As befits a homeowner-slash-techie, all of the systems can be monitored remotely and controlled with a push of a button on David’s laptop. (The same goes for the home’s lighting, humidification and face-recognition security systems.)
A pathway leads from the above-grade structure to the 990-square-foot cottage, which is modestly but comfortably outfitted with cozy furnishings, a mobile koa-wood kitchen island, polished concrete floors, and a gas fireplace to warm up chilly north shore evenings. In the two bedrooms, brightly painted vertical steel beams provide pops of color.
It’s clean and simple, but far from boring. For one thing, a thirty-three-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling glass wall reveals uninterrupted ocean views; a sliding door opens to a covered lānai. There, David says, “You can look out into infinity.” There’s an oversized lava-rock outdoor shower (David ensured it would be large enough to rinse off sandy bodies and surfboards at the same time) with a sliding ipe-wood door. Overhead, David installed a Japanese zen-garden-inspired green roof, a rarity in Hawai‘i, but commonplace in his other stomping grounds, Tokyo and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Durable materials abound: concrete, steel, ipe wood, lava rock, and Italian porcelain bathroom tile masquerading as textured wood on the exterior. “We took the inside and brought it outside. It might be one of the world’s largest outdoor showers,” David jokes. Apart from being a conversation-worthy feature (David says incredulous visitors often touch it, and are surprised to discover it’s not actual wood), the water-resistant tile is also ideal for Ha‘ikū’s rainy weather. And the light-gray exterior doesn’t compete with its natural surroundings, just as David intended. “I wanted it to blend with the landscape,” he says.
Visitors to the property have differing interpretations of the home. Some say it reminds them of a living diorama. Others say it has an aquarium-like quality.
David sees it this way: “It’s a jewel box . . . a work of art.” He credits the project’s success to the talented craftspeople who helped bring his vision to life. “The building process was just as rewarding as coming up with the design,” he says. “I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
RESOURCE GUIDE
Bellissimo Stoneworks and Design, Inc.
(tile installation)
10 Hakoi Pl., Kīhei
808-214-4880 • Dustin@Bellissimo-Tile.com • Bellissimo-Tile.com
David Fitch Heirloom Woodworks
(custom doors, cabinetry)
808-633-6702 • David@HeirloomWoodworks.com • HeirloomWoodworks.com
Maui Architectural Group
(architect)
2331 W. Main St., Wailuku
808-244-9011 • Peter@MauiArch.com • MauiArch.com
MauiScapes
(landscaping)
P.O. Box 880682, Pukalani
808-298-8500 • MauiScapes@Gmail.com • MauiScapes.com
Pacific Source
(kitchen cabinets)
515 E. Uahi Way, Wailuku
808-986-0380 • PacSource.com
Pohaku Masonry
(rock walls)
808-283-4156
RZ Solar and Electric
1135 Makawao Ave., Makawao
808-876-1389 • Info@RZSolar.com • RZSolar.com
Smith Builders Maui
(general contractor)
808-930-5557
Info@SmithBuildersMaui.com • SmithBuildersMaui.com
Up-country Electric Co. Inc.
75 Ho‘olai St., Ha‘ikū
808-575-2888 • Chris@UpCountryElectric.com • UpCountryElectric.com