Everhouse: A New Plan for Post-Katrina Homes

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John Sawyer's vision for the next phase of Katrina recovery revolves around a simple home.

Three years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the Gulf Coast, housing remains a major problem in the region. There's a shortage of skilled labor to build new homes, insurance rates have skyrocketed, and most federal aid for temporary housing expired this year.

Mr. Sawyer's response: the Everhouse, a single-family home built from concrete wall panels that are wind-, fire-, mold-, and pest- resistant. About $68 per square foot, the Everhouse is about half the cost of affordable housing in some Gulf Coast cities.

Sawyer is a Boston-based builder who's used to …