Are they fucking kidding?!?......(Shipping containers could be 'dream' homes for thousands)

[Aviation Pro]

Words fail me....(just think, when they need extra bodies for slave labor they can just load the container on a flatbed and transport the inhabitants to the nearest arbeit facility).

CORRALES, New Mexico (AP) -- It was a side trip through a destitute, ramshackle neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, that detoured Brian McCarthy from building houses in Albuquerque to an idea to offer the very poor a chance to own a home.

His answer lies in a humble steel shipping container, 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, 81/2 feet tall.

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/09/24/container.homes.ap/index.html

[OneGrassRoot]

1. I recall these being discussed as viable options for everyone...

several years ago, here at DU. Economically viable options, I mean.

[merh]

67. They need to use these in Texas - give them to the Ike survivors.

they are better than fema trailers.

[Myrina]

2. well YEAH ...

:spank:

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. Gee, where have I seen houses like these before?

Geniuses, I tell you.

[biggerfishsmallpond]

36. Well this is such a better idea

the suburban dream for everyone!


I would live in one of these container houses. In fact I am building something similar on my farm. reduced footprint, energy efficient (as designed for mexico) and moveable. I like that idea. And less room for unnecessary crap. The concept isn't just appropriate for the slums of mexico (as it is a huge step up, especially if they are owned by the residents) but for students (320 sqr feet is bigger than a dorm room)(and a hell o a lot cheaper, having an older relative live in your backyard, or even to downsize to cut costs and pay of some of the personal debt that we have gotten ourselves into. Container living is also taking one of the symbols of globalization and repossessing it. Dignity gained by not just ownership, but by not paying for it for 30 years.

As the shop till you drop, while you work to pay for last year's crap, in the hopes of winning powerball economy unwinds, small houses and well designed. dignified "trailer parks" are the future, not something to see as a failure.

Yale Grad Student's Off-Grid Tiny House http://www.jetsongreen.com/2008/08/yale-grad-stude.html
Tiny House Design http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/
Tumbleweed house company http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
Sustain Mini Home Smal Lot Ecological Trailer Parks http://sustain.ca/parks/
Katrina cottages http://www.katrinacottagehousing.org/
Power House Power Pods http://www.powerhouse-enterprises.com/ph_powerpods.html

[Blue_Tires]

79. that developer messed up - i can still see some green

now a real developer looking to max out his plan would have put more housing in that 'backyard' space :sarcasm:

[xiamiam]

4. reminds me of my favorite book as a child..The Box Car Children..nt

[City Lights]

15. Same here. nt

[Naturyl]

5. And I'm sure this McCarthy will be held up as a hero.

[CountAllVotes]

6. why not free up all of the foreclosures

so people without a place to live will have a home. Subsidize the loans for these folks. This plan is a disgrace to the American people!!

:kick:

[Catch22Dem]

31. Mexico is not in America

Just thought I'd point out this article is about Juarez.

[CountAllVotes]

38. it is a disgrace to any human IMO

and who is to say that this plan from this guy from Albuquerque, NM won't be idealized and shoved off to the USA? Those Katrina trailers aren't any better.

:kick:

[Marrah_G]

39. It is not a disgrace, it is recycling at it's best.

There are millions of these things going to waste in our ports.

[CountAllVotes]

47. do you want to live in one of these boxes?

Sorry, I do not. As for the boxes, they'd make good firewood in the winter for those that might freeze to death.

[Marrah_G]

51. Actually I have been kicking around the idea of using them in an Earth House

So yes, I would live in a house made from Shipping containers.

As for sending them to poor folks in Mexico? Great idea. They are far superior to the shacks they are living in right now and they are just going to waste where they are.

[Blue Diadem]

60. They're actually known for their strength.

The use for houses has been around for several years now. People use more than one to put up the shell of their home, they can be stacked for 2 story or more and used in various ways to make larger homes.

I don't see anything wrong with them.

[ThePowerofWill]

84. Do you even know what a container is????

What wood? Only wood in these things aresome plywood on the floor, and often thats metal as well. I would know i load them daily.

Oh and they are more sturdy than many mobile homes from a construction standpoint, Add some insulation, some floor covering, and a few windows and viola! home.

[conscious evolution]

95. Steel does not burn very well.

I have seen several containers turned into homes.I would live in any of the ones I have seen.
I have also converted several into office and workshops on construction projects I have worked on.They are much better than prefabricated office trailers I have seen.

