A 1956 wooden A-frame home near Diamond Head in Hawaii is on the market for $3.75 million, and it comes with lava rock walls and ocean views — check it out

Constructed in 1956, the 0.21-acre property was designed by famous local architects George Wimberly and Howard Cook, per the listing. 

"The third time's the charm with this house," Lin, a designer, told Insider. The first time she came across the listing was in 2020. It was in the early months of the pandemic, and Lin and her family were planning to move to Hawaii.

"I reached out to the owner — an aging gentleman — and he said that I could go take a look at the place, but there was a tenant inside that did not want to show it and did not want to move," Lin said. "I forgot about the house. I thought it wasn't meant to be."

"That was when I was able to go see it in person," Lin said. "We put an offer in but they accepted another offer."

But luck was on her side: Barely a month later she got a call telling her that the property fell out of escrow — and asking if she was still interested.

Lin ended up getting a third chance to buy the home, and she paid $2.5 million for it in September 2021, per listing records.

"I felt it was meant to be since it came back around into our lives after three times," she added.

Location-wise, listing agent Noel Shaw with Hawaii Life told Insider that the neighborhood — Kahala — is an upscale area.

"Because of this, many of the original homes in the area have been torn down to accommodate modern luxury properties," Shaw said. It's rare to find a newly restored mid-century modern house like this, she added.

The wider area of Waialae-Kahala has a median listing home price of $2.5 million, per real-estate platform Realtor.com. There are currently 35 single-family homes for sale in the area, with prices ranging from $1.1 million to $26.99 million.

"The neighborhood this home is in we call Kaikoo, off of the street name and the popular surf break that sits in front of the street with dedicated ocean access. It is located right on the side of the famed Diamond Head State Monument and a short walk to the start of the hiking trail," Shaw said.

"All of the big architectural elements, like shoji screens, the lava rocks, and wood beams, are original to the house. I didn't want to mess with anything that was the heart of the home," Lin said.

The roof, in particular, is a marvel, she added. It's made from large timber beams that start from the outside of the house and they connect right at the tip of the roof.

"It's one long piece," Lin said. "Architecturally, it's a super cool design, especially considering that it was from 1956."

One of Lin's favorite architectural styles is an A-Frame, and she had always been looking for an opportunity to fix one up.

"When I saw that there was one here I was really surprised. I didn't know they existed in Diamond Head," Lin said.

She furnished the entire place on her own, sourcing furniture locally as well as from other parts of the US. 

"I had to figure out who would ship to Hawaii and how to get stuff here," Lin said.

"I think traditionally in A-frames, people try to stick a bedroom up there and you end up getting a bedroom with weird walls," Lin said. Instead, the A-frame roof is over the kitchen and shared living space, while the main bedrooms are in the back.

"You get the best of both worlds — you get an A-frame without the weird pitched roof over your bed," she said.

"My family and I have our main home where we're living. This A-frame was a project that I was going to fix up, rent out, and then eventually move into when my husband and I become empty nesters, which is in four years," Lin said.

However, the couple, who has two teenage sons, fell in love with their current home — which is also in Honolulu — and decided to stay put.

"We spend our time between California and Hawaii, so we're not actually here full-time," Lin said. "It made sense to just sell the home instead of trying to keep it around."

Not only is the house "right across from one of the best surf spots in Honolulu," the outdoor deck overlooking the ocean is also ideal for those who like to entertain, Lin said. 

Future owners can also turn the home into a rental if it meets the minimum stay duration, she added.

In April last year, Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi signed a bill that would require a 90-day minimum stay for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals located outside of resort areas, per Lonely Planet. 

However, in October, a judge stopped the enforcement of the 90-day minimum ban by granting a preliminary injunction, per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

May 5, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect the current state of Hawaii's short-term rental rules.