A Puna man whose ramshackle three-story home in Kalapana Seaview Estates dubbed the “House of Cards” burned down more than 2 1/2 years ago is back at it again.
Several neighbors, all of whom spoke under the condition of anonymity, told the Tribune-Herald on Friday that Charles A. Collins is building another unpermitted house on a separate lot he owns in the subdivision.
The county Building Division confirmed Tuesday that there are no building permits for the property at 12-7041 Kaiwa St.
“This latest episode started about two days ago, but he’s been building on this for about five years,” said one neighbor, who added the county Building Division and the state Department of Health have been notified, the latter for an alleged cesspool installation on the property.
“As homeowners, we’re frustrated. We followed all the rules and pulled permits, and then something like that comes along — and it’s bringing down our property values. It’s bringing down our home values,” the neighbor said.
Added another, “An unpermitted building next to you, especially an eyesore like that, it’s a fact that it will bring down property values. If it looked nice, that might be another thing. The materials are, like, I could describe the second floor as two-by-sixes with … a 20-foot span, a two-foot center. I think he’s using half-inch plywood for the floor. And … he’s putting up plywood panels, just like the card house.
“What scares me is this thing burning down. It’s way closer to (neighboring homes) than the House of Cards was. We’re all retirees, and we’ve all got our last dying dollars into our properties.”
The neighbors said Collins also started building another structure at the site where the fire took place May 12, 2014.
The only permit granted for that property at 12-7037 Akanikolea St. was on Oct. 14, 1997, for a 272-square-foot storage shed that appeared to have not been built.
Collins, a Vietnam War veteran and retired businessman, applied for a building permit for the home already on the property in August 2013, but it had not been granted when the fire, which was deemed suspicious in origin, consumed the structure.
“We’ve received complaints on both parcels … and it’s still under investigation,” David Yamamoto, county Building Division chief, confirmed Tuesday.
County tax records show Collins is the owner of both lots.
Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the department’s Wastewater Branch is in the process of investigating the cesspool allegation and couldn’t comment further on the case. She said cesspool installation would be legal only if plans were approved prior to March 21 this year and “if those plans are associated with a structure that has received county permits.”
“Otherwise, and with any unpermitted structure, building a cesspool is not allowed,” Okubo said.
Collins was working on what appeared to be a second floor of the structure on Friday, but came out to the street to talk to the Tribune-Herald. At first, he touted his website “Charles Collins for U.S. Senate.” He proclaimed he was going to “make Seaview great again” and praised “President Donald J. Trump.”
When it was pointed out Trump is still president-elect, Collins raised his voice and exclaimed, “He is the president right now and you had better recognize that!”
When told the Tribune-Herald was called about the construction, Collins demanded to know the identity of the complainants.
“This is still the United States of America, and I have the right to confront my accusers,” Collins said. “Let them come over here and talk to me in person, like you’re doing.”
Asked about a building permit, Collins replied, “I have an architect and a contractor.” He couldn’t give full names for either. From the cab of his pickup truck, he produced a single white 8 1/2-by-11-inch piece of paper with a two-dimensional drafted image of the front of a one-story house colored green, with a gable roof over the spot where he had been working. There were no other walls, no floor plans and no architect’s name on the drawing.
Collins also denied the walls of the building are plywood.
“They’re Hardie board,” he said. “They have cement in them.”
Collins has battled with neighbors since 1997, sometimes in court. He was sued in 2012 by the county, which sought an injunction to stop construction of the House of Cards and payment of fines of $50 per day for noncompliance. The county estimated the fines had ballooned to about $44,000 when the home fell in flames.
“There were some code violations that were effectively dismissed when the house burned down,” said county Corporation Counsel Molly Stebbins. She said the dismissal of the county’s suit meant the fines were no longer in effect. Stebbins noted Collins also sued the county, claiming the Fire Department’s response to the blaze in the remote lower Puna subdivision was too slow. That lawsuit was also dismissed.
The Tribune-Herald was named, with others, in a lawsuit by Collins filed May 13.
“Your newspaper has engaged in false reporting and defamation of character,” Collins said. “You caused me and my family emotional distress. My wife went to school every day while your paper printed lies. … You used the name ‘House of Cards.’ It is not a card house. It is the ‘Amanda Hearst Castle.’” He added that he had a picture of the model, activist, socialite and heiress to the Hearst media fortune in the home.
According to court records, the suit was dismissed by Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas on May 23, after Collins failed to appear in court. The dismissal is without prejudice, which means Collins is free to refile the claim.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
