[Note: this is an update of an earlier post.] The innovative small Katrina Cottage plans — from a team of designers and architects led by Marianne Cusato and others — offer a wide variety of approaches to the small house with livable porch. Clockwise from top left, the designs above are Plan 514-11; Plan 514-8; Plan 536-4; Plan 514-20; and Plan 536-3. Some include an optional extra bedroom
as shown in Plan 514-6, above. Layouts are efficient with porches that are large enough to really use, strong curb appeal, and could work as in-law or granny units. Years ago I saw one of the first examples, at the Home Builder Show in Orlando and was very impressed.
Architect Bruce Tolar designed several versions of the Katrina Cottage for Ocean Springs, Mississippi, as shown in this photo and in the layout for two bedroom Plan 536-3 with front porch and side deck, shown below. These little houses would dignify any neighborhood.
To my mind they are highly evolved descendants of the wood-framed “earthquake cottages” built for San Francisco’s
homeless after the earthquake and fire of 1906 (archive photo courtesy National Park Service).
Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, Katrina Cottages have been hailed for their design, durability, versatility and, affordability in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, on CNN. Here's Katrina Cottage Plan 514-8 by Eric Moser -- the bedroom is the second floor.
The Katrina Cottage concept is the vision of Andres Duany, first developed at the Mississippi Renewal Forum in October 2005. The goal of a Katrina Cottage is to create a home that is safe, affordable, and can be built quickly - yet at the same time is livable and lovable. Following popular demand nationwide, Marianne Cusato and a talented team of independent designers have expanded the series beyond emergency housing.
These cottages are ideal for anyone looking for a small and compact home with style. They can be used as primary homes, clustered in pocket neighborhoods, used for student housing, and even for vacation cabins.
Designer and author Marianne Cusato is a leading voice in home design whose work continually inspires and shapes trends throughout the building industry. Cusato's work addresses the ever-changing needs of homeowners today by striving to balance the practical requirements of economy and durability with the desire to love where we live. Ranked the No. 4 most influential person in the home building industry by Builder Magazine in its annual list, Cusato is the author of The Just Right Home: Buying, Renting, Moving --or Just Dreaming -- Find Your Perfect Match! (Workman Publishing, 2013).
In 2006, her 308 s.f. Katrina Cottage won the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum's "People's Design Award." In June 2006, Congress appropriated $400 million for an alternative emergency housing program, based on the idea of the Katrina Cottage. Cusato is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture.
Eric Moser; Moser Design Group, Inc. is a neighborhood and residential design firm dedicated to promoting well designed traditional homes and communities and supporting Smart Growth through New Urbanism.
W. A. Lawrence; Period Style Homes, W.A. "Bud" Lawrence, ICA/CA is the principal partner of Period Style Homes, Inc. specializing in land planning and residential design and Lawrence Design-Build, Inc. specializing in residential and commercial construction. Throughout his long year career he has designed residential projects in classical, traditional and vernacular styles nationally and internationally.
Andres Duany; Duany Plater Zyberk & Co. (DPZ) is an award-winning leader in the practice and direction of urban planning, having designed over 300 new and existing communities in the United States and overseas, including Seaside, Florida, which renewed a nationwide interest in regionally and classically inspired planning. Principals, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are co-founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism
(CNU).
To browse a collection of Katrina Cottage plans, click here.
as shown in Plan 514-6, above. Layouts are efficient with porches that are large enough to really use, strong curb appeal, and could work as in-law or granny units. Years ago I saw one of the first examples, at the Home Builder Show in Orlando and was very impressed.
Architect Bruce Tolar designed several versions of the Katrina Cottage for Ocean Springs, Mississippi, as shown in this photo and in the layout for two bedroom Plan 536-3 with front porch and side deck, shown below. These little houses would dignify any neighborhood.
To my mind they are highly evolved descendants of the wood-framed “earthquake cottages” built for San Francisco’s
homeless after the earthquake and fire of 1906 (archive photo courtesy National Park Service).
Originally designed as a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer, Katrina Cottages have been hailed for their design, durability, versatility and, affordability in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, on CNN. Here's Katrina Cottage Plan 514-8 by Eric Moser -- the bedroom is the second floor.
The Katrina Cottage concept is the vision of Andres Duany, first developed at the Mississippi Renewal Forum in October 2005. The goal of a Katrina Cottage is to create a home that is safe, affordable, and can be built quickly - yet at the same time is livable and lovable. Following popular demand nationwide, Marianne Cusato and a talented team of independent designers have expanded the series beyond emergency housing.
These cottages are ideal for anyone looking for a small and compact home with style. They can be used as primary homes, clustered in pocket neighborhoods, used for student housing, and even for vacation cabins.
Designer and author Marianne Cusato is a leading voice in home design whose work continually inspires and shapes trends throughout the building industry. Cusato's work addresses the ever-changing needs of homeowners today by striving to balance the practical requirements of economy and durability with the desire to love where we live. Ranked the No. 4 most influential person in the home building industry by Builder Magazine in its annual list, Cusato is the author of The Just Right Home: Buying, Renting, Moving --or Just Dreaming -- Find Your Perfect Match! (Workman Publishing, 2013).
In 2006, her 308 s.f. Katrina Cottage won the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum's "People's Design Award." In June 2006, Congress appropriated $400 million for an alternative emergency housing program, based on the idea of the Katrina Cottage. Cusato is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture.
Eric Moser; Moser Design Group, Inc. is a neighborhood and residential design firm dedicated to promoting well designed traditional homes and communities and supporting Smart Growth through New Urbanism.
W. A. Lawrence; Period Style Homes, W.A. "Bud" Lawrence, ICA/CA is the principal partner of Period Style Homes, Inc. specializing in land planning and residential design and Lawrence Design-Build, Inc. specializing in residential and commercial construction. Throughout his long year career he has designed residential projects in classical, traditional and vernacular styles nationally and internationally.
Andres Duany; Duany Plater Zyberk & Co. (DPZ) is an award-winning leader in the practice and direction of urban planning, having designed over 300 new and existing communities in the United States and overseas, including Seaside, Florida, which renewed a nationwide interest in regionally and classically inspired planning. Principals, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are co-founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism
(CNU).
To browse a collection of Katrina Cottage plans, click here.
