OUR HISTORY

SMALL COTTAGES HAWAII is a division of CANAAN BUILDERS LLC (please access www.canaanbuilders.com). Canaan Builders LLC is a premier residental and commercial builder in Hawaii for many decades in Hawaii. Canaan was founded by Raymond C.Suiter in 1978 and has a long history of “award winning” construction projects on Oahu and also Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai. In 2014, after reinventing Canaan as Canaan Builders LLC, we decided to broaden our sphere of activities. There is an emerging emphasis on Oahu for affordable residential housing. We at Canaan Builders realize that our experience, talents, and high quality construction capabilities are needed in this ADU market. In September of 2015, the ADU Ordinance was signed into law to try and meet the needs of this crisis. The intension of the new Ordinance was to increase the number of affordable housing and rental units and help alleviate the residential housing shortage in Honolulu.

The intention of the Ordinance was admirable; however, to many it was a reminder of the historic “Ohana” practice of years gone by, which had resulted in blighted neighborhoods and crowded and overtaxed infrastructures and severe parking limitations. This was because the “Ohanas” were built without proper permitting and guidance. Therefore, as luxury home builders, we at Canaan saw that we could develop a “Quality Solution for Accessory Dwelling Units” and we allocated a division of our company to the formation of “Small Cottages Hawaii” and this concept was born. We saw with this new Ordinance, there seemed to be a way to avoid the liabilities of the old “Ohana” concept and meet the parameter of the ADU Ordinance with housing structures that were high quality and a credit to any neighborhood and also have off street parking. The parameters defined by the ADU Ordinance are basically as follows:

(1) For residential lots of at least 3,500 square feet and up to 5,000 square feet, one ADU unit may be built with living space of up to 400 square feet. This may seem small but we have designs that are amazingly livable, comfortable and quite luxurious.

(2) For residential lots of 5,000 square feet or greater, one ADU unit may be built with living space of up to 800 square feet.

(3) In all cases, at least one off street parking space munst be provided for the ADU, units that is constructed for the occupants

Please visit www.honoluludpp.org for more information about the ADU Ordinance. There are many ways you can use this Ordinance to benefit the value.

Small Cottages Hawaii has specifically designed ADU dwelling units to show you personally and can also provide you with a “custom designed unit” that you can request, if you have speciffic tastes you want included. Your ADU plan will then be built for you by Canaan Builders LLC. Our ADU’s are quite affordable and you will be astounded at how livavle and luxurious these small cottages can be.

These homes have amazing income potential and saving for the property owner.

First of all, the owner can provide the cottage for extended family, son or daughter, who can move in until they save enough for their own larger home.

Secondly, the cottage can become an officially approved rental or “Ohana Dwelling Unit” that can be rented for at least six months, or longer, and will provide significant additional income for the property owner. Please bear in mind, that our “Small Cottages” are far superior in livability and luxury than the so called “Tiny Homes” or “Kit Homes” that have gotten a lot of advertising and ecposure recently in America.

Thirdly, the property owners may be living currently in an “empty nest” larger home because their children are now grown and moved away from the home. In this case, the property owner(s) may move into the newly built and luxurious, but much smaller, Hawaii ADU themselves and rent out their much larger original home to family or some other family and attain significant rental income.

Finally, if our designs and compatibility standards for the property are adhered to there will be an immediate increase in the equity value of the property because of the added smaller home that is properly situated as an attractive addition to the property that is approved and permitted by the city and country of Honolulu.
Whereas, the old “Ohana concept” often produced an unsightly cluttered property and blighted neighborhood, small cottages Hawaii program can produce what could be called a Mini Estate for the property owner.