Island Living: Finding Balance Between Serenity & Sacrifice

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If it all goes down for a day or an hour or a year, we have to count on each other, and it creates an amazing support system. We know we have to be self-sufficient at any point in time.

— Mira Jean Steinbrecher, principal at Jean Steinbrecher Architects in Whidbey Island, Washington.

High Cost of Living

Separation from the mainland means the majority of people and things must make the journey via ferry, barge or ship. Whether you live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or off the Carolina coast in the Atlantic, nearly everything you own — from your favorite brand of peanut butter to the wood beams that support your front porch — made that over-the-water trip and therefore came with a larger price tag than a mainland homeowner pays.

“Getting to and from an island that is not connected to the mainland by bridges brings its own set of challenges,” said Ben Cahoon, president of Cahoon & Kasten Architects in Nags Head, North Carolina. “And everything that comes to the island by ferry, from gas to food and clothing, is more expensive.”

In Honolulu County, the median cost of a house is $675,000, according to Onboard Informatics, a provider of real estate information. Every piece of wood or steel makes a lengthy voyage on a fuel-guzzling ship. “On Oahu, homes are very expensive. Affordable housing is almost an oxymoron,” said Clark E. Llewellyn, dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Hawaii.

With about 95 percent of Hawaii’s power coming from diesel that is transported on ships, Llewellyn estimates that the state’s residents pay nearly three times more per kilowatt-hour than residents of most other places in the country.

Regular errands to the grocery store, pharmacy or out to dinner with friends can also be pricey when you live in an area like Whidbey Island, Washington, where Mira Jean Steinbrecher, principal at Jean Steinbrecher Architects, lives. “Living costs are impacted by things like gasoline, because it has to be brought by private barge,” Steinbrecher said. “Natural gas is not available on the island. Simple things like heating your home can be expensive.”

Brace for the Elements

Whether your backyard is waterfront beach property or looks out from a rocky inland hill, Mother Nature usually calls the shots when it comes to how island homes are built and maintained from the inside to the outside.

Off the New England coast, houses are constructed to endure a range of climates from humidity to snow, with 90-degree temperature swings throughout the year. In most cases, just making sure the materials, foundation and construction are strong enough to take what the seasons bring can be a tedious and costly process, according to Phil Regan, principal of the Hutker Architects’ office on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

“How a house is fastened to its foundation, how walls and roofs are tied together, window construction and installation require engineering unheard of in most places inland,” Regan said.

Salt air may be pleasing to the nose, but it is not as kind to metal, creating rust and corrosion. Cahoon said he has seen salt air take its toll on some grades of the typically impervious stainless steel, and noted that aluminum flashing becomes “as thin and fragile as parchment.”

High winds can also be a problem. For that reason, Steinbrecher tends to design homes lower to the ground and without roof peaks that face into the wind to reduce the risk of lift-off. These homes may also require windows with higher wind ratings and may need to have either impact-resistant glass or shutters, Cahoon noted.

Use What You’ve Got

Successful island living largely hinges on being resourceful with what is readily available and easily accessible. Typically, this dovetails with environmentally friendly choices. Designing homes that tread lightly on the landscape and use sensible and durable materials that echo the natural setting is vital, Regan explained.

“It’s expensive to import materials and export debris," he said. "Therefore, smart design and use of available resources will always be the basis for a built environment that needs less maintenance, less deconstruction, less waste ... a more sustainable proposition.”

Because power and electricity are precious commodities, utilizing sustainable means of providing them to homes is a growing trend, “whether it be passively, or mechanically with evolving solar, earth-sourced and/or wind harnessing,” Regan said.

The popularity of solar power has increased in Hawaii, where many residents use it to heat water, Lewellyn said. The air conditioning systems that are standard for mainland homes are less common due to trade winds that keep the islands cool throughout most of the year. “Most houses here are designed to pick up the trade winds," Regan said. "You orient your house so when you open the windows they pull in those breezes."

Pros & Cons

Being only a severe storm or a mechanical breakdown away from complete seclusion builds an instant bond among island dwellers. “If it all goes down for a day or an hour or a year, we have to count on each other, and it creates an amazing support system," Steinbrecher said. "We know we have to be self-sufficient at any point in time.”

For many, however, the carefree ambiance nurtured by the water, cool breezes and away-from-it-all vibe more than offsets the potential dangers. “If I walk from my house in Nags Head for just 10 minutes east I will find myself on one of America’s most beautiful and popular beaches," says Cahoon. "If I walk for 20 minutes west I will pass through a peaceful rolling maritime forest, Nags Head Woods, and come to a beautiful sound marsh shoreline. I have lived on the Outer Banks in Nags Head for 23 years and hope to spend the rest of my life here."

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