By Bekah Manley
In the wake of increasingly devastating storms and a housing market that feels more broken than ever, it’s time for an honest conversation about how traditional development practices have failed you. My business partner, Joseph Beeman, and I want to address three critical areas where the industry has let you down – and how we plan to make it right.
1. Cost: Homes That Break the Bank…and Then Some
The Failure: For too long, housing has been a race to the bottom – developers cutting corners to maximize profits while homeowners bare the financial burden of subpar construction. Rising costs for materials and labor have only worsened the problem. The result? Houses that are increasingly unaffordable, expensive to maintain and costly to insure.
The Solution: In Florida, skyrocketing insurance premiums have become an unbearable burden for many homeowners. By utilizing advanced materials and resilient designs, we can build homes that lower risks, leading to more manageable insurance costs for families. Imagine homes that are not only affordable to build, but also provide financial peace of mind year after year. This shift doesn’t just reduce costs, it creates lasting value for homeowners.
2. Time: The Endless Waiting Game
The Failure: The traditional building process is notoriously slow, often plagued by inefficiencies and delays. In disaster-stricken areas, this lag can leave families displaced for months, if not years. The time it takes to rebuild communities is unacceptable, especially when people’s lives are hanging in the balance.
The Solution: Innovations like 3D printing are revolutionizing the timeline of construction. With this technology, homes can be built in a fraction of the time it takes using traditional methods. Combined with prefabricated components and modular designs, 3D printing allows for rapid recovery in storm-hit regions and quicker access to housing in high-demand markets. These innovations are the key to delivering homes when they’re needed most.
3. Safety: Built to Fail
The Failure: The harsh reality is that many homes today are not built to withstand the challenges of tomorrow. Whether it’s hurricanes, flooding, or other extreme weather events, current building standards have proven inadequate. The result is not only financial loss but emotional devastation for families who thought their homes were safe havens.
The Solution: Nature provides inspiration for resilience. Hurricane-resistant designs and energy-efficient components are practical solutions that can be implemented today. By rethinking how and where we build, we can create homes that protect and nurture, even in the face of extreme conditions. This is about more than just safety – it’s about ensuring peace of mind for the people who call these houses home.
Why You Should Care
If you live in the local area, you’ve seen firsthand the devastation that hurricanes and rising insurance costs can bring. The current approach to building isn’t just failing – it’s actively putting our families, our finances and our community at risk. We can’t afford to keep doing things the way they’ve always been done.
The solutions we’ve shared here are just a glimpse of what’s possible. If you feel we, as developers, have failed you, we invite you to connect with us so we can show you how we will make it right. If interested, please email me at Bekah.Manley@TheiaDevelopment.com.
It’s time for the industry – and all of us – to rethink what’s possible. Together, we can rewrite the narrative and build homes that learn from the past, address the needs of the present and shape the future.
