Prefab and FL

Before we actually left Brooklyn to move to FL, we had heard of Michele Kaufman and loved an earlier design, The Glidehouse. I had a post entitled, "Prefab We Can't Have". It's the odd thing here in FL because prefab isn't really going to stand up to strong winds and the other factors that play into a sub-tropical climate. If it were up to us, we would already be living in the Glidehouse but that model was not available to or recommended for FL. That was when we investigated the Rocio Romero LVL model which was designed to withstand 150 mph winds. The problem was it was still a stick frame house of basically particle board and stud sections. Basically we would have paid a few thousand dollars to have sections of lumber shipped from Perryville, MO. These would then have to be treated for termites and mold and then filled with insulation. By the time we would have custom designed the elevated level we needed for FEMA and fortified the prefab structure, the seemingly safe, sound prefab was going to end up being around $250 sf. It was at that point that we left the idea of prefab behind and just designed our own house. Kaufman's new design featured at the West Coast Green Conference is, however, very inspiring.