Storms no match for circular cottages

Since Slidell resident Ted Modica finished building his unique round house on Slidell’s Lakeview Drive two years ago, he’s gotten some company.

Two more circular cottages have sprung up along the street, and another overlooks the water on Carr Drive. Homeowners are drawn by the design, in which floor and roof trusses radiate back to the center of the house, much like the spokes on a wheel. In addition, each wall panel is no wider than eight feet, and both factors help disperse wind pressure throughout the entire house, reducing potential damage.

The house got its first test earlier this summer, when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike roared through the area. Modica and his wife, Leanne, stayed in the house for both storms. They lost power for about two days during Gustav, but said otherwise the house did fine.

“The only problems we had were the marsh grass and the gators,” he said. “Mr. Howard with the sheriff’s office came out, and asked if we were feeding them.”

Modica purchased his manufactured home from North Carolina-based Deltec Homes, which has been building the round houses for upwards of 40 years. The company began as a supplier for the resort and vacation industry, but gradually transitioned into building private residences as people wanted to take the unique building and make it their own.

Deltec builds all over the world, but has the largest concentration of homes in the Southeast. In addition to being hurricane-resistant, able to withstand winds of up to 175 miles per hour in some cases, the home provides great views.

According to Sales and Marketing Director Joe Schlenk, it’s also quite energy-efficient.

“The same things that make the house hurricane-resistant make it energy-efficient also,” said Schlenk. “You can have wind pressure even if winds aren’t terribly high, and our design helps reduce drafting, which is what contributes to energy loss.”

Schlenk said Deltec has never lost a single home to high winds in all those years, and often, the round house becomes a neighborhood hub or shelter for those residents forced out of their homes due to storm damage.

Deltec has about 25 houses throughout the New Orleans area, two of which the company donated for an episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” earlier this spring.

Modica participated in the construction of both houses, one in Westwego and one in New Orleans East.

One of Modica’s neighbors, retired crane operator Don Jacomet, is building his own round house just down the street, forgoing the prefab construction for 65-foot pilings and six-inch thick walls.

Jacomet, who has lived on the property for 18 years, wasn’t particularly concerned about storm protection. His previous home, built in 1931 far out over the water, survived every hurricane to come along until Katrina.

“I figure it will take more than Katrina to take this one down,” he said one afternoon as he worked on the home’s spiral staircase. “If it goes it will go in one piece.”