My New Hobby - Shipping Container Homes

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I’m a skeptic. Like the “tiny house” HGTV movement, I think it looks cool until you try to live in it, then it gets old really fast. I’d love to be proven wrong, but it looks like the sort of thing an engineer would jizz for and the rest would puke on.

I like the design, there is a cool factor, but living in it? Not for me. Give me something with a little more, what, romance?

I fully understand. Everything isn't for everyone! That crazy purple paint job looks fantastic...on someone else's car! Lol!

Cheers-mk

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by DetroitP

What income demographics are you targeting?
Rust proof?
Are they sealed? water/air?
Expansion for hot climates, contraction...etc

Great designs btw!

We will start entry level and move upmarket from there once concept is fully proven. The first upscale home will be mine. I will place it on a piece of familian property that has over 30K traffic count per day so it will get good visibility.

Containers are sealed by design. Reinforcement is necessary since holes will be cut for windows or special doors, etc. The hot climate factor isn't any more a worry than it is in homes with metal framework.

Thank for the questions and the compliment.

Cheers-mk

[GERMAN M3]

Looks great MK. They have a very modern appearance to them from the outside. Can’t wait to see more. Best of luck with this new adventure my friend.

Cheers....German

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by GERMAN M3

Looks great MK. They have a very modern appearance to them from the outside. Can’t wait to see more. Best of luck with this new adventure my friend.

Cheers....German

Thanks German! I appreciate you kinds and vote of confidence!

Cheers-mk

[M_Six]

Way cool project. I like it. Back in the late-90's I did IT work for a company that made huge and small houses out of the same size "boxes" that were standard wood frame, but constructed indoors and then shipped as boxes to a site. The bigger the house, the more boxes it needed. It would take them half the time to build a house once the boxes arrived at the site. The owner's had a large (6000+ SF) house that was stunning.

But those houses still relied on lumber and hence had all the downsides of a lumber house (i.e., they would burn, get termites, etc).

Keep this thread updated because I'd love to see more of your houses as you get them built.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Way cool project. I like it. Back in the late-90's I did IT work for a company that made huge and small houses out of the same size "boxes" that were standard wood frame, but constructed indoors and then shipped as boxes to a site. The bigger the house, the more boxes it needed. It would take them half the time to build a house once the boxes arrived at the site. The owner's had a large (6000+ SF) house that was stunning.

But those houses still relied on lumber and hence had all the downsides of a lumber house (i.e., they would burn, get termites, etc).

Keep this thread updated because I'd love to see more of your houses as you get them built.

Thanks Mark!

I remember that type of construction and the time saved was immense. The first design we are using can ostensibly be finished in 2 weeks once the containers are placed. It's pretty incredible. The challenge will, of course, be the inspectors. For the entry level we are going to standardize as much as possible without going completely Henry Ford (You can have any color Model T you want as long as it's black.)

I firmly believe that everyone will feel better about themselves in nice surroundings and help improve the general conditions of their neighborhoods if their pride is increased.

I'll definitely keep everything posted once the real work starts next week.

Cheers-mk

[gjm120]

Very interesting. I think this is something that could take off.

Good luck on this!

PS. Remember your BMW fan friends when you do your IPO.

[Samurai of 2day]

The models pictured in the OP look amazing!!

I wish you nothing but success as you expand on your new hobby.

Would you be able to build these on any lot or space in the US...?

Please forgive my ignorance on this topic, as I have been serving since I was 19, so never looked into buying or owning property as a single Male minimalist, who has to pick up stakes every 3-5 years.

If possible, I would love to reach out to you in about 3 years when it's time to retire because if there can be built pretty much anywhere, I would love a model designed similar to some of the pics that have a modern, self sustaining design for a guy who just wants a place to enjoy working on fixing and cleaning my toys and enjoying a drink in front of an amazing home entertainment system as I start a new career field.

Keep me in mind!

[Love_Hounds]

HGTV already has a show around this style of construction: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/container-homes

That being said, I think it is a great up-cycling use of conex boxes (shipping containers).

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

It is and we are going to stick to 10 designs and build them as efficiently as possible. Our first foray will be in the affordable housing market. Our objective is to provide affordable housing first with more sophisticated designs, thereafter.

Even marketing the homes at 80 per sq/ft, the first homes will only cost about $88K for a quality and well built sophisticated design. It's a win for everyone.

With many housing markets in need of starter and entry level homes, this should be a huge success. I would imagine one of the bigger hurdles with a project like this getting the buy in from cities and counties for approval to build what is probably considered non-standard construction. This is an awesome project. I wish you the best of luck.

[CTinline-six]

I think a lot of the designs are really cool.

[cmyx6go]

Good luck with your new hobby, MK!

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

I’m a skeptic. Like the “tiny house” HGTV movement, I think it looks cool until you try to live in it, then it gets old really fast. I’d love to be proven wrong, but it looks like the sort of thing an engineer would jizz for and the rest would puke on.

