East Naples businessman building steel solar home; target price under $300,000

A longtime East Naples business owner thinks he might have a solution to Collier County's affordable housing problem.

Tired of seeing his employees struggle to find an affordable place to live in the county, Jim Henderson has decided to build a prototype single-family home suited for them — out of metal.

The target price? Less than $300,000.

"Nothing is affordable in Naples," Henderson said. "It's kind of an oxymoron, don't you think?" 

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Henderson owns William C. Huff Cos., a moving and storage business for the well-to-do. The design for his three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is inspired by his company's newest warehouse addition made from pre-engineered, pre-insulated steel panels. He is using the same building materials, supplied by Star Building Systems in Oklahoma City.

"Anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of steel in America is recycled," Henderson said. "This is a fairly heavily recycled house. That probably makes it the greenest house in America right now." 

With a roof and walls of steel and storm-resistant windows and doors, the home is being built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane with 180 mph winds.

Then there are the solar features going into the 1,500-square-foot home. Solar panels on the roof will produce more power than the home needs, enabling its owners to send energy back into the power grid and greatly reduce their monthly electric bill, Henderson said. 

A big proponent of solar power, Henderson installed a powerful solar system on the roof of his company's headquarters in an industrial hub off Progress Avenue. The system — the largest of its kind in the county — powers a 34,000-square-foot building and a 10,000-square-foot warehouse expansion the company completed last year.

"Nobody really cares about energy efficiency," Henderson said. "Electricity is cheap, so they don't worry about it. That's one of the things that really bugs me."

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Henderson last year purchased two lots for his first affordable homes.

Construction of the first home, at 213 Benson St., off U.S. 41, southeast of Naples, began a few weeks ago. So far, it's going pretty smoothly, with only a few setbacks, including a late delivery of glass windows, Henderson said. 

"It's a concept house," he said. "We are learning a lot along the way." 

No wood will be used in its structure.

"We are being a little cautious, but our goal is to be 100 percent recycled with everything," Henderson said.

After arriving ready to assemble, the 4-inch-thick walls and roof panels went up quickly, like parts in a toy erector set — but much bigger. The outside walls came with a finish that looks like the stucco on concrete homes.

"My goodness, it is very good-looking," Henderson said. "Everybody is very impressed with the texture."

The inside of the home will have an urban-industrial look that shows off its metal beams and ceiling, with an open floor plan, concrete floors and exposed lighting. 

It and the second home, to be built in Golden Gates Estates, will be constructed for workers with family incomes of $50,000 to $80,000.

"Our No.1 goal right now is to address a serious problem for Collier County and that is getting workforce housing for our staff, for our first responders, for our teachers," he said. "There are way too many people talking but nobody doing anything about it." 

In March the median sales price for existing homes and condos, or resales, in the Naples-area market was $373,000, up 10 percent from a year ago, according to the latest report by the Naples Area Board of Realtors.The median is the midpoint, with half the homes selling for more and half for less.

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"It's definitely something that I'm concerned about," Henderson said. "I don't see home prices coming down. I don't see interest rates coming down. I don't see the cost of living coming down."

Brian Jones, an owner of Tamiami Builders and Mr. Metal in Naples, the contractors and consultants for the home, can't say enough good things about the project.

"It's neat to be different and on the cutting edge," he said. "It's interesting people are looking for new ways to create affordable, sustainable housing — and I think this might be the solution."

He described the look of the home as nifty and the metal behind it as strong. There's far less waste generated on the job site than in conventional construction because panels are precut to the needed length.

A few of Henderson's employees have shown interest in the first prototype, but he might not sell the home right away. Instead, he might rent it out so he can more easily show it off and market it to others. 

"There is a Realtor that does have it for sale," he said.

The first home is expected to be finished by the end of June.

"We'll maybe break even, or make a little bit of money," Henderson said. "Our goal was to put something up and learn from all of the things that you learn when you do something that has never been done before."

Henderson isn't sure when he'll start building the next home, which will include a garage, unlike the first one. The goal would be to finish the second home by the fall.

"I'd like to see lots of these all over the country, actually," Henderson said. "But we're still a little bit away from being able to see what the overall interest will be.

"We've had interest from other people in California, Virginia and other parts of the country."