New Ocean View Cabin in Hawaii, Off-Grid and Under $115K — $110,000

A new cabin on a full acre in Hawaii for $110,000 is the kind of thing that makes you stop and read the fine print. Here is the fine print: it was built without permits, it runs on a generator and solar panels, and water comes from a 300-gallon cube on site. The cesspool handles waste. If you can live with all of that, what you get in return is a one-bed, one-bath cabin with ocean views toward South Point and a lanai with a drink rail to watch the sun go down.

The construction is post-and-pier with hurricane strapping. The ceiling is open-beam. Floors and walls are luxury vinyl, scratch-resistant and waterproof, which makes sense for the climate. The kitchen has butcher-block counters, a center island, plywood cabinetry, and a large stainless sink. Brick veneer accents on the kitchen wall. There is solid wood at the TV wall locations so you can mount something heavy without hunting for studs in vinyl paneling. Storage is built in throughout. The agent says no space is wasted, and given the scale of the place, that reads as practical necessity more than design achievement.

The off-grid package included at closing covers a 4,700-watt generator, new water pump, instant hot water heater, wall-mounted propane heater, solar panels, charge controller, and an inverter. That is a real package. Someone setting this up from scratch would spend real money on it.

Outside there is an enclosed laundry room, covered rubbish and recycling storage, and a red cinder driveway. The lot is a full acre in Ocean View, which is in the Ka'u district on the Big Island. The no-permit status means financing will be a challenge, likely cash. That shapes who this is for.

If you want a finished cabin on Hawaiian soil with views and a working off-grid setup for the price of a used truck, this is a concrete option. It asks you to be comfortable with how it was built and how it runs. Some people will be.