The morning golf round at Mauna Kea. The afternoon swell. The cool upcountry evenings in Waimea. You are not just building a house. You are building the life you came here for. Imagine Development has been building that life for Big Island families for 25 years, with Kawika and Lauren Dowsett personally on every project from first conversation to final walkthrough.
Building on the Big Island comes with real questions. How do you manage a project from the mainland? How do you know the budget will hold? How does a home stand up to salt air, seismic activity, and winds that can top 130 mph in the upcountry?
These are the right questions. We built our entire company around answering them.
Kawika Dowsett was born on this island and has spent more than 40 years building on it. Lauren Dowsett runs proposals, budgets, and scheduling with the precision of someone who managed foundation and infrastructure work for years. When you build with Imagine Development, the two people who hear your vision are the same two people who deliver it.
Unique, high-end homes designed from the ground up to your exact specifications. Built to reflect your personality, your site, and your life every detail considered, no compromises made on quality or character.
Complete, concept-to-construction solutions tailored to your lifestyle. One team, one vision, one seamless process from first sketch to final key. Architecture, engineering, and construction all under one roof removing the friction that comes from working with multiple firms.
Transformations that refresh, expand, and modernize your existing spaces. We bring the same level of craftsmanship and design intention to renovations as we do to ground-up builds because your existing home deserves nothing less.
Imagine Development owns a select collection of premium homesites, each paired with a complete home design created for that exact lot. Choose your property. Make it yours. Move in years sooner.
Site preparation, grading, and infrastructure work to give your project a solid, properly engineered foundation from day one. We tackle challenging terrain and remote locations that other contractors turn down.
Drive 20 minutes on the Kohala Coast and the climate changes completely. That is the magic of this island, and it is also why building here takes real local knowledge.
Makai: Coastal Living. Ocean views, trade wind breezes, and homes that open completely to the outdoors. We build Tropical Modern homes in the Kauhale tradition: connected pavilions, pocketing glass walls, covered lanais, and outdoor living that flows straight to the golf course and the sea.
Mauka: Upcountry Living. Cool evenings, green pastures, horses, and star-filled skies. We build Modern Mountain homes made for the highlands: fully insulated double walls, interior fireplaces, radiant-heated floors, and standing-seam roofs engineered for high-elevation winds.
Whichever life you are building toward, we have spent four decades learning exactly what it takes to build it well.
The hardest part of building on the Kohala side is not the construction. It is finding the land. Inventory in the island’s best communities is scarce, and the design and permitting process can take a year or more before a shovel ever moves. So we removed both problems. Imagine Development owns a select collection of premium homesites,
each paired with a home design created specifically for that lot. The siting, the design, the engineering, and the permitting are handled by us, before you ever get involved. You choose the property, tailor the finishes, and move toward keys while other buyers are still waiting on paperwork.
Kawika grew up here and has built here through hurricanes, earthquakes, and four decades of real conditions. He knows the terrain, the county permitting office, and the HOA design committees because he has worked with all of them for years.
This island sits in the highest seismic design category in the country. Coastal homes face salt air that destroys standard hardware, which is why we use marine-grade type 316 stainless steel connections near the shore. Upcountry homes face wind zones of 130 mph and beyond. Every home we build is engineered for its exact location, not for a general code minimum.
You will never be handed off to someone who was not in the room when your home was planned. Kawika and Lauren are personally on every project, start to finish.
Your project lives in a client portal with photos, schedule, budget, and documents. Whether you are down the road in Waimea or at your desk in New York, you always know exactly where things stand.
How It Works
Discovery and Site Visit
We start with a conversation about your vision, your budget, and your timeline. Then Kawika walks your land in person. No pressure, no pitch. Just an honest read on what your project needs and whether we are the right fit.
Pre-Construction Planning
Before design begins, we produce a detailed pre-construction proposal that locks in scope, budget parameters, and design direction in writing. This step is where most build problems are prevented before they can start.
Design, Permitting, and Approvals
Our architectural partners develop plans and renderings around your site and your confirmed budget. We handle Hawai’i County permitting and your community’s HOA design review from start to finish.
Construction and Handover
Kawika personally oversees the build. You follow progress in your portal, receive regular milestone updates, and walk through the finished home with us before the keys are yours.
Where We Build
Deep roots across the Big Island and experience building on Oahu, we understand the terrain, permitting, and microclimates of every region we serve.
Client Stories
Let's Build Together
Whether you are breaking ground next year or still planning from the mainland, the best first step is a conversation. Tell us about your site, your vision, and your timeline. We will give you an honest read on all three.
