maui distributors: Home Depot, Maui Windows & Doors, Pacific Source
Ann Sacks (tile)
8120 NE 33rd Dr., Portland, OR 97211
800-278-8453 • AnnSacks.com
Bento Box (kitchen lattice system)
441 Cooke Street, Honolulu
808-367-1701 • BentoBox.com
Blue Planet Energy (home-energy system)
55 Merchant Street, Honolulu
866-957-2246 • BluePlanetEnergy.com
Hawaii Off-Grid (architecture, engineering, solar energy system installation)
Pauwela Cannery, 375 West Kuiaha Road, Haʻikū | 808-495-8639 | HiOffGrid.com
Kohler (bathroom fixtures)
800-456-4537 • Kohler.com
Maui distributors: Ferguson Bath & Kitchen, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Premier Bath & Kitchen
LifeEdited (home design)
206-734-4867 | Ross@LifeEdited.com | LifeEdited.com
The Modern Fan Company
888-588-3267 • ModernFan.com
Oahu distributors: The Fan Shop, Lighting Concepts, Lighting Elegance
Plumen (lighting)
105 Sumner St., London, SE1 9HZ, England
Info@Plumen.com • Plumen.com
Online orders can be shipped to Hawai‘i.
Resource Furniture (transforming furniture)
Info@ResourceFurniture.com | ResourceFurniture.com
Rich Brilliant Willing (lighting)
50 Greene Street, New York, NY
212-388-1621 • RichBrilliantWilling.com
Online orders can be shipped to Hawaiʻi.
Sunflare (solar panels)
1693 Yeager Avenue, La Verne, CA
SunflareSolar.com
Available through Hawaii Off-Grid
(See previous listing.)