[Occulus]

110. As a matter of fact, YES, I WOULD live in one of these:

The boxes are steel.

[Dogtown]

87. A better alternative than many I've seen

in 3rd world countries.

America could be one of those soon.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

65. NO

it is a disgrace the way they are living NOW...

sP

[flowersinyourhair]

74. Come, come, now you are doing pre-emptive bytching and moaning here

A house is better than not having one and to drag Katrina into the situation is a bit of a stretch, but carry on.

[originalpckelly]

7. I've seen luxury residences that were made totally from these things!

It was a vacation house made out of two or three! :rofl:

[sinkingfeeling]

Actually, this is a great idea. I saw a shipping container house on TV and it was really very nice.

A little too contemporary for my liking. The guy had used 4 I think and it was something like 1300 sq. ft.

[lukasahero]

23. I saw that too

It was on the Planet Green channel if I'm not mistaken and, while I agree with you about it being too contemporary for my taste, it was really interesting to see what they were doing with them.

[originalpckelly]

42. I think that's what I came across too...

[MicaelS]

8. No they are NOT fucking kidding....

This is an idea some people have been experimenting with for a while.

http://www.tomw.net.au/2001/sa/ehome.shtml

http://searchwarp.com/swa35274.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_container_architecture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlIiGPm8Oo

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/shipping-container-apartment-stacked/3684966318

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. This is not a new idea, but has been kicked around for a while as

a reasonable way to bring quick, fast, affordable shelter to those who need it. I remeber seeing an article about architectural awards for competitions such as this where a student team won big for their container housing. They are easily transportable, they are fairly strong, they can be put together in multiple configurations and they would work as cheap temporary ( or not even temporary housing)

I bet people would prefer to live in the example shown than in a cardboard box or a complete hovel. It's not meant to be a dream home
it is meant as basic shelter.

[peace13]

10. You need ought to google it.

There have been some pretty interesting buildings constructed with shipping containers.

[shadowknows69]

11. That's actually almost an attractive idea

Compared to what we pay for where we live now.

[burythehatchet]

12. I would be delighted to be able to construct a home out of several shipping containers

buried in the side of a mountain.

[sandnsea]

13. I'm with you

It stuns me what people are willing to accept for "other" people. Maybe we should make some shipping container hotels.

[alittlelark]

14. It's considered green building, and can be very cool.

http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/26/cargo-container-homes-and-offices/

[Aviation Pro]

16. So let me get this straight....

...the folks advocating the use of these "quarters" think it's a good, low cost solution. three points, one, I've worked around shipping containers, and inspite of what everyone thinks, they do not conform to safe housing practices and standards; two, go rent the movie "I, Robot," and ask yourself if you think that the containers will only be used for one family; and, three, remember the rail cars used to transport victims of the Holocaust?

Horrible idea.

[TwilightGardener]

25. I used to work inside a shipping container that was used as a storage shed--

put in some windows, and what's wrong with it? And "they do not conform to safe housing practices and standards"? WHOSE standards? LOL--are shacks BETTER? Do THEY conform to "standards"?

[backscatter712]

46. The article stated the guy put in proper facilities.

He modified the shipping containers to put in windows, doors, electrical, ventilation, heat, AC, plumbing - I presume he's bringing them up to code.

Assuming they are being brought up to code, sounds like a good idea for affordable housing.

[TwilightGardener]

54. Right--he seems like he's using American building codes as a guide--

and it's certainly far better than filthy scraps of plywood and tires holding down the roof.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

28. once again...

how is it WORSE than what these folks are living in now??? do you think the things they calls homes NOW are up to safe construction standards?

sP

[Occulus]

33. On the contrary, this is a great idea,

they can be made to conform to safe standards apparently pretty easily, and "I, Robot" is FICTION.



Another shipping container house.

[cliffordu]

41. Puts fingers in ears: "LA LA LA LA LA I Can't hear you and I won't

go see what a couple hundred designers are doing with these things on the web.....LA LA LA LA LA"


Really.

[BlooInBloo]

45. 'I Robot'? Are you fucking kidding me? As an example making a political point???

BWAHAHAHAAH!!!!!

:rofl:

[conscious evolution]

70. Gotta disagree with you on this

1.With a little work they can comform to building codes.
2.See #1.
3.What does a home have to do with the Holocaust?No matter where you live or what your home is made of if they wanted to start the Final Solution Ver 2.0 you are not going to be safe.
If you think they are just going to come along one day and pick up your family I serious doubt theyare going to drag your home along with you.If that was the case anyone living in a mobile home is in even more danger.They still have wheels attached.With a trailer hitch.Much easier to drag off to the camps then trying to pick up a container.

