Chico-A general contractor with a construction degree in Chico is trying to use prefabricated, non-combustible, environmentally friendly, and customizable home packages to help rebuild houses in Paradise and other parts of California, which are due to The replacement of houses due to natural disasters still must be built.

Vern Sneed is the owner and designer of Q Cabin Kits, a company that aims to replace combustible plywood, shingles and paper housing materials with structures constructed of 90% steel. Sneed says companies that make studs, roofs and other steel use 80% recycled content in their steel.

Although Sneed started the project in 2010 and sold the first house in 2013, the inspiration for Q Cabin Kits can be traced back to 1986 when Sneed was an architecture student at the University of Kansas. Sneed said that a professor set up a project for the class and asked students to use prefabricated buildings as the shell. The professor told the whole class that they need to master this industry, otherwise it will take over the work of all construction students.

Sneed insisted on this idea. He said that he started to think of ways to reduce the cost of housing construction while increasing his excitement. The windows used have heavy-duty aluminum frames and tempered glass interiors. Sneed said that aluminum frames are important because traditional vinyl window frames will melt from the wall, allowing fire to easily enter the home. He said to the window, "If there is a problem with the window, it needs to be kept at a temperature of several thousand degrees for a few minutes."

Sneed also mentioned a series of sinks on the outside of the house that collect water and pool it at one point so that rainwater can be used for agriculture or plant watering. He said that when ordinary roof slabs may burn, the steel exterior wall has nowhere to let the fire be inhaled, and pointed out that the most susceptible part of a house to catch fire is its overhanging part. The roof components are delivered in an arched form by a crane and bolted in place.

"For me, it's all about design. I have a degree in architecture, and my pursuit of design is better than anything else," Snyder said. "When you get to the level of building a house, it's a smaller design project from a hospital or some type, and changing the materials is kind of exciting."

Sneed said he was worried that turning the house into a kit that could be built quickly might hinder his creativity, but he said it was the opposite. on the street

"I found that my creativity is not restricted in any way, if anything with these materials expands my architectural thinking," Snyder said.

Chico resident Snyder said that he moved from Mount Shasta to Butte County, partly because he saw the need to replace houses, especially in Paradise.

"We are trying to advertise to Paradise that this is a good solution, and it has certain economic benefits," Sneed said. "There are really great grants there. They are still trying to solve the problem of how to pay for the replacement cost, and we are trying to help solve this problem through the price of our equipment."

Sneed said that permit drawings can be prepared within 60 days, while in Paradise, it takes about three weeks to reverse the plan. He said that it takes two weeks for the foundation and slope, and the current construction time for most structures is three months.

A complete list of cabins and structure types and pricing can be found by visiting http://theqcabin.com/q-cabin-kit-models/.

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