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Cottage living
Jul. 20th, 2007 10:23 amShortly after hurricane Katrina, an architect came up with a housing design dubbed the "Katrina Cottage". The idea was an inexpensive, highly flexible, permanent alternative to FEMA trailers. They are highly customizable, designed with future expansion in mind, low maintenance, and able to withstand a Cat 5 hurricane.
Well Lowes picked up the design, and started offering plans and complete cottage kits in the Gulf Coast area. They were very popular, and recently they have started offering them nationwide via their stores and website. You can buy the complete house from them, in "kit" form, which includes everything you need to build it, from nails to sinks. The only things you need to provide are a heating system, sewer/septic system, and furniture. Said kits range from $17K - $36K depending on the size and amount of upgrades, which is damn cheap.
I've liked the Katrina Cottage concept since I first heard of them, so of course I've been perusing the website. And I really like the floorplan of the KC 1185 (though I love the look of the KC 1200). The KC 1185 has three bedrooms, two baths, a porch, and both a large living room and a study/office. Even better if more space is needed later, it can probably be expanded into a KC 1807 with 5 bedrooms.
So now I'm looking at small lots. And with some (very rough!) calculations, it looks like I could get the land, and get the house built for the same or less then the ratty houses I've been looking at. Even more so because I can do a lot of the work myself (yay sweat equity!, I might be able to do it for enough less that a nice big garage could be fit into the plan...
I know building a house is at least as, or more stressful then buying one. But a brand new house, built how I want it, to call my own has definite appeal.
Well Lowes picked up the design, and started offering plans and complete cottage kits in the Gulf Coast area. They were very popular, and recently they have started offering them nationwide via their stores and website. You can buy the complete house from them, in "kit" form, which includes everything you need to build it, from nails to sinks. The only things you need to provide are a heating system, sewer/septic system, and furniture. Said kits range from $17K - $36K depending on the size and amount of upgrades, which is damn cheap.
I've liked the Katrina Cottage concept since I first heard of them, so of course I've been perusing the website. And I really like the floorplan of the KC 1185 (though I love the look of the KC 1200). The KC 1185 has three bedrooms, two baths, a porch, and both a large living room and a study/office. Even better if more space is needed later, it can probably be expanded into a KC 1807 with 5 bedrooms.
So now I'm looking at small lots. And with some (very rough!) calculations, it looks like I could get the land, and get the house built for the same or less then the ratty houses I've been looking at. Even more so because I can do a lot of the work myself (yay sweat equity!, I might be able to do it for enough less that a nice big garage could be fit into the plan...
I know building a house is at least as, or more stressful then buying one. But a brand new house, built how I want it, to call my own has definite appeal.
