A Katrina Cottage is a small, yet permanent house to be built for about the same price as a FEMA trailer. Katrina Cottages may be “stick built” on-site or constructed from panels manufactured elsewhere. They must meet the tough standards of Louisiana’s new residential building code (based on the International Residential Code), including meeting the minimum elevation for flood protection. (Source: Louisiana Speaks)

Mobile homes have been steadily growing in popularity as a temporary and permanent primary residence for many Louisiana residents. Mobile homes can provide years of comfortable and convenient living, while giving you the most for the dollar you spend on electricity. Using the following energy conservation tips will help you to make the least of your electric bill.

Living in a mobile homes is one option you can consider when planning for your future housing needs. In the past, mobile homes typically were considered starter homes. But today, many people are choosing to make mobile homes their permanent dwelling.

"Factory-Built Home” is a generic term that refers to any home that has been predominately designed and constructed in a controlled factory or plant environment. Factory processes are extremely efficient with materials and, thus, are considered more environmentally friendly. In addition, the factory environment can provide a much greater degree of quality control, compared to on-site construction.

Manufactured Homes are the buildings we have, in the past, referred to as mobile homes or trailers. While other factory-built homes are built to the codes of the area where they will be installed, manufactured homes are built to a special HUD-code and installed in accordance with HUD guidelines. Thus they are sometimes referred to as HUD-Code homes.

For those who need fast, affordable and reliable solutions for their housing problems, modular homes might be the best solution. In contrast to what many people think, modular homes are quite different than manufactured or trailer homes. In fact, they are very similar to site-built homes.

Factory built homes are nearly undetectable from the street and, often, people cannot recognize, from appearance alone, the difference between a factory built home and a site built home. In New Orleans, manufacturers have been dedicated to creating stock designs that are specific to the New Orleans region. The architectural style of a typical New Orleans “shotgun” style house has been adopted and modified to create new home styles that fit seamlessly in their environments.

If you're thinking of rebuilding in a new location, and would consider moving to a new community, you can do some "long distance" research on the Internet, but visit the new community before making a decision.

Portal page for information about the advantages and disadvantages of site-built vs factory built homes or home components.

Homeowners in South Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf South who are rebuilding after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have opportunities to add more termite protection to their homes, according to LSU AgCenter experts.

Many homes and other structures that were severely damaged in the Katrina and Rita hurricanes had been built on concrete slabs. The question that is on many homeowners’ minds is “Can I reuse the slab?” This answer will require homeowners to ask other questions that are explained in this article.