Where Can You Find a List of Katrina Houses and Cottages for Sale?
Already-constructed Katrina houses and cottages are listed on the Tiny House Listings website. Plans to build a Katrina cottage are available on the website of the cottage’s creator, Marianne Cusato.
Constructed Katrina cottages retail for around $18,000. Plans to build a cottage cost around $850. The purchase price of a plan also includes the license to build it. When considering the cost of contractors and purchasing materials and local permits, the construction of a Katrina cottage can run between $136,000 and $160,000. This estimate does not account for the cost of land and laying a foundation for the cottage.
Katrina cottages were developed in response to the lack of housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina. They were designed as comfortable, long-lasting alternatives to FEMA trailers that could create an attractive neighborhood. However, they never fully caught on, as local planning boards worked to block their construction. Additionally, residents were eager to return to suburban neighborhoods with large housing and reluctant to accept the smaller accommodations of a Katrina cottage.
Thanks to the tiny-house movement, Katrina cottages and house are making a comeback. They are sought by those who wish to save money on utilities by living in smaller spaces. However, their construction is often blocked by city planning boards that fear that small, affordable housing attracts unsavory residents and ultimately lowers property values.
