Turning shipping containers into housing
A leftover from our economy’s commitment to
a permanent trade deficit — is the ubiquitous shipping container. With
fewer products of value available to export, they stack up, disused and often
abandoned because the cost of returning them to their point of origin is higher
than the cost of replacement.
Upscale version in northern New Mexico
A leftover from our economy’s commitment to a permanent trade deficit — is the ubiquitous shipping container. With fewer products of value available to export, they stack up, disused and often abandoned because the cost of returning them to their point of origin is higher than the cost of replacement.
This past weekend, I happened to watch the second in a series of TV shows — by Bob Vila — on the reuse of these containers as the core for affordable housing. Working with local organizations specializing in low-cost housing built up to hurricane spec, they produced a livable, traditional Florida bungalow for lower costs than you’d normally face. They used four steel containers as the corner cores for an 1800 sq.ft. dwelling — four bedrooms, two baths — for low income families.
This jogged my memory, this morning — after receiving a favorable comment about the containership photo I used in yesterday’s Post about our nation’s economic performance. I went looking and here is the first site I came upon — dedicated to the concept.
Everything from luxury to minimal is possible with these cans as the core — and cost savings in every instance. You’re only limited by talent and construction smarts.
Never would have thought of standing them on end!
Retail in NJ for $150-175K
I especially like the idea of tying together the lower level of containers with a glass garage door. Folks don’t often realize these can be acquired with powder-coat finishes in a couple hundred colors. You can match whatever you decide to do with the exterior finish of the home. You can apply insulation and finish to the outside to lose the industrial look — though, in this example, I like the look.
Posted: Tue - October 3, 2006 at 09:17 AM