There is an article in the "inside out" pull out of today's TP (couldn't find it online) about current trends in the modular/manufactured/panel/prefab housing industry. It explains the differences betwee the different types of methods and makes the point that these houses are solidly built (sometimes even better than on-site built) and increasing in availability and ability to customize.

I would like to learn more about how I can get a custom house using paneled or prefab materials. Does anyone know of a local architect/builder that would work with us to design and build a house with these materials?

Any other sources of information on building with these techniques would be appreciated.

I remember a link from the Times Picayune and the website seemed to have good info.

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I don't want a trailer home. Has anyone found someone to build prefab on their lot?

5600 block Ada Place

Check out NOLAhomebuilder.com. This was the guy they interviewed on the Rebuilding Lakeview special. If you like one of his floor plans you can get your house pretty quickly.

I've been in touch with the New Urban Guild in Miami, Home Front Homes, Inc. in Englewood, and James Hardie Corporation - all in Florida.

Andres Duaney (the architect that headed the Chalmette & Gentilly charettes earlier this year) of the NUG is collaberating with Home Front Homes and James Hardie (makes Hardie Board), to come up with house plans, in styles particular to the New Orleans region, using Home Front's panelized method of construction.

This panelized method has been used in the Miami Dade County area of Florida, which has the strictest building code in the nation (as regards hurricanes). The method is used mostly on concrete slabs in Florida, but is adaptable to piling and pier foundations used so much here, in N.O. This method was tested to withstand winds of 200 mph. (These panelized homes in Port Charlotte, FL survived Charley in 2004 with no structural damage and barely a scratch).

The frame is all steel and the Hardie Board (concrete/fiber board) that is used for the wall & roof panels serves as both the exterior and interior wall (if desired). The Hardie board is water-proof (I tested a piece of this stuff myself by soaking it for 3 weeks in a stinky, disgusting mixture. I just had to lightly scrub & hose it down a little to clean it. It was still sturdy and rigid, there was no mold on it, and it did not smell). The board also is supposedly termite-proof and practically fire-proof (singes if it comes in contact with fire), although I did not test it for those 2 contingencies.

The caveat is: Home Front Homes, Inc. (in Englewood, FL) supplies only the shell, or kit, as designed by the New Urban Guild Architects. Right now, kits start at $29,905 for a tiny - 512 sq. ft. of living space - Gulf Coast Cottage model. (These are designed so that you can add on to them as time and budget allow). You buy the shell, and then have a builder put the thing together. You can either finish the interior yourself or get a contractor to do that also.

Home Front Homes, Inc. is currently negotiating with a couple of Louisiana builders to "set up shop" in the area to build houses using this panelized method of construction with Hardie Board as the shell of the structure.

Hello:

We specialize in Structural Insulated Panels or SIPs. Our product is wind rated to 170 mph, termite resistant, fire retardant and extremely good regarding energy savings, cost and time to build. I'd be happy to talk to anyone if needed.

Chandler
Weatherguard Enterprises

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Just wanted to pass on recent experience and lesson learned dealing with NolaHomebuilder. I signed a contract with them to build a double and gave them a $10 k deposit. The contract clearly stated that deposit was non-refundable.

At the time I signed the contract they couldn’t tell me for sure whether they could put the house I wanted on the lot. I liked other homes they had and wasn’t concerned because I was sure I could find something I liked if the Napolean didn’t work.

Turns out I can’t build a double in Lakeview since I didn’t have one before the storm. I still wasn’t worried about my deposit. I switched over to a Filmore (house isn’t shown in the pictures on their website but the floor plan is).

Met with them on a Thursday evening and confirmed my choice. During the meeting a contract was drawn up but I didn’t sign it because I was surprised by the price ($253 k including $11,200 of upgrades) which was over 30% more per square foot than my previous contract. Of the upgrades, two are shown on the website floor plan as being part of the base package (solid oak hardwood floors, $2,193 and $2,400 for ceramic flooring in the two bathrooms). I told them I wanted to sleep on it. Saturday morning I sent them an email saying I wanted to stop all work and figure out what was left of my deposit.

They told me the deposit was non-refundable and it was spent. After some back and forth where I asked for an accounting but never received it, I sat down with them for 2 hours and chatted back and forth. I was not satisfied with the result but they told me their billable rate is $375 / hour (doesn’t come into play unless your doing something outside the contract) and they had spent over 20 hours on the project. In addition they had a survey done for me at $1000 (I had agreed to pay them an overhead charge on this at the time we decided to do it.) When we talked about what delieverables there were from the time they spent I was given a pile of stuff. I won’t go into the details (unless asked) but I did not feel they were worth $10,000. Part of what I was told was 15 hours for a BZA application (not sent in yet, application filled out and given to m). I was told he personally had gone out to the site to get a routing for delivery (2 hours, deliverable was a google map with my house circled) and a letter had been written to city (30 minutes, letter given to me, not sent in yet). Apparently all this happened on Friday after our Thursday meeting but before I told them to stop on Saturday.

Lessons learned:
The contract said it was mutally drafted. I signed it but didn’t change anything because I felt like one way or another we would find a house that fit the lot. Don’t sign contracts as they are. Write down how you would word the agreement including your understanding, have it attached to the contract and put in the verbage that the addition takes precedence over their material. If they don’t like this, ask where the differences are.

Don’t assume you won’t run into problems. Even the first house which I felt like I had a decent price on did not appraise at the cost. The bank would fiancé it because I owned the land so making it contingent on financing isn’t enough.

Put in the contract that the deposit is refundable in any unspent portions. Put in the contract that they need to get approval to spend the deposit in writing from you for individual items (site plan, survey, siteing).

One last thing that changed from the first contract to the second. In the second I was asked to pay the home manufacturer versus paying them and having they pay the bill. I don’t like this since to me payment is a form of acceptance of the work and they should be the ones accepting the work.

In the end, everything worked out well as I’ve switched companies and think I have a much better price (closer to $100 / ft^2 with a lot of upgrades)

I could go on forever on this but its already too long. Another poor soldier who shouldn’t have signed the contract and as important , shouldn’t have put a deposit down on a house without being sure it could be built.