Shipping boxes turned into homes

I've seen some pretty cool designs for turning those big shipping containers (picture ocean going ships laden with them) into summer homes or even mini-homes. But this is the first I've noticed for taking several and making a normal sized and normal looking home. This would certainly appeal to main stream America.

I won't dwell much on the fact that we import so much and export so little that these shipping containers get stuck in this country.

Anyway, check out this article. Be sure to click to see the finished house, the video and the other photos. No one would ever guess it had been made from four shipping containers. It's also interesting to note that it takes half the time to build as a comparable home.

Micro Homes

The m-ch Micro Compact Home I pointed out in my last post isn't the only micro home out there. Given that the housing trend has been to ever larger homes I find the micro homes surprising. But there are a number of factors that are leading people to consider micro homes. First is the economic slump, people simply can't afford McMansions at this time. A second is the need for energy conservation both because of global warming and for personal cost savings. Third, the homes themselves cost less to purchase and site, lot sizes can also be smaller, and since many are prefabs they take far less time to become move in ready. Fourth, micro homes cost less to maintain and have less to clean. Fifth, many of them are built with sustainable materials and have a 'light' footprint on the environment.

They are obviously not for everyone, families with children, those with lots of personal possessions, who like to entertain large groups, or those who have hobbies that require a lot of work space would not enjoy living in a micro home.

-Tumbleweed House Company
-Micro Homes
-Top 5 Tiniest Prefab Homes
-Why Live In A Micro Home?
-Americans Seen Living Large in 'Micro Homes'
-Small Sells: Homes on Micro-lots Prove that Size Doesn't Matter

Micro compact home

There's small, and then there's SMALL! The m-ch Micro Compact Home is a compact cube that's designed to have zero wasted space. It reminds me a bit of a ship or a camper, where everything has it's place and nothing is left loose. Admittedly it is designed for "short stay living for students, business people, sports and leisure use and for weekenders."

See the company web site above or this article for more details about this micro home,
Deconstructions: Micro Compact Home: A little metal cube takes an energy-efficient approach to Lilliputian living.