"Cruel sun"

House: 4 bedrooms, 3½ baths
Detached garage/guest cottage

    Large lots in Lahaina are as scarce as a day on west Maui without sun, and when this client uncovered a 28,000 SF parcel spanning two streets the challenge became how to maintain privacy while opening the house to cooling Tradewinds. Keeping the main house centered on the lot and surrounding the entire structure with a large open lanai gave immediate shelter from adjacent homes. The second challenge was to minimize the effects of the sun-generated heat on the living quarters while keeping the home bright and airy. A row of end-to-end skylights set in a soaring open-beam ceiling brighten the living room and large entry doors allow Tradewinds to enter and naturally cool the home. A central air conditioning system was installed but is seldom needed.

    Designed as a spec home, the residence was quickly snapped-up by country western singer Randy Travis and his wife Elizabeth for their Randy Travis' Lahaina Estate. Both kitchen and dining facilities face east and look out over a Japanese influenced courtyard with boulder-edged pool and spa to the West Maui Mountains where the sun rises. The exceptionally wide eaves overhang to provide extra space for outdoor entertainment.
All four bedrooms are provided exterior access from the wrap-around lanai. A glass block wall flanks the whirlpool bath in the large master bathroom, carrying light to the glass block-surrounded shower and sparkling black marble counters.
Facing Front Street, the property is fully enclosed by a wooden fence, creating the overall feel of an older estate. A street-side gate maintains security yet allows walk-in traffic to cross a large front yard joined to the makai lanai by a footbridge over a pond. The rear of the property hosts a separate one-bedroom guest cottage and a guest suite above the garage. Vehicles enter from the rear of the property, adding to the ambiance of a Hawaiian country estate.