The House That Katrina Built
Tuesday August 21, 2007
It's hard to imagine that anything positive came out of Hurricane Katrina, but some architects and builders are saying that the big storm opened the way to a new type of housing: small, economical, and energy-efficient. Weighing in at just 308 square feet, a tiny house dubbed "The Katrina Cottage" made a splash at the International Builders' Show in Orlando last year. Designed by architect Marianne Cusato, the bright, cheerful house is nothing like the dreary temporary trailers usually assigned to disaster victims. Now Katrina Cottages come in an assortment of sizes and styles. You can buy a kit at your local Lowes home improvement store.
- The Katrina Cottage: Facts and Resources
- Katrina Kernal Cottage II: Photo Tour
- Find More Cottage Plans
Katrina Cottage Rendering: PRNewsFoto / Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Comments
This is American Entrepreneurship and free enterprise at its finest. Instead of waiting for the government to “fix” the housing situation in storm revaged area, individual initiative, insight and imagination comes to the rescue. The cottage design is attractive and looks like a home anyone could be proud to own. The architect should get a national award for her inventiveness, and initiative. Mega Kudo!!!
It really is too bad that these cottages aren’t more widely used in disaster relief zones. Small, pre-fab, affordable, and absolutely cute… what more could you ask for? I’ll have to add a profile on these at Small-House-Building.com.