BY MARSHALL HICKOX

president and chief administrative officer of Homeworks Construction

Homeworks Construction is moving forward with homebuilding and remodeling projects, and we are fortunate that our staff and field crews are able to continue working to meet the essential needs of our clients.

During this time, we have temporarily suspended our monthly “First Tuesday” building and remodeling educational seminars. Look for an announcement in this newspaper section on when they will resume … hopefully not too far in the future. Meanwhile, we continue to offer our free private consultations, which can be arranged by calling our office at 955-2777 or by visiting our website at homeworkshawaii.com.

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Concerns have been raised by a few of our clients as to whether a slowdown in shipping mainland-sourced materials will affect their projects and will permitting and/ or necessary inspections still be performed by the city Department of Planning and Permitting. The good news is we have seen very little impact on material availability; shippers and suppliers have gone out of their way to contact us with assurances that materials and deliveries will remain unaffected. And DPP has continued to issue permits and been responsive in meeting the industry’s need for inspections to keep projects moving forward.

So, if you have been thinking of building or remodeling, keep in mind that interest rates are at an all-time low — now is actually a great time to explore moving forward.

Here in Hawaii, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has not been as severe or pervasive as in other states, and for that we are thankful.

As past-president of Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA-Hawaii), I have firsthand knowledge of the time and energy that the current leadership and staff are putting in right now. So, I will take this opportunity to commend current president Dwight Mitsunaga.

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Past-president Dean Uchida and the staff of BIA have done an exceptional job of providing support for members and keeping them apprised of the latest information on the effect of COVID-19 on our industry.

They have also liaised with other building industry organizations, and state and federal government entities to set forth specific protocols and requirements for best practices so that we can work safely and with the public’s safety as our number one priority.

Homeworks Construction and many others have signed the “Joint-Construction Industry Commitment: Pledge to Reduce the Spread of Novel Coronavirus on Hawaii’s Construction Sites,” in which we agree to adhere to the best practices stated so we may continue to provide much-needed jobs, housing and essential services.

For more information on how the building industry is meeting the challenges of COVID-19, please visit biahawaii.org.

HOMEWORKS CONSTRUCTION
CONTACT 955-2777
ADDRESS 2111 S. Beretania St., Honolulu
WEB homeworkshawaii.com

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