BY NICHOLE ODEN
TIGER TV ONLINE REPORTER
Louisiana has always been prone to destructive hurricanes, and every time one of these hurricanes rolls through it does damage to numerous homes. LSU’s Ag Center has constructed a model home demonstrating to people ways to make homes more resilient to natural disasters.
According to Margaret Pierce, a press representative for the Ag Center, the LaHouse is a model home that was built to be more durable and more energy and resource efficient.
The Ag Center wanted to build a more “green” house. The house conserves energy and water. It was also built with environmentally friendly materials.
However, its durability features are what make the LaHouse truly unique. The walls were all built to be resilient to 130 mph winds. The house is elevated three feet over the basic home elevation requirements to make it more resistant to flooding. It also incorporated ways to make the walls resistant to pests such as termites and molds.
Pierce said it was important to make sure the building was aesthetically similar to a normal house while incorporating all the new features.
“People are often scared by things that like too new or different to them,” Pierce said. “People are more likely to respond well to the house if it is similar to an average Louisiana home.”
The LaHouse was built as a model home for other homes being built similarly. The house has four different foundations with four different wall types so people can see their options. There are areas where the interior walls have cut-a-ways so people can see the differences in how the different types of walls were built. There are also seven acres of landscape exhibits with the house.
Ag Center professors, agriculture students, interior design students and construction management students all helped the ideas behind the house.
The idea for LaHouse was first pitched in 2000, but construction on the house did not start till 2004. Pierce said they were about half-way through construction when hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit. This slowed down their progress greatly. Pierce said it is now about 98 percent complete.
A home like the LaHouse does cost more than the average home. The construction cost of one is about 15 to 20 percent greater than that of an average home. However, Pierce said that although the initial cost for a home like this may be more in the long run a family will save money on things such as their utility bill.
The LaHouse is now open for walking tours. It is located by the LSU golf course and is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday.
Pierce said this is an important project especially for the residents of Louisiana.
“I have seen so many families become financially and emotionally distressed because of the damage done to their home in a natural disaster,” Pierce said. “It’s important. People can learn about ways to protect their home from future storms.”