[NashVegas]

106. They Are Not Low-Cost

Average price on a completed project runs about $150 per sq. foot. That's still almost 4x the average salary in my town, for a 1k foot home.

Great for San Franciscans and Bostonites, not so much for Peoria.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. so, you would rather them live in the shacks

they build now? have you ever seen one of these shanty-towns? while this may not be a mcmansion, it is a far cry better than what many of them have...now the question is...will gov't pay for these sorts of homes?

if given the choice between a corrugated shed that i assembled from misc. pieces and parts that i found laying around vs. one of these...i'll take one of these...

sP

[TwilightGardener]

18. Why bash someone who's trying to improve the quality of life for

people living in absolute squalor--people who are cobbling together shacks with discarded dumpster materials? At least this is safe, strong, and sanitary, even if it's crappy by our standards. Geez.

[cliffordu]

50. Doesn't have to be beneath our "standards" and you have it right - the

chauvinism and classism here is pretty astounding.

[Jacobin]

19. They are much stronger than mobile homes. Steel not aluminum

I've seen some stacked to make nice camps.

Why not?

[pnutbutr]

20. You've never seen Juarez

That would be a dream home to families in that shithole bordertown that lives off of American college students drinking their asses off at the bars.

[LeftHander]

21. Built like a steel shit house....nt

[TooRaLoo]

22. A lot of people look to them from an Eco-friendly angle.

I think they're kind of cool, myself.

[mdmc]

24. I would live in one

but times are very tough

[Occulus]

26. They're NOT kidding, and before you discount the idea:

A shipping container house.

Yup. That's made out of shipping containers.

I'd live there in a heartbeat!!

[RufusEarl]

27. This is not a joke, i've considered building one of these myself.

First saw this on PBS i think, and thought what a great way to use these old containers. These old containers are stacked everywhere around the country, and for very little cost can make very nice looking living quarters. I would live in one, no questions asked.

Peace!

[earth mom]

29. I'm sure some people would be grateful for this kind of shelter but it just seems inhuman to me.

:shrug:

[TwilightGardener]

55. In the 1800's, where I live, pioneers didn't have enough timber

to build proper houses, so they lived in dirt dugouts. Dignified housing is all relative.

[Occulus]

111. Are you opposed to the concept in general, or that design in particular?

Because using one container would be enough for maybe one person, but multiple containers can easily make a family home.

[dana_b]

30. it reminds me of Barbara Bush - "well this is working out quite well for them, really" n/t

[cliffordu]

32. I would build a two up unit RiGHT NOW if I had the tools to do it.

There are a couple hotels and apartment buildings made of these things - they are very cheap - at one point it was cheaper to make new ones in China rather than ship empty ones back overseas to be filled with goods again....so there are tens of thousands of them sitting around rusting worldwide.


Google shipping container homes to see some kick ass designs.


And they have nothing to do with singlewide trailers as in another post in this thread intimates......

[snappyturtle]

34. I think this is a great idea! I've seen 100 square foot neat homes!

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Another good point about these is that they're recycled!

I used to go to Cabo for a week or so in the wintertime in the 90's. I was aghast at the housing between the airport and the city.

[ElboRuum]

35. If they are NOT kidding...

...I can't imagine what's next.

What, will they stack them up and start calling them condominiums?

This wouldn't be earth if it wasn't bizarre.

[Marrah_G]

37. It is actually an awesome idea.

There are MILLIONS of these going to waste at our ports since we import more then we export. They are strong and watertight.

They are a very GREEN idea in housing.

[Midlodemocrat]

40. Exactly. Not sure why people are trashing this idea.

[TCJ70]

48. I think it's the misconception that...

...each family would only get one 40x8x8 container. Now THAT is a horrible idea...but I saw a documentary on this where they built some apartment buildings out of them and it worked out very nicely.

[TwilightGardener]

56. How big do you think single-wide mobile homes are? A family can live in

a 40 by 8 house, depending on how many there are in a family. I know this, because I lived in my 21 by 8 camper for weeks, with my family of four, while waiting to close on my house. Not comfortable by normal standards, but certainly survivable.

[TCJ70]

89. Oh, I understand that...

...and I'm down with it. But how many people do we really know who are ready for "survivable"?

