MARATHON, FL – Design and construction innovations born in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are coming to the Keys.

GreenSteel Comes To Paradise
In the redevelopment of his Coconut Cay Resort & Marina, owner Jim Rhyne is joining with modular housing manufacturer GreenSteel Homes to introduce a new kind of building to the Keys. It’s one of the latest in a rapidly evolving series of designs known as Katrina Cottages. The Katrina Cottages’ key attributes: Storm-ready safety, appealing looks, energy-efficient performance, and affordability.

Rhyne says the time is right: “We have enjoyed a good measure of success due mostly to our friendly staff and desire to please our guests. But time has finally caught up with some of our structures. It’s our hope that by involving GreenSteel and its talented team of architects and engineers in our redevelopment, we will be able to maintain a bit of the old flavor while we bring a whole new level of storm-worthiness and environmental responsibility to construction here.”

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Source: The Christian Science Monitor
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By Ron Scherer | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

OCEAN SPRINGS, MISS.

A model home here that gives Katrina’s displaced an alternative to trailer living is starting to take the country by storm.

The Katrina cottage - with living quarters about the size of a McMansion bathroom - is now appealing to people well beyond the flood plain. Californians want to build one in their backyards to use for rental income to help with the mortgage payment. Modestly paid kayakers in Colorado see it as a way to finally afford a house. Elsewhere, people envision building one so a parent can live nearby.

Flying in the face of a “big house” trend, designers of these tiny abodes seem to have found a new housing niche. Some experts cite an interest by some Americans in downsizing their habitats, a reaction to the supersized home, and note the challenge of heating and cooling a big house at a time when family budgets are flat. Others note that changing demographics - more empty-nesters and single adults - may mean a timely debut of the Lilliputian homes.

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The Green Steel Home factory is rapidly being built. These pictures are from about a week ago.

More will follow as I can upload them.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: New photos!

Source: Steel Framing Alliance, Vol.1 Issue 4

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