New wave in housing opens officially March 14

Arnaudville -- Louisiana System Built Homes, which bought and occupies most of the old Martin Mills north of St. Martinville, debuted its super-energy-efficient, “fortified” factory-built homes with a ribbon cutting Friday at The Ponderosa subdivision near here.

The 1,600-square-foot homes, built with thick insulated panels in a climate-controlled, assembly-line method, are the only Louisiana-built homes to earn the Fortified label from the insurance industry.

LASBH has been building homes since September, selling first to contractors and then setting up its own showplace up here near the Lafayette Parish line. The Ponderosa, originally planned by Carencro developer Larry Leger as an equestrian-friendly neighborhood, hence the name, was seen by the innovative housing company as a safety valve for whenever production got ahead of demand. There’s room for 110 home here, two of which have already been snapped up by company employees.

"I own the very first house in Louisiana that's 'Fortified,' " Carl Wyatt, LASBH’s information technology director, told reporters Friday.

"And my homeowner's insurance, honestly, went from $1,500 down to $610 per year because of these building standards."

The System Built Homes are constructed in two halves beneath the nearly million-square-foot roof of the former underwear factory now called the International Trade Center. Instead of a mechanical assembly line, the halves are rotated from carpenters to plumbers to electricians on huge casters. The work is done in shifts and impervious to the ravages of weather, drastically cutting construction time.

The energy efficiency comes from not only the structural insulated panels (SIP) -- dense foam sandwiched between pressure-formed paneling – but also with the use of the latest in lighting and appliances like tankless water heaters.

The Ponderosa will initially feature of no more than 1,800 square feet and priced between $150,000 and $200,000. As it grows into choice lots along the river, the development will feature "executive-style" homes around 2,500 square feet.

The homes are available to individual buyers as well as developers.