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Hurricane Home Building in the Florida Keys

Map of the Florida Keys

     Monroe County Florida Emblem

Topsider Homes have been built throughout the Florida Keys, from Key Largo to Key West, since the late-1960s. Individual Topsider houses and resort projects  featuring pedestal homes and piling (stilt) homes are scattered throughout the Upper and Lower Keys. Our quality hurricane prefab panelized homes have withstood many major storms in the Keys and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, including direct hits from Hurricanes Irma, Irene and Andrew.

Obtaining building permits in the Florida Keys can be an arduous and lengthy process, particularly for new construction on vacant lots. On such lots, Monroe County has a Rate of Growth Ordinance commonly referred to as ROGO which is a point allocation system leading to permission to build once enough points have accumulated. Points are awarded based on a variety of criteria, ranging from age of the submission to the environmental impact of the proposed new house plan. Click HERE for more information about ROGO.

Florida Keys pedestal beach home Topsider
Topsider's unique pedestal houses are perfect for beach home building in the Florida Keys. Pedestal houses offer an attractive alternative to piling and stilt house construction.

         Florida Keys hurricane proof houses Topsider
This Florida Keys resort project features multiple piling (or stilt) houses. These hurricane-resistant prefabricated two-story beach houses have sustained many major hurricanes and tropical storms.

The current trend in the Keys is to buy and tear down old houses and replace them with new ones. In most cases, such rebuilds are ROGO-exempt, so the permitting process takes months rather than years. Nonetheless, acquiring necessary approvals still requires meticulous technical work relating to the building site and the house plan design itself. Topsider’s in-house design and technical staffs, together with our consulting engineer relationships in Florida, work with Monroe County building authorities regularly and are very familiar with the various steps necessary for approvals – as are the local Keys builders we refer clients to for building their new Topsider Homes.

Florida Keys two-story stilt home Topsider
This high-quality prefab hurricane-proof Topsider piling (or stilt) home addition built in the Florida Keys provides panoramic seascape views on two levels.

        
Most new homes built in the Florida Keys must be elevated due to potential tidal or storm surge. Elevated houses are built on stilts, pilings, or on Topsider’s unique pedestal house foundation.  Florida Keys houses must be engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds up to 180 mph. Windows are required to be high design-pressure and have high-impact glass to protect against wind and wind-born debris. Click HERE to view a map of the current windloading requirements in Florida. Additionally, Topsider Homes specifies its Florida Keys’ homes with 2×6 treated lumber framing, galvanized and stainless steel fasteners and steel couplings, low-maintenance HardieBoard™ or LP SmartSide® siding, composite decking and stainless-steel cable railings. These specifications help make Topsider’s prefab homes resistant to the salt air and tropical beach environment.

Popular Elevated Hurricane-Resistant House Plans

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PGE-0205 (3 Beds,
2 Baths, 1,525  sq. ft.)

Living, Kitchen, Laundry, Foyer, Deck
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1525 Sq. Ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living, Kitchen, Laundry, Foyer, Deck). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGE-0205
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PGT-2103 (4 Beds,
3 Baths, 2,060  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Two-Story Piling foundation) Floor Plan (2060 Sq. Ft. with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGT-2103
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PG-0303 (2 Beds,
2 Baths, 800  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (800 Sq. Ft. with 2 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PG-0303
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PD-0428 (3 Beds,
2 Baths, 1,250  sq. ft.)

Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Pedestal foundation) Floor Plan (1250 Sq. Ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PD-0428
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PG-2108 (2 Beds,
2 Baths, 1,095  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1095 Sq. Ft. with 2 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PG-2108
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PGT-0304 (4 Beds,
2 1/2 Baths, 1,600  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Family, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Two-Story Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1600 Sq. Ft. with 4 Bedrooms and 2.5 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Family, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGT-0304
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PG-0308 (4 Beds,
3 Baths, 1,980  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Foyer, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1980 Sq. Ft. with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Foyer, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PG-0308
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PGT-2105 (3 Beds,
2 1/2 Baths, 1,600  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry, Covered Porch
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Two-Story Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1600 Sq. Ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2.5 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry, Covered Porch). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGT-2105
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PD-0221 (1 Bed,
1 Bath, 700  sq. ft.)

Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Pedestal foundation) Floor Plan (700 Sq. Ft. with 1 Bedrooms and 1 Bathrooms, including Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PD-0221
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PGTE-0101 (3 Beds,
2 1/2 Baths, 1,820  sq. ft.)

Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Loft, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Two-Story Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1820 Sq. Ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2.5 Bathrooms, including Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Loft, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGTE-0101
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PG-2104 (2 Beds,
2 Baths, 1,250  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1250 Sq. Ft. with 2 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PG-2104
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PGE-0308 (3 Beds,
2 Baths, 1,360  sq. ft.)

Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry
Elevated Hurricane-Proof Homes (Piling foundation) Floor Plan (1360 Sq. Ft. with 3 Bedrooms and 2 Bathrooms, including Living, Dining, Kitchen, Laundry). Ideal for home building in the Florida Keys. Click to VIEW Floor Plan PGE-0308
   

 

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