[Subdivisions]

43. They can provide a creative way of living...

http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLR_enUS264US264&q=shipping%20container%20homes&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

[hunter]

44. Existing mobile homes are crap compared to a good shipping container design.

We'll accept flimsy stick and sheet metal formaldehyde oozing trailer homes, yet a well designed shipping container home is bad??? That makes no sense.

Cut some windows and doors out of a shipping container (it's easy with cutting torch) and you've got yourself a very sturdy house. Weld it up with metal storm shutters and attach solidly to the ground and you've got yourself a house that will survive hurricane force winds and resist looters while you are away.

[dysfunctional press]

68. a couple containers, a 10kw solar system, freshwater and satellite tv...

and i'd be as happy as a clam most anywhere.

[dkofos]

49. Not a bad idea. What else can you do with them. I costs to much

to send them back and storage is getting out of hand.

[backscatter712]

52. This actually sounds like a good idea.

Cheap housing for the poor, and yes, the containers are being modified with windows, plumbing, ventilation, electrical outlets, toilets, sleeping/living/cooking areas. Turning them into homes basically.

[Blue Diadem]

53. It's been around for quite a while, some people combine them,

building bigger houses. Google shipping container homes. Bob Villa has a page about them too.

[Aviation Pro]

57. Gullibility is a hallmark....

...of the American experience. I ask again, after everything we've gone through in the last eight years, do you trust anyone with such a simple solution (and single examples of how it "works")? And what are you basing this trust on? Altruism in your fellow man? (Again, after the last eight years, think again).

There are better solutions.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

64. show me one...

that is cost effective...ready now...easily transportable...

this is far and away better than what these people are living in now...but you would deny them housing until such time as $8000 stick built mansions are available?

and i just LOVE your faith in man...and you sideways swipe at this small group...maybe you should just go bury your head in the sand...

sP

[galileoreloaded]

58. I am building a container home right now and they have numerous..

advantages. Practically cost nothing, very high survivability in hurricane and earthquake, and are completely modular allowing flex use or easy addition.

Now for a little rant.

Sounds to me like a lot of freaked out urbanites around here that just realized that they don't know shit about shit. Shit that matters anyway. Don't know where your food comes from, or how to produce it. Have no clue how to change a tire, weld a broken pipe, or even drive a vehicle with a clutch. That has been the majority of the reaction I have seen here lately now that I think of it. You all are realizing that while knowing how to debug lines of code or balancing an A/R report might be valuable today, the light bulb just went off that if the money or technology goes away tomorrow, you are another screwed third world peasant living in a hut, scrounging your daily subsistance from a garbage dump.

People are scared shitless that the belief systems and living standards that have worked so well for them the last 20 or 60 years is crumbling before their eyes, and they know NOTHING about anything other than the trappings of a ultra-specialized society, where the prevailing sense of social justice involves granite counter tops for everybody.

There is nothing progressive about continuing to demand an unsustainable standard of living simply because you bought a line of bullshit from people that make their living selling bullshit, and as pressing evidence to a contrary reality emerges, it scares you and it should.

Read a book about something other than PoliSci or People magazine once in a while, and learn a practice skill or two. You'll feel better and not prone to knee-jerk reactions, while at the same time not add to the sinking feeling you feel in your stomach.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."-Heinlein

Not directed at the OP, or DU specifically, more the entire country.

[biggerfishsmallpond]

69. worthy of its own thread

I find a recurring theme in the climate/economic/energy change blogosphere is that people are freaking out because they are realizing that they have no real skill, ability to make a meaningful contribution and survive without the system we all profess to hate. This trend is especially visible among men. (I am male) http://eco-anxiety.blogspot.com/2008/07/eco-anxiety-time-to-grow-up.html

food comes from grocery stores or prepared for us in restaurants.
we expect to be able to buy anything, anywhere, anytime and it needs to be cheap.
we spend our leisure time is spent sitting in front of a larger and larger screen with surround sound. passively soaking up distractions as we hate our jobs,
we make money to buy shit and pay for cable by working as a cog in a machine, providing shit or performing financial alchemy to wizard up more money to buy shit
we are all just a cog in a machine that turn ancient sunlight into CO2 screwing up the livability of the planet for future generations.

if you take away the grocery stores, we will starve
if you take away the TV we will be bored
if you take away the corporation, we can't provide for ourselves

we rant about the machine, but we are dependent on it.
kind of like the Matrix?
Democrats and Republicans believe that the "American way of live is non-negotiable" We disagree on semantics and tweaking.

learn to garden
build something out of wood
cook something from scratch
invite your neighbors over

watch the story of stuff


ditto, not targeted at anyone on this thread,the OP or DU. Just feel like I need to rant.

