In an increasingly competitive real estate market, people who are looking for a new home or even for a plot of land to purchase often find themselves facing a shortage of available properties. Especially in larger cities, land can be at a premium, and apartments can rent for more than what it would cost to carry a mortgage in a smaller town.
In an effort to be environmentally-responsible, to express personal style preferences, and to use smaller plots of land that otherwise could not be sold, many Americans are looking into alternatives to traditional homes. Known across the country as the “Tiny House Movement,” some homebuyers are contracting with companies that offer new storage containers for sale, working with designers and builders to customize them for use as office space and homes.
Steel storage containers, once exclusively used to ship and store goods, have been garnering extensive media coverage for their potential as homes. Architectural competitions to design attractive, affordable residences using new storage containers for sale are making superstars out of designers whose esthetics include “green” appliances and efficient use of limited space.
Some homeowners buy several steel shipping containers and work with designers to turn them into livable spaces. Metal can be cut out to make windows, stairs and garages can be installed, and doors can be made out of recycled materials according to homeowner preference. Other homeowners choose to live in the space of a single shipping container, outfitted with appliances and made comfortable in whatever style they require.
New storage containers for sale are often cited as an affordable option for people who work in a creative field. Sometimes, homeowners install a steel shipping container on their property and modify it into an artist’s workspace, a greenhouse, or even a free-standing apartment for visiting guests and relatives.
The limitations of customized shipping containers are few, supporters report. From small stores to artists’ workshops, to ecologically-friendly housing, proponents of the Tiny House movement and architects worldwide are beginning to see the potential in alternative building materials. The potential of shipping containers continues to evolve and is limited only by homeowners’ imaginations.