Blueberry, orange and lavender are among some new options available on homes being built in the last subdivision within Makakilo.
But they are not carpet colors (which is fortunate since they’d look pretty hideous in a living room). They are landscaping plants.
The Schuler division of homebuilder D.R. Horton has added a broad range of edible plants to the more traditional options that include carpet colors, appliance models and countertop materials for the second and last phase of its Kahiwelo at Makakilo subdivision.
Schuler finished building model homes for the last phase in April, and recently completed landscaping at one model to exhibit options that include a hydroponic vegetable system connected to a fishpond, two kinds of raised planter beds and landscaping dominated by herbs, fruits and vegetables.
The offering is part of a trend of urban gardens being incorporated with single-family homes and even on the roofs of commercial buildings and apartment complexes.
In Hawaii over the past couple of years, rooftop gardens have sprouted on a used car dealership showroom in Kakaako, a Waimanalo restaurant, an architect’s office in Pauoa and an affordable housing rental building in Palama.
Schuler officials said this is the first time a single-family home developer in Hawaii has offered such a range of pre-built garden systems as an option to homebuyers. They also said the options at Kahiwelo provide an idea as to what they envision at an 11,750-home project called Ho‘opili in Ewa for which Schuler is seeking state approval.
"A lot of people think this is fantasy," said Mike Jones, Schuler’s president. "It’s really happening."
Some observers who got a preview of the model home Tuesday said maintaining a home almost completely landscaped with food plants seemed quite time-consuming. However, the payback could be eating no more produce bought from a store.
"We think they can grow 100 percent of their own produce if they invest the time," said Fred Lau, owner of Mari’s Gardens, who helped with the Schuler initiative.
At the model home, the front yard is planted with strawberries, blueberries, mint, pineapple and garlic. In the side and backyard areas there is sweet potato, Okinawan spinach, rosemary, sage, lavender, taro and aloe as well as a variety of trees including lychee, starfruit, banana, orange and avocado.
"Everything in that yard is edible with the exception of the hedge," said Richard Brownlie, a landscape architect who designed the model home’s landscape plan. (Actually, there are a few small patches of grass in addition to hedges of croton and bougainvillea.)
It remains to be seen what kind of response Schuler receives. The company unveiled the new options Tuesday. About 40 homes were sold before the launch of the urban garden option. Sales began in August for Kahiwelo’s last phase. About 200 homes, which range in price from $559,000 to $664,000, are available with the garden options.
Prices for garden components start at $880 for an aquaponic system made from two plastic tubs by Mari’s Gardens. Tilapia are raised in one tub, which transports waste and water from the fish to grow lettuce in another tub.
A roughly 6-foot square raised planter box with drip irrigation, soil and seeds costs $1,805.
Another kind of raised planter consisting of soil contained in mesh sacks on top of benches with irrigation sold by FarmRoof costs $935 for a system capable of producing 35 pounds of greens annually, or $2,120 for a system capable of producing 104 pounds per year.
Custom landscaping is available from Brownlie’s firm Brownlie & Lee, and costs about the same or even a little less than custom landscaping with inedible plants and trees, Brownlie said.
Students at Malama Learning Center, a nonprofit based nearby at Kapolei High School, will maintain the setup at the model home and sell what they harvest from the garden at the weekly farmers market at the school.
