Ever dream of living in a tree house? For Dr. Kat Van Kirk, who owns a bamboo home in Kapa‘a, that dream has become a reality. “It is like living in a tree house 24/7,” Van Kirk said. Van Kirk
Ever dream of living in a tree house? For Dr. Kat Van Kirk, who owns a bamboo home in Kapa‘a, that dream has become a reality.
“It is like living in a tree house 24/7,” Van Kirk said.
Van Kirk is the proud owner and builder of the only bamboo house on Kaua‘i. When she moved to the island and purchased property, Van Kirk made a commitment to become a steward of the land.
“I wanted to build something eco-friendly and sustainable,” Van Kirk said.
After some research, she found Bamboo Technologies on Maui. She looked into structures for her home, made a selection. In nine months, she had her bamboo home.
“I was so happy with the product itself and how the house turned out,” Van Kirk said. “Now I want to make this (bamboo homes) available to more people.”
In an attempt to do just that, Van Kirk hosted an open house at her home last Sunday. More than 600 people showed up.
“It reinforces to me that people are ready for something like this,” Van Kirk said. “It’s indicative to me that, as an island, we are ready for this opportunity. I’m still getting phone calls.”
She also foresees the bamboo home as a way to address the housing crisis in a more affordable and sustainable way.
Van Kirk says her home is a very livable space and very eco-friendly. In building her home, she incorporated as many sustainable and fair trade products as possible. Her home has radiant and vented roofing, skylights for daylight usage, multiple ceiling fans and is positioned for trade wind utilization. The home also uses photovoltaic solar power and solar hot water.
Bamboo Technologies is the only company with International Building Code certifications to build bamboo homes. Because they are IBC-approved, owners can get financing for their home.
The bamboo home only requires the footprint of the structure rather than four acres of land for a regular home.
Bamboo harvest replacement is achieved in seven years instead of the 40 it takes to replace forests to build a 1,500-square-foot home. The bamboo homes are pre-fabricated in Vietnam and have many structure options.
