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Cool idea for building...check it out.

By
Real Estate Agent with Bend River Realty Inc.

Shiping ContainersA friend was over the other day and we got talking about about used shipping cargo containers.

Most often, the container arrives at its destination and is of no further use. Although many businesses use them as storage, there is another great use for them and it's building homes. The benefits are wonderful and innovative and the idea is being introduced around the country.

 Excerpt from Carol Lloyd, SFGate.com article-

"In this era of scouring the earth for the magic bullet in home building, few ideas can compete with the weird, pragmatic beauty of the used shipping container. Cheap, strong and easily transportable by boat, truck or train, these big steel structures now litter the ports of America as mementos of our Asian-trade imbalance. (Many more full containers arrive on our shores than depart, so ports either ship them back empty -- to the tune of about $900 per -- or sell them.)

Hurricane proof, flood proof, fire proof, these metal Lego blocks are tough enough to be stacked 12-high empty -- and thus can be used in smaller multistory buildings. Used containers (which can be picked up for $1,500 to $2,000) often have teak floors and sometimes are insulated. The bright orange, blue and rust corrugated boxes may not appeal to everyone. But contemporary hipsters find them not just the ultimate in postmodern appropriation but aesthetically pleasing as well.

And even though containers have little of the crunchy nostalgia of the hay-bale house or the yurt, they trump most other forms of green building because, in the current economy, they are virtually a waste product. Making a building (which can last and last) out of what is essentially a huge piece of industrial detritus takes recycling to a new level."

Check these out-                                             

                     Designed by Jennifer Kretschmer                           Adam Kalkin's 12 container house    

What a cool way to recycle the old and give back something new, especially with the need for affordable housing is so many parts of the nation. To see all of the cool interior and exterior ideas, be sure to follow the links.

You can get more information at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/shipping_contai.php and also http://www.shipping-container-housing.com/.

Comments (10)

Robert Cramer
Five Star Property Inspections - Belleville, IL
Who would have thought.....Not my cup of tea, but who knows.....very interesting.  Contact FEMA.....maybe they can rebuild the coast with containers. 
May 23, 2007 03:15 AM
Kelli Fronabarger
Bend River Realty Inc. - Bend, OR
Realtor - Bend Oregon

Hi Robert,

I especially like the fact they are flood proof, and pretty stury considering they are all steel : ) Good idea.

May 23, 2007 03:17 AM
David A. Podgursky PA
THE PODGURSKY GROUP @ Re/Max Direct - Boynton Beach, FL
THE PODGURSKY GROUP - Make the Right Move!

I was showing a commercial listing a few years back and the attorneys that owned the building had a storage container in the back lot of the property.  It was totally fire/water/weather/bug proof and they kept all their file storage and such in there. 

I then saw on one of the HGTV shows someone that did the same but with the back part of a semi trailer that was sitting wasted.

I think that even commercial barge companies that are located Inland would have some containers to let you recycle. 

May 23, 2007 03:45 AM
Tina Howell
RE/MAX DFW Associates VI - Little Elm, TX
Little Elm & Frisco Area Real Estate
Amazing idea.  I love when people think outside the box :)
May 23, 2007 10:51 AM
Thesa Chambers
West + Main - Bend, OR
Principal Broker - Licensed in Oregon
I actually saw a home built like this on HGTV - last year or so - you know I am getting old so I sometimes loose track of time.
May 24, 2007 01:37 PM
Mary McGraw
GLREA - Rockford, MI
2015: Solar Energy Is Still A Simple Machine!
I have not seen this before and am amazed! What do you think the shipping cost would be to northern Michigan? Great idea for an investor but where would they find comps within 10 miles? It would be a challenge to finance this property!
May 24, 2007 03:32 PM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro
Kelli--What a novel idea! My uncle bought a vacation property up north years ago with two railroad cabooses on it. To build his cabin, he used the cabooses for bedrooms, one for his boys and one for his girls then added a kitchen, master and living room with a view of the lake. It is still in the family today! What a way to recycle!
May 25, 2007 02:39 AM
Ron Holborn
Short Sales, Foreclosures, Rentals, Income Real Estate - Anaheim, CA
Commercial & SFR, Anaheim CA, Real Estate & Short
Hi Kelli,  I  just finished buying a building with two containers left behind. I wish I read your blog earlier.
May 27, 2007 03:14 PM
David L. Britt
Platinum Realty, LLC - Olathe, KS
MBA
Kelli, amazing, who would have thunk it!  I knew they were used for storage, but not a home!  I don't think that it's for me, but who knows what we may need to live in someday!
May 29, 2007 05:32 PM