About Maili Plantation

Maili Plantation restores neglected Hawai'i country properties instead of subdividing them — full renovation of existing plantation-style homes, native landscaping, and housing kept useful and available for real families. It's run by Mark Traylor and Dr. Joy Mahiko, based on the property in Waianae, O'ahu.

Mark Traylor

Mark is a U.S. Navy Seabees veteran with a technical and business background, now working hands-on to restore Maili Plantation full time. He's an avid surfer and fisherman, and approaches restoration the way he approaches most things — directly, with a plan, and with a low tolerance for cutting corners.

Dr. Joy Mahiko

Joy is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Hawai'i – West O'ahu, where she teaches and certifies K–12 Special Education teachers. At Maili Plantation, she guides the design direction, works alongside the crew on landscaping, gardening, and jobsite cleanup, feeds the crew, and hosts the project's Q&A sessions.

Why Restoration, Not Subdivision

Across Hawai'i, large country properties are routinely subdivided and redeveloped into modern homes, and the older plantation-style houses and rural character that made them special disappear with them. Maili Plantation exists to show that restoration is a real alternative — keeping the existing homes standing, bringing them fully up to modern standards, and preserving the country living culture and community that surrounds them for the next generation.