Dream homes

Dream homes that come in a crate

By Susan Galleymore, Inman News

Architects and designers redefine what's possible with shipping container homes. Photo: Architecture and Hygiene.

A trend in recycling structures not traditionally considered "real estate" is changing how potential home and business owners, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies and the U.S. military view shipping containers.

The use of rudimentary containers to ship cargo began in the late 17th century. By the 1950s, Malcolm McLean of Sea-Land Shipping, pushed by the U.S. military to standardize their design, was building strong, uniform, theft-resistant, stackable shipping containers that were easy to load and unload by truck, rail and ship, and easy to store.

In 2005, an estimated 18 million containers made a combined total of about 200 million trips. Many containers measure 20 feet or 40 feet in length, and a 40-foot-long shipping container offers 304 square feet of floor space.

A trade imbalance has led the containers piling up around U.S. hubs, and storing them increases the cost of doing business.

One response to the problem: Re-engineer the containers. As architects and designers around the world evolve and refine creative reuse, containers are reshaping as disaster-relief shelters,coffee shops, student housing, custom homes, retail towers, even storing physical books after they are digitized.

Rich furnished interior to the minimalist, industrial exterior. Photo: Architecture and Hygiene

Living in former shipping containers may have begun as a fringe novelty, but it is far from such these days. Many entrepreneurs are exploring new niches amid the growing assortment of shipping container-based structures.

Alex Klein of Container Home Consultants Inc. has been involved in shipping container conversions for 30 years, while Heather Levin said she appreciates container homes after noticing how much of her hard-earned dollars went to a bank as mortgage loan interest.

This container house in France was completed in 2010. Photo: CG Architects, France

Victor Wallace of ContainerHomes.info authored the free downloadable book, "The 30 Most Influential Shipping Container Homes Ever Built!" His website presents extensive tutorials and videos for container conversions and also offers a free download of the book with designs from around the world.

21st Century Homes & Structures builds modular homes and claims it is the "original approved shipping container home manufacturer in New York... certified since 1985."

A colorful, lego-block-esque apartment complex in England. Photo: plentyofants|Flickr

That company reports that its modified shipping containers are "eco-friendly, (energy-efficient), hurricane-resistant, pest-free, affordable and green." The company offers units in sizes ranging from 480 square feet to 1,280 feet, and prices starting at $89 per square foot. That does not include excavation site work and foundations. The company offers turnkey packages and ships throughout the U.S.

An Argentinian-born woman living in California identified by faircompanies.com as "Lulu" (no last name given), was reportedly forced by the recession to downsize, and found and modified a free shipping container. She took a couple of months to gather mostly recycled components to remodel the unit, faircompanies.com reported, and it took another month to convert the original 360-square-foot space into a home for herself and her small daughter.

Container homes can take on more conventional shapes as well. Photo: Alex Klein, Container Home Consultants Inc

With hot water on demand from a small camping device, and camping stoves for cooking, Lulu noted that her home features a separate bathroom and second bedroom, and she plans to add a teahouse and a greenhouse.