I like the design, there is a cool factor, but living in it? Not for me. Give me something with a little more, what, romance?

After watching a few of the tiny house shows, I could see some of the designs being difficult to live with after the "cool" factor wears off. I can potentially see having one as a little vacation cabin on a plot of land somewhere, but never to live in full time.

Something I noticed with most of those shows I watched, is that the owners boasted on how much money they were saving, but they didn't have their own land to keep the tiny houses on. Many of them were either renting a plot, or keeping the house on land owned by other family members. Essentially, doesn't that make these tiny houses just another form of mobile home?

There was one episode however, that built a tiny house I really did like. The owners were building on land they already owned, a vineyard if I remember correctly. This tiny house was built with a permanent foundation and was about the size of a large one bedroom apartment. It also had a good sized outdoor space overlooking their property. It really was a functional and nice property that I could see working for someone who doesn't need much living space. I see this container housing project being very similar to this type of build.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

After watching a few of the tiny house shows, I could see some of the designs being difficult to live with after the "cool" factor wears off. I can potentially see having one as a little vacation cabin on a plot of land somewhere, but never to live in full time.

Something I noticed with most of those shows I watched, is that the owners boasted on how much money they were saving, but they didn't have their own land to keep the tiny houses on. Many of them were either renting a plot, or keeping the house on land owned by other family members. Essentially, doesn't that make these tiny houses just another form of mobile home?

There was one episode however, that built a tiny house I really did like. The owners were building on land they already owned, a vineyard if I remember correctly. This tiny house was built with a permanent foundation and was about the size of a large one bedroom apartment. It also had a good sized outdoor space overlooking their property. It really was a functional and nice property that I could see working for someone who doesn't need much living space. I see this container housing project being very similar to this type of build.

Except that tiny homes are "tiny" - usually 500 to 800 sq ft. These homes that MK is talking about are 2,000 sq ft. which is not tiny.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Except that tiny homes are "tiny" - usually 500 to 800 sq ft. These homes that MK is talking about are 2,000 sq ft. which is not tiny.

True, when multiple containers are used there is significantly more square footage. Without knowing his project plan, I am just guessing that builds can be modular starting with a single container for an entry level home, and scaling up with additional containers for the desired square footage.

[XutvJet]

I think these things are sweet when done right.

Is the reason you usually only see these in rural areas is because city building codes don't mesh well?

[GiddyAssassin]

It's pretty amazing what the end result of this can be. I've always wondered about details around financing and insuring something like this. I assume you can't get a mortgage for something like this, but at the entry point more people are able to pay cash or leverage a personal loan for an amount this small? What about insurance? Can a person just call up any home insurance company and get coverage?

[Dogeeseegod]

Certainly depends on the family, but my family of 3 lives in 306 square feet and we love the simplicity of our home. I designed it and we built it ourselves in 10 weeks for $10k. It's solar powered, rain water catching and fully sustainable. It uses 1/2 a cord of wood for a average 18 degree winter. It's on 1 acre or 5 city lots and we'll be debt free in 10 years. the house should be paid off this year, leaving only a $403 monthly payment for the next 9 years I'll be travelling by motorcycle once I get it paid off!

[GiddyAssassin]

Originally Posted by Dogeeseegod

Certainly depends on the family, but my family of 3 lives in 306 square feet and we love the simplicity of our home. I designed it and we built it ourselves in 10 weeks for $10k. It's solar powered, rain water catching and fully sustainable. It uses 1/2 a cord of wood for a average 18 degree winter. It's on 1 acre or 5 city lots and we'll be debt free in 10 years. the house should be paid off this year, leaving only a $403 monthly payment for the next 9 years I'll be travelling by motorcycle once I get it paid off!

Bless your soul.

[CigarPundit]

These are the nicest container designs I have ever seen. Well done. I could almost see myself considering one of these. I guess the question for me would be, what is the cost savings for a large, high end one compared to traditional new construction. Either way, great idea and good luck with it.

[bd307]

Have you guys checked on city codes, state regulations, etc...? Those would be bigger issues than the product and design.

Another thing to consider is the politics. You are trying to undercut a traditional home builder.

My uncle used to import these container homes from China to New Zealand (4-5 years ago). There were a lot of regulations involved and he eventually did not find it to be worth the time and moved on to other business.

Another area that may worth for you to look into is the commercial/industrial side. For example, providing office spaces or warehouse spaces. Less restrictions.

[Grumpy Old Man]

This is very interesting, I showed your original post to my wife this morning before she went off to work. My family has a cottage in the Muskokas that is about 60 years old and a bit tired. We've been paining over how to make it more usable as the lot is very steep and narrow. I could see with some engineering how this could work for us. You've certainly given us something to think about. I'll be looking forward to updates, obviously were too far away to deal with you but we'd like to use your experience to inform our decisions. Good Luck!