A House For Flora and William
Community Partners : East Biloxi Coordination Center
Building Partners: Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia
Flora and William are long term residents of the East Biloxi community. During their 37 years in their they raised three children. Their family home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and because of limited financial reimbursement for their losses they came to the Design Studio for assistance in rebuilding.
Flora and William own a beautiful piece of property that overlooks an open wetland. Unfortunately, it is also in a flood plain. In order to mitigate possible future damage the house is elevated to nine feet above grade, meeting Biloxi’s elevation standards.
Elevating the home presents several challenges to this project. The first challenge is to the home owner, William, who has limited mobility. A ramp over one hundred feet long was designed for the house, but for easier accessibility a residential elevator was also included in the plan. These features along with the elevated pier foundations make the home more expensive challenging the affordability of this project. Fortunately, the volunteer group Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia is taking on the construction. Building an elevated home is more difficult for volunteer labor, but the organization is meeting the challenge with great success.
