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Posts Tagged ‘prefabricated homes’

Our consumerist lifestyle has Americans importing more than they export. What could be more green than reusing the shipping containers in which goods enter the country? There are enough shipping containers available that people have begun to find other uses for them.

One popular use is as portable storage for homes and businesses. Refrigeration units are available, which make a fast walk in freezer. They can be converted into office space on construction sites and elsewhere. People are even beginning to turn them into homes, and hotels. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the ways in which these sturdy cargo containers can be used.

Shipping containers are so versatile because they come in standard sizes and shapes, their built to move around, and they can be stacked like Legos in a dozen ways then welded together. They are also very secure and easy to customize to your needs. However, the most convenient factor by far is that we have them sitting around ready to go and more coming everyday. By purchasing a used shipping container to store your extra belongings, or any of the other creative uses, you will be doing your part to save the environment and taking advantage of a great deal.
 

Red is a semi-retired small business owner. For years he owned and operated Red’s Small Engine Service in Battle Ground, Washington. As Battle Ground grew, so did the rent on Red’s storefront on Main Street. With decades of reputation working on chainsaws, lawn mowers, weed eaters and farm equipment, most of Red’s business was repeat customers.

Red faced a tough decision. Sell the business or run it on ever dwindling profit margins. What he decided to do may become a business model for many Americans in similar straights. He closed his storefront and began offering his services mobile. He was able to buy a cargo container, and have it delivered to his home for around $600. He moved his entire shop and inventory into the recycled shipping container.

“It’s pretty sweet,” says Red. “Plenty of space to set up my benches, lots of storage, I’ve got hard wood floors. I can throw the double doors open and use a fork lift to move things in if I needed to, and it’s already built to shut up and lock down tight.”

Red hastens to add that he added a large dog to reinforce security but he’s never had an issue. For under two dollars a square foot Red turned a tough spot into a gold mine.
 

Renting a storage space in a facility means you have to drive everything you want to store to and from the place. Every time you want to get something out you need to decide if it’s worth driving over to get it. Sometimes, you have to drive there just to figure out if that’s where you put something and half the time its not. You wind up not putting anything in it that you need on a regular basis.

One step up would be a portable storage unit which you rent by the month. They cost between $130 and $200 a month, but you don’t have to worry about delivery or pick up, in fact many rental outfits encourage customers to use these units when moving. Simply fill it with stuff and have it delivered to your new destination.

A more cost effective alternative over the long term is to buy your own portable storage container. Seriously, it’s not as hard as you think. While new containers can run between $2,000 and $4,000, uncustomized, you can get quality refurbished units for half that. Some units run under $1,000, leaving you plenty of money to paint it to match your house or whatever.

Some rental outfits do charge for pick up and delivery on top of the $200 a month so buying a used unit pays for itself in as little as four months. You can contract with shipping companies to deliver your container to anywhere in the US, or the world really, just like you would a rental unit so you can still use it to move.

By having the unit at your house you have easy access to store items you use seasonally. Go ahead and stick your mother-in-law’s dining set in the back half and convert the front to store you gardening equipment, or your tractor for that matter. They make the perfect instant garage for storing ATV’s and bikes that you don’t want stolen.

The value of used cargo containers fluctuate very little. If you need to move to a situation where you can’t have the container anymore, just sell it for what you paid for it plus or minus a hundred bucks. It’s a great investment. In my opinion you are more likely to buy a second container than you are to get rid of the first.
 

Cargo containers are used to transport goods on ships, flatbed trucks, trains and even planes. We Americans import more than we export and it’s actually cheaper to have Asia (which make the most shipping containers) make new ones than it is to ship empty containers back to be refilled. These sturdy mettle boxes tend to stack up (literally) at many destinations.

In addition to being rugged, cargo containers are made in a variety of standardized sizes which can obviously be delivered almost anywhere. You can customize them yourself with some welding equipment or hire a company to take full advantage of their built in standardized architectural components. They are stackable, portable, durable and versatile.

As extra storage goes you can’t beat them for cost, often as low as $900. They are secure; they’re made of mettle, right? And you can move them lock, stock and barrel to a new location as needed.

Perhaps the most creative use of these sturdy constructions is when people convert them to temporary (or even permanent) living quarters, offices, shops, etc. They can be made more attractive with innovative facings and easily stacked several stories high. If the need for your business or home changes they can be relocated quickly, easily and relatively inexpensively.

The future will probably see cargo containers used as emergency housing or medical facilities in situations like Hurricane Katrina. For now, it’s never been easier to find a supplier and have your own secure storage facility delivered right to your back yard.