US Lighting Group Inc., the Euclid, Ohio-based holding company for Cortes Campers, has officially launched a subsidiary that makes prefabricated, off-grid houses, extending the company's molded fiberglass expertise to the housing market.
Futuro Houses LLC uses fiberglass and carbon fiber composite instead of wood to prefabricate its "UFO houses," which are designed for a small footprint but offer the amenities of full-sized homes, the company said in a statement.
The Euclid company also has designed a tiny house made from the same materials that looks like a traditional cabin, according to US Lighting's website.
Futuro Houses uses the same lightweight fiberglass composite materials, marine gelcoats, windows and Furrion appliances for its houses as its sister company, Cortes Campers, uses for its 100% molded fiberglass travel trailers, the company said.
Extending these materials and fiberglass expertise to new markets is a key to US Lighting's growth and expansion, said Anthony Corpora, US Lighting's CEO and president, in his company's statement.
"US Lighting Group's management team is driving its 2022 strategic plan through market diversification," Corpora said.
The Futuro House was conceived by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a portable ski chalet, according to TheFuturoHouse.com.
Nearly two dozen companies worldwide signed on to manufacture the prefabricated homes, but on the cusp of mass production, the oil crisis hit, multiplying the price of oil, which is a raw material for the plastic used to make the homes, according to an article in Ohio Magazine.
Simon Robson, owner of TheFuturoHouse.com, told the magazine that between 80 and 100 of the Futuro Houses were built, one of which resides in Carlysle, Ohio.
Futuro Houses LLC, the local company, tried to improve on Suuronen's design by using the double-paned acrylic windows from its Cortes Campers and redesigning the house components to fit inside an international shipping container, the company said.
US Lighting Group shares (OTC: USLG) were up nearly 29% to 28.9 cents a share in early afternoon trading on Wednesday.
