I recently had an interesting discussion with John Maier, commercial sales specialist for Lowe’s, regarding the use of Katrina Cottages in the greater Central Ohio area.
“We’ve had a lot of interest” said Maier.
But he didn’t know of any sales in the area. That surprised me as the Katrina Cottages appear to be a really interesting alternative to manufactured homes that dot the lake areas around central Ohio.
The concept is that these are not modular homes but rather a collection of building plans and material deliveries for the house to be built on site. They can still be customized (at further expense, of course) to meet the desires of the new owner.
These homes were created as an easy alternative for family’s struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and are built to specifications for America’s southern coast:
- Designed to meet standards for 140-miles-per-hour wind gusts
- Hardieplank® lap siding that is rot and termite resistant
- Wood framing
- Metal roof
- Outdoor living space – either a front porch or stoop
- Full kitchen includes 30″ refrigerator, 30″ free-standing stove, built-in range hood, sink and cabinets.
The biggest challenge many of the Katrina Cottage homes would encounter in central Ohio is building size restrictions. The Cottages range between 544 and 1,807 square feet with bedroom running from 2-5 and prices varying accordingly.
The “plans” are going to run you about $700, but that will be rebated to you if you purchase a Katrina Cottage Materials Package from the company. I couldn’t find any listings on the “actual” price of a Cottage Package from the company and think it could be an interesting opportunity for someone to take advantage of the good buy on, for example, Apple Valley lots and end up with a nice little cottage to enjoy summer’s at the lake.
Art is of Lowe’s KC 480 Plan and is property of Lowe’s Company.
Toby–Thank you for posting the Katrina Cottage information on your blog. Lowe’s has just announced two new Katrina plans, so I’ll forward them to you. They will be rolled out today at our District Commercial Sales Meeting.
We’ve had lots of interest (no sales in Central Oh) in the cottages and our company is working on a program to target additional customers. A blog such as yours, keyed to your peers is a great idea.
The interested customers so far are mostly boomers getting ready to retire, who already own land, especially in Southern Oh. Apple Valley also sounds like a great location. I’m not familiar with restrictions and code at Apple Valley and would love to find out more to see if there truly is a fit in that area.
Ironically, we’re getting interest for Lowes Katrina Cottages from potential customers in Delaware County. The common idea is to place a cottage on the back of their existing property, where it cannot be seen from the road or their primary residence.
One customer was interested in a cottage for writing music!
Another customer mentioned he could drive 2 to 3 hours to get away on weekends but he’d really like to just be able to walk to his personal paradise on his 10 acres.
We will keep you posted on the success stories.
Thanks, John
PS: http://www.LowesRealtorBenefits.com
is a great source for free Direct Mail to your customers. Your customers get a 10% discount at Lowes and Realtors can get gift cards at a discount of 5%. This free program is 100% web driven. I invite you and other licensed realtors to check it out.
Regards
John Maier
John.r.maier@store.lowes.com
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