First responders get first crack at hurricane-resistant homes

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed so many homes in the area, wouldn’t it be nice if residents could find a house that is resistant to winds from a Category 5 hurricane, can withstand an 11-foot storm surge, is incredibly energy efficient, and, best of all, can be constructed in seven days?

Key West Homes is hoping such a house will be attractive to St. Tammany Parish residents. The company is the exclusive distributor of Safeway homes that are constructed in a Lexington, Miss., factory.

The houses have even been featured on an hour-long Discovery Channel documentary about rebuilding on the Gulf Coast.

George Semmes, a partner in Key West Homes, is so confident about his product he is offering first responders a special price so they will have a safe place to stay during a hurricane. That’s important, since emergency personnel like police, firefighters, nurses, doctors and others have to stay in the area while everyone else evacuates.

One of those first responders, registered nurse Kim Wallace, was so impressed with the Discovery Channel program he bought a home. He had it built in Lacombe and moved in this week.

“It’s the ideal home for me,” Wallace said. “It was built for this area. I think I could ride out a Category 5 storm in the house.”

Even though the houses are constructed on an assembly line, Semmes said the houses are not modular.

“They have been rated as a fortified concrete home,” Semmes said.

The siding is made of concrete that has paint factory-baked into it, but that is not the real secret of the house’s strength.

The home is built in three sections by a fusion method. Each section is “fused” together with a combination of high-strength epoxy and screws. The center wall, which is the backbone of the home, is 48 feet long and connects two section of the house, again with epoxy and screws. Then the roof is placed on the house and connected with straps, plates, epoxy and screws. The entire house is brought onto the construction site and lowered onto a concrete slab. The house is then literally bolted to the slap, along with reinforcing iron bars, straps and what are called Simpson plates.

Semmes said there are no nails used, and it takes about a quarter ton of epoxy to put the house together.

The entire process takes seven days. The only thing left is for painters to come in and paint the interior, and carpenters to put in the cypress wood floors.

“The secret is that when finished, it is like a fine piece of furniture,” said Key West Operations Manager John Farro. “It is all one piece, and incredibly strong.”

The houses can also be built on elevated pilings. But the houses built closer to the ground, Semmes claims, can withstand an 11-foot storm surge.

“The house won’t even flinch,” Semmes said.

The homes come completely wired for electricity, cable, telephone, and the Internet. Kitchen appliances, landscaping, lawn and a backyard fence are all included in the price, which ranges from $139,000 to $159,000 depending on the size and model.

Key West Homes is working on two more of these homes in Lacombe and has already built one in Slidell. Now they are planning on 10 homes in New Orleans, and in the near future, hope to construct several two-story townhouse models of Safeway homes.

For more information on the homes, go to the Key West Home Web site at www.keywesthomescat5.com, or call them at (504) 250-3191.