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Super Homes Are Made Of Steel

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By MARK HOLAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2008

SWANN ESTATES - For weeks, it appeared three warehouses were being built on a residential stretch of South Lois Avenue.

Neighbors worried about zoning violations as workers erected two-story steel walls with no windows.

General contractor Bill Melendy heard the complaints: "We've had at least a dozen people a week come by and say, 'What is this?'"

Melendy's crew is building three houses for Super Homes, a Tampa company specializing in steel construction.

The 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom house at 1006 S. Lois Ave. now has windows and a second-floor balcony above the columned front entrance. The insulated steel panels are covered with stucco on the outside.

The other two houses on the northeast corner of Lois and West Morrison Avenue weren't as far along last week.

"Once these houses are done you'll never know the difference," project manager David Marcantonio said.

He said Super Homes, which use galvanized steel interior framing, are superior to conventional wood or block houses for several reasons.

"There's no termite food in these homes to speak of," he said. "They have a stronger wind rating than a block home."

He said homeowners can cut their insurance premiums in half over conventionally built houses.

The company also boasts that its homes are nearly 60 percent more energy efficient than standard models.

"We consider these green homes," Marcantonio said.

Beverly Neal was driving past the construction and thinking about the lake house he is renovating in Ocala. It's badly damaged by termites.

"I saw this steel construction and said, 'That's the way to go,'" he said.

The three Super Homes, which should be finished by early summer, are being built on speculation.

Doug Hampton, the company's chief executive, said the house at 1006 S. Lois Ave. will probably list near $900,000. The other two houses, which are slightly smaller, are expected to be in the low $800,000s.

The company doesn't have other projects in the works but said it is looking for lots. Hampton said less than 1 percent of residential construction uses steel insulated panels, but he hopes to start marketing the houses in kit form.

"When the building departments get out of the termite food frame of mind they really love it," he said. "This is absolutely what the Gulf Coast needs."

For information, go to www.super-homes.us/.

Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.

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