[Zookeeper]

93. You and BiggerFish are really on to something.....

For the last 10 or 20 years, I have tried to acquire as many practical skills as possible. (Being female, I was starting from scratch with the carpentry/plumbing/electrical/landscaping type stuff, since no one ever taught me.)

What surprises me is how few people I know have any interest what-so-ever in working with their hands (including Mr. Zookeeper). I suppose this puts those of us with "know-how" in a good position to survive a crisis, but it does get a little lonely. ;)

[conscious evolution]

98. Nice rant G.

Heinlein hit on the mark,did he not?

[MindPilot]

108. Totally excellent rant!! I agree 100% !

Not to long ago I did some computer work at the home of one of my employer's execs. Gated community, 8000 sq foot McMansion, 4-car garage, crescent driveway etc etc. The thing that struck me was the absolute sterility of the environment. I saw no tools, no books, no musical instruments; the garage was pristine--not even a rake or a broom.

Back in my neighborhood, any evening and weekend you can hear compressors, welders, saws, sanders, engines...

Guess where I would rather be if and when it gets really bad.

[RebelOne]

59. I'd live in one. I already live in a mobile home

that is a bit larger than those containers, so it wouldn't be too much different.

[Captiosus]

62. Ditto.

I managed to get out of our mortgage well before all this came down the pike and bought a mobile home that we own in the clear. Might not be as nice as a house, but I own the damn thing and no bank can foreclose on me.

It's basically a 60'x14'x12' aluminum/particle board container anyway.

[RebelOne]

71. Yes, I own my mobile home free and clear and only pay lot rent.

I guess we can be smug about it since so many people are losing their homes.

[Captiosus]

73. I'm not being smug, just stating a fact

I grew up in a mobile home. I got harassed all the time that I lived "trailer trash", except my parents kept the mobile home much neater than most of my school age friends' homes or town homes.

Mobile homes are decent housing. Trailer trash is a state of mind. My across the street neighbor is "trailer trash" - the house is poorly maintained, they have trash in the yard, trash spilling out of the house. Of course, I'm probably preaching to the choir on that one.

People say to me: "But if a hurricane comes, you'll lose your house!" Well, honestly, so will most of the people buying these modern 250k-750k houses that are built out of absolute crap. I watched them build a housing division behind the mobile home park in which I live. Lots of 2x4s, plywood and drywall. As of today, the cheapest house in that division is $425K. Beside that they built apartments which are built the exact same way.

If we got hit with a strong hurricane, my mobile home would be gone, but so would the homes and apartments behind me.

[OmahaBlueDog]

61. I have to admit this -- I'd like to build a vacation home from containers

There are kits and plans out there. Some of what can be done with them is really cool.

[lame54]

63. as seen on "Cops"...

they will be the new trailer parks

[merh]

66. That's bigger than the fema trailer I lived in for 25 months

and it doesn't appear to have the health issues the trailers had.

[goodgd_yall]

72. As long as they put windows and insulation in them n/t

[onetiredmom]

75. University considering using containers

When I read this thread, it reminded me of this news article I read. A small university needs to add housing and are considering this.
http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/020308/bus_243240784.shtml

Same school also uses geothermal energy: http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/020404/edi_020404024.shtml

[Lars39]

76. Welcome to DU, onetiredmom !

:toast: Good links. :hi:

[onetiredmom]

78. Thank you.

I've been lurking for some time, and I tend to be quiet but hope to have good discussions with DU.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

94. i would have gladly paid to live in something that nice

the dorm i lived in was over 100 years old...blech...

sP

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

107. There are a lot of college students who'd prefer a "single".

Makes having the girlfriend/boyfriend/one night stand over a lot easier.

[Catherine Vincent]

77. The pics of shipping container houses in this threads are nice.

They look very sturdy and probably hold up well during hurricanes.

[bushmeister0]

80. You know what else they're good for?

CNN 2002:

"Human-rights groups have accused Afghan forces of suffocating hundreds of Taliban fighters by locking them in unventilated steel shipping containers after their capture. The captives were taken to a prison in Sheberghan, some 200 miles from Konduz . . .

They said they were packed tightly into trucks and shipping containers for the trip to the prison, and that many of their Taliban comrades did not survive."

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/08/29/afghanistan.mass.graves/index.html

Maybe, Homeland security should take note. Cheap prisons for all those "dissents" soon to be rounded up by the Army!

