Cost of Building a Key West Style Home

[Macgregorsailor51]

There are numerous types of styrene homes.. Among them, is one style often referred to as Panel Construction.. These involve generally speaking foam panels 4-8 inches thick 4 feet wide and as long / tall as desired. These panels adhere to the slab and lock together and are MOST OFTEN but not on Cozumel.. They are Spray Creted..Very Much Like A In-ground pool. Spray creted inside and out.. The "blocks/slabs" of foam are contained between #9 wire mesh screen, front and back.
Another form is "building blocks" of foam you fill with concrete and shot crete the outer surfaces.. There are several other styles as well. Form equals Function..

I was asked to PM a resort being built in Nicaragua with both panels and blocks I turn down the offer

Originally Posted by MikMal

I was just talking to someone here in PC who built his own home using the Styrene blocks. He had nothing but good to say about it. Said it's super efficient and being only a block from Tamiami very quiet inside too.

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

There are numerous types of styrene homes.. Among them, is one style often referred to as Panel Construction.. These involve generally speaking foam panels 4-8 inches thick 4 feet wide and as long / tall as desired. These panels adhere to the slab and lock together and are MOST OFTEN but not on Cozumel.. They are Spray Creted..Very Much Like A In-ground pool. Spray creted inside and out.. The "blocks/slabs" of foam are contained between #9 wire mesh screen, front and back.
Another form is "building blocks" of foam you fill with concrete and shot crete the outer surfaces.. There are several other styles as well. Form equals Function..

I was asked to PM a resort being built in Nicaragua with both panels and blocks I turn down the offer

The homeowner I spoke with said he used the type that stack like cinder blocks (only they're larger) and then fill the cavities with concrete. The outside looked like lap siding but I didn't look close enough to tell if it was vinyl or cement. I don't know if it was a pre-designed kit or he drew up the floor plan himself.

[Macgregorsailor51]

Its not difficult to work with. My Brother used it on a 2 story Classic Car Storage Facility with an office and a One Off Wet Suit Manufacturing Shop on the 2nd floor... Romex/goat rope ...aka #1 Source of internal system fires is not approved in most areas needless to say.. .. I prefer MC cable for electrical installation in Styrene building systems.

Originally Posted by MikMal

The homeowner I spoke with said he used the type that stack like cinder blocks (only they're larger) and then fill the cavities with concrete. The outside looked like lap siding but I didn't look close enough to tell if it was vinyl or cement. I don't know if it was a pre-designed kit or he drew up the floor plan himself.

[twosheds]

Elevated homes will cost a lot more to insure. 125 to 150 a SF in this area now and going up.

[Macgregorsailor51]

Maybe I am really off base here Julie but a Key West Home isn't typically a Stilt House.. Its Metal Roofed Pastel Colors lots of bric-brac which is BTW a total PITA to maintain unless its unpainted Plastic Extrusions. Oh there are stilt homes in the Keys but they are not the Majority.. You don't see very many in this area for a good reason .. we don't need them.. It costs more, a lot more, to build a home 8 feet in the air. If your retiring your looking at climbing 8 to 12 feet UP! Every time you come home and every time you leave home and every time you use the boat or walk the dog or get the mail etc etc .. hummm groceries are now ... a PITA getting to the fridge hahaaha ..Low Inventory may change a little this winter, we just had a discussion on when they sell the most homes down here and its in the summer.. Flood insurance isn't that bad unless you buy older low lying property/home. you need to be 8 feet above BFE. Many people who wanted to live here may find that they no longer can afford what they want in this area.. Yep ...IMHO the deals ended 3 years AGO..

Originally Posted by Juliekristine629

I'm not well versed in construction. I know that the pilings are typically concrete, and most ranch homes here are the concrete masonry blocks. Therefore, I assumed everything above the pilings would be, as well.

I guess the construction above the pilings would be frame? Is that typical KW construction? Seems weaker should mother nature get nasty.

In our dissatisfaction with the low inventory of homes, as well as the flood insurance rates, I thought building a key west style home on a lot might be a way to go.

[Gizm00K]

We are building a house in Marathon, Florida. We are told that construction costs for a concrete home on stilts is about $250 to $350 per s.f.

See my blog [url=http://www.ourhouseinthekeys.com]Our House in the Florida Keys[/url]