Monroe County approved the construction of four “tiny houses” to serve as models for residents who are replacing homes that Hurricane Irma destroyed 15 months ago.
The four houses, ranging in size from 340 square feet to 1,012 square feet, will be built on county-owned sites in Big Coppitt Key, Cudjoe Key, Key Largo and Ramrod Key.
Hurricane Irma made U.S. landfall Sept. 10, 2017, on Cudjoe Key at Mile Marker 20 and destroyed more than 4,000 homes in the Florida Keys, many of them mobile homes that provided affordable housing.
Monroe County eventually will make the four tiny homes available to county employees.
According to county staff, residents who own properties in the Florida Keys can apply to the state for grants to fund construction of new homes.
The county decided to build four types of “tiny houses” at a total cost of $656,496.
On Big Coppitt key, Cypress Community Development Corp. will build a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house spanning 760 square feet at a cost of $212,000.
On Cudjoe Key, Advanced Construction Technologies will build a 1,102-square-foot house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms at a cost of $189,699.
On Ramrod Key, RAS Building Commissioning and Restoration will build a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house with 640 square feet of space at a cost of $153,600.
In Key Largo, Cornerstone Design Build Inc. will build a 360-square-foot home with one bedroom and one bathroom at a cost of $101,197. [Miami Herald] – Mike Seemuth