Are Shipping Container Homes Just a Fad?

With eco-friendliness becoming more common with every passing year, the market for repurposing shipping containers into sustainable homes is picking up pace. While these homes are on the less expensive side and helpful in reducing the overflow of used up, abandoned shipping containers, one has to wonder just how long their popularity will last.

Are shipping container homes here to stay, or will their popularity decline over the next few years? Porta-Stor will discuss some of the factors surrounding that question below.

Ordering Your Home Online

The idea of ordering a pre-fabricated home is not new. Pre-fabricated houses have been bought and used by families around the world for decades. It’s the idea of a used shipping container being turned into a home that’s only just arisen within the past few years. In fact, you can order these shipping container homes already built for you directly from Amazon.com! And if you’re a handy person, you can also order blueprints and build a shipping container home all by yourself.

So what’s making the pre-fab home idea pick up more speed? Below are a few reasons why this trend may be more than just a passing fad:

Cost Effectiveness

With the median cost of a house in the US rising to about $245,000, it’s getting tougher for people to go out and buy a home, whether it’s for starting a family or retiring. Homeownership is an increasingly expensive move, especially since lenders have tightened the reigns on loans.

Taking a look at what it costs to build or buy shipping container homes, the prospects of building a sustainable home with less overhead than a regular house quickly turns into an appealing idea. Depending on the size and condition of the shipping container, it could cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $4,500 on the initial purchase. There are also manufacturers out there who sell pre-fab shipping container homes ready to go, starting as low as $15,000.

With the adaptability and price of these shipping containers, the options are endless for all the bells and whistles you might want to add on to your home. All of this adds up to far less money overall than renovating, tearing down, or building a brand new traditional house.

Conservation is Cool

With reusing and recycling on many people’s minds, there is also a rising demand for more minimalist living. This method of living is growing in popularity by both limiting possessions and minimizing each individual’s effect on the environment. Shipping container homes require less upkeep, use less energy, and are more about function over fashion. With the cost effectiveness of shipping container homes and lesser impact on the environment, this new wave of homes seems to be here to stay for the environmentally conscious homeowner.

Mobility

Another factor that makes the shipping container home so appealing is the mobility that such a home offers. Many people find themselves on the move for work, family, or other obligations, so the ability to easily ship your home to a new location is a great perk. These are shipping containers after all, and that was their primary function. Imagine being able to lock up your home and ship it across the country to its new location with minimal alterations. What a great stress relief to not have to find that new perfect apartment or home for the next two years.

The Ability to Choose

When you start shopping for a new home, there will be certain features you look for, and it’s guaranteed that you won’t find all of those things in a single already-built home. That leaves you the option of building your own home in order to get all those custom features you want. That option gets very pricy very fast. If you choose to use a shipping container home, you can get all of the custom features you’re looking for in a house. You can easily update and change what you want in your home with less time and money than if you were to build and/or update a larger, less adaptable home.

Modular Living

Another benefit of shipping container housing is its use in larger-scale housing projects. There are examples of shipping containers being used for apartment buildings, student housing, homeless shelters, and more. These complexes are wonderful as quick, easy, and cheap housing options for areas that are struggling to fit everyone in.

Overall, the appeal of shipping container homes does not seem like it will be losing ground any time soon. The environmentally friendly recycling aspect and the ability to adapt and move the home on demand are features that people are seeking out more and more these days. If anything, it’s likely that you’ll be seeing more shipping container homes popping up as time goes on.

If you want more info on the process of building a shipping container home, from getting permits to planning the finishing touches, check out Porta-Stor’s blog here!