[conscious evolution]

100. Lets ban containers then!!!!!

While we are at it lets ban anything that people can be loaded into and murdered.Like cars,buses,airplanes trains ships buildings.....
Cheap prisons.No way that is going to happen.Haliburton can't make as much money off of them.

[librechik]

81. It's good, it's green, and it beats cardboard boxes all to hell n/t

[agent46]

82. Just in time

Just in time for all the new "Bushvilles" coming to an Amerikan metroplex near you. Welcome to the zeitgeist of lowered expectations.

[Stinky The Clown]

83. That's actually a very serious, very credible option.

It has been discussed here and a search on the Google will turn up thousands of hits from serious sites talking about it.

[Toucano]

85. You've got the wrong idea.

They're great!

http://shippingcontainerhousedesign.com/container_homes.html

[Bigmack]

86. Containers make perfect....

houses for pigs. One of the few things strong enough to not be totally destroyed by sows and growing babies. You can put a loft inside to store feed, etc.

When I had a gentleman's farm, I raised hogs and cattle, and I made a "barn" out in woods in my 10 acre woods out of two containers set parallel with a 12 foot roof over the gap between them. Hogs and cattle loved it.

For most Repubs, the regular folks are just livestock anyway, so......

[Swamp Rat]

88. and potholes can be swimming pools

[Lydia Leftcoast]

90. They were used as temporary housing after the Kobe earthquake

as I recall.

[nadinbrzezinski]

91. Have you seen the housing in the ciudades perdidas? I have

this is quite the improvement and good recycling as well

There are days

:banghead:

[ColbertWatcher]

92. If this is introduced into the U.S. and not just Juarez or some poor country ....

... it will mean we have become a Third World country.

No offense to the poor of the world who live in shacks, but if this becomes commonplace in the U.S. it will be another example of forcing people to accept poverty. If this is a trial balloon for making this normal in America, we will be allowing corporations (builders in this case) to decide that in America you are either rich or poor.

I wrote something related to this here and here.

Talk about lipstick on a pig.

[Occulus]

96. Ugh- no, that isn't what it will mean at all

Thoroughly modern homes can and are being built using shipping containers as a base, they cost about $13K each, and perhaps six or eight of them can result in a decent-sized home for a family of four.

That's a bit cheaper than $300K-$400K.

Look upthread; i posted two pictures, someone else posted one, and any of the three would be a wonderful home by the standards of just about everyone here. Since there are lots and lots of these things just sitting around unused, we wouldn't have to do any extra mining or processing except for actually cutting the holes and making the things livable.

Look at the pictures again. These are not indicators of poverty in any way, they're much, much stronger than traditional homes, and the design of the containers themselves allows for a modular- and very modern- architectural design.

I would live in one of these, and I suspect you might consider it as well, if you opened your eyes and took an honest look at what's being done with them. I was skeptical as well, until I searched out what this is really about.

[ColbertWatcher]

99. Don't assume I accept poverty in this country.

If this is introduced in the US, it is a trial balloon to see if people will accept an America without a middle class.

I know what you're saying but, I don't think you have considered what I'm saying.

These shipping containers are dependent on electrical or mechanical air conditioning heating. They are not designed for insulation. For a country just coming to terms with energy use this is not a good idea.

[Indenturedebtor]

109. Could they not be insulated though? All you need is an airgap right?

I think that this is a great idea. And it sure beats sleeping in a tent though that's not so bad either :shrug:

The soul of this nation is being drowned in comfort. Comfort is COMPLETELY overrated.

[conscious evolution]

102. They are already here.

There are several within walking distance of my home in Atlanta.One I know of was built for less than $100k.It was sold for over $300k.

[Zookeeper]

97. If I ever buy my dream acreage up north in the woods, I would...

be quite happy to use the one pictured in the link for housing. Especially for $8,000.

It actually looks better than most of the cheesy modern construction materials used in "affordable" housing.

[alfredo]

101. In Eritrea people lived in what we'd use as storage space, down to the

garage door on the front. Better than living in the streets. The steel containers have no ventilation What a mess.

[NashVegas]

103. The Only Thing That's Really Crazy About It

Is the prices they're fetching.

The cost of the finished models is around $150 per square foot.

[Drunken Irishman]

104. I think they're great!

They're building this in Salt Lake City:



It's awesome.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

105. I gotta be honest......

.....to avoid having roommates......I'd be all over this.