See our
aerial video of Kamilo Nui homes.
Kamilo Nui refers to the valley neighborhood just north of the adjacent
Kealaula Kai neighborhood. Kamilo Nui includes ‘Leolani’, one of Hawaii Kai’s very few newer (2003-2004) residential single family neighborhoods, nestled along the mountain side on the west side of Kamilo Nui Valley.
Take Hawaii Kai Dr north past the Hawaii Kai post office, past the
Anchorage neighborhood all the way to the end towards the back of the valley.
‘Leolani’ means ‘aristocratic’, but also ‘heavenly voice’ and is written in big letters on a lava rock wall greeting visitors when entering the Leolani subdivision at the corner of Hawaii Kai Dr and Paila St. The new Leolani subdivision includes all of Kuekue St, Hilala St, Manu St and Kaolo St. Contrary to common belief, Leolani is just part of the general Kamilo Nui Valley neighborhood. Because of its prominence, Leolani will receive our full attention.
It was received with great excitement when popular developer
DR Horton Schuler Homes, announced this new ‘Leolani’ subdivision of 60 brand new
Hawaii Kai homes. Schuler Homes had been developing
homes in Hawaii since 1973, including well known projects mostly on Oahu’s west side in
Kapolei and
Makakilo.
Long overdue, Hawaii Kai was ready for new housing supply. Very few new homes had been built here since the 1970s.
The Homes & Neighborhood Three gorgeous award winning model homes plus the sales center were the first new Leolani homes completed early 2003 between 1015 and 1031 Kuekue St, just left after entering the new neighborhood. All 60 homes were built and sold out within two short years. By spring 2005 the final remaining model home had been sold. Hawaii’s real estate market was hot at that time. Both, developer and local realtors alike wished they had more of these beautiful homes to sell.
Some unexpected difficulty was encountered in preparing the flanking hillside west along Hilala St. The mountain side is made up of dense blue basalt rock that took extra time and effort to chisel away to create level buildable home sites. A concrete drainage ditch with heavy fence on top was installed at the bottom of the steep mountain to protect the homes from rain runoff and possible falling rocks.
There are five
Leolani floor plans that rotate in slight variations, seemingly random throughout the Leolani subdivision:
- The Rhapsody: 5 BR, 2.5 BA, with 2,193 sq ft interior living space, some with separate guest home option.
- The Symphony: 5 BR, 3 BA, with 2,362 sq ft interior living space, some with extended master suite option and with 3-car garage option.
- The Toccata: 5 BR, 2.5 BA, with 2,495 sq ft interior living space, some with extended master suite option.
- The Overture: 3 BR, 2.5 BA, with 2,754 sq ft interior living space, some with extended master suite option and Porte Cochere option.
- The Maestro: 4 BR, 2.5 BA, with 3,081 sq ft interior living space, some with 3-car garage option.
While most these floor plans had been offered in some of the developer’s previous
west Oahu developments, the largest Maestro model was a stunning brand new edition never seen before.
All five floor plans are 2-story designs and include a 2 or 3-car enclosed garage.
The homes either sport the Craftsman style or the Mediterranean style exterior finish in varying attractive color palette options.
At time of construction, home buyers had the option to add decks, extend rooms, upgrade master bathrooms, upgrade central AC, upgrade to 3-car (!) garage, add a Port Cochere (!) or add a separate guest room.
The homes feature many nice architectural details, such as exterior stone accents on the craftsman style finish, concrete tile roofs with the mediterranean finish, leaded glass front doors, covered entry lanais, designer light fixtures and double pane vinyl windows.
The developer offered a 10-year limited structural warranty, and a 50-year limited Hardiplank exterior siding warranty, a testament to the developer’s commitment to highest customer satisfaction.
The majority of homes feature central AC and a great number of them installed rooftop PV systems.
Most of the home lots range between 7,500 and 10,000 sq ft with a few even larger odd shape perimeter lots enjoying a generous size yard.
All lots are graded and mostly level, but the neighborhood is gently terraced up towards Hilala St in the west. Some of the slightly elevated homes on Hilala St enjoy pleasant views overlooking the Hawaii Kai Marina and the impressive Koko Crater across the valley.
There is a nominal $135 / mo (2016) Leolani association fee to maintain some green belts and landscaping.
The rest of the Kamilo Nui neighborhood is hidden behind the Leolani subdivision. Several plant nursery acreages are tugged away deep in the back of the valley. Hard to get to and completely separate from the newer Leolani development, these large leasehold agricultural lots owned by Kamehameha Schools have been there for years. Many Hawaii Kai residents aren’t even aware these nurseries exist.
We like these newer Leolani homes for their impressive fine architectural details along well maintained streets and their quiet location within Kamilo Nui Valley.
Check them out, we think you will enjoy them too.
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