Really, It's A Cargo Container Home
Friday, January 12, 2007, by jwilliams
Come get your container home. Assembly required, but apparently there's a market. The Easy Reader reports that a south bay architect/developer plans to offer up the stack-and-cut homes to the container loving individual who wants to pretend they've stowed away on a Chinese barge. Architect Peter DeMaria has built his first model home in Redondo Beach, and with the launch of his company Logical Homes, will offer six more models of container homes.
“The containers themselves, you and I can go purchase one right now for $1,500 per,” DeMaria said. “It varies on the amount of modifications we make to the containers, but by the time all is said and done, the final homes are anywhere from $125 to $150 per sq. ft. Now, in the South Bay, any client who sees this says, ‘Look, if you can build me a home for $125 a sq. ft., I’ll have five of them.’ It’s a big issue here. You can build a home in Rancho Cucamonga or Monrovia and all the material costs are the same and the labor costs are a little bit less, but contractors come here to the South Bay and they think, well, ‘If you are wealthy enough to live here, we can jack up our prices up 20 to 25 percent.’ And people pay it, unfortunately. But many people didn’t buy in yesterday and are not wealthy and are looking for cost savings, so the cost savings [with a container home] is tremendous. The only thing you have to deal with is what I will call the stigma of the actual container. Because some people don’t want to live in a box.”
Towards that end, Logical Homes will offer at least a half-dozen different models. Some, like the Redondo house, will be more apparent in their use of containers. Others, however, will have “skins,” such as concrete board, hardwood, and even shingles. The containers themselves will be cut into to create less boxy spaces. Much like the ongoing prefab movement, the idea of DeMaria's Logical Homes is to reduce costs by reducing waste, and finding alternative construction materials. So that's what its come down too? We're all so poor, we're forced to live in the same cargo containers used to ship the overpriced sneakers we have on our feet.
· Uncontainable, Part I [Easy Reader]
just fyi - the home demaria supposedly 'built' in redondo beach is behind schedule and the owners may be out of money. the project has been sitting empty since september. my guess is he will have to pick up the finishing costs
There's another company providing finished container homes for under $100 per square foot.
I've been checking out their product. Very spartan, maybe even ugly, but already comes with walls, floors, closets, kitchen, shower, toilet, electrical, plumbing. There's even a solar power option if you want it. Plug and play, ready to go out of the box. (No pun intended.) Unlike Peter De Maria, you don't have to wait for the "launch." They're selling right now.
Check out:
www.globalportablebuildings.com
No, I do not work for them and they haven't paid me to make this post.
Great post Curbed LA! I live in the South Bay not far from the Redondo House and maybe I can give a more local perspective on this house and also address some of the previous posts at the same time. The neighbors love it, we think that it is all about the environment. We all have kids and this will be their planet one day. They can subscribe to responsible design or complain about it. Our neighborhood has chosen to support it. Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I once owned a little Honda hatchback in 1980. It was a bad version of the MiniCooper, ugly orange and only had an AM radio, but it got 45miles to the gallon in 1980. I compromised on the esthetics then and I would do it now, especially if it will provide environmentally conscious benefits. We're all curious to see the next homes from DeMaria, his work is not only innovative, but it is all about people, all of the design ideas relate to how people live. I checked out the global portable site and those projects are purely clinical. The project schedule may have been extended because apparently numerous manufacturers are donating materials to the project because they think it is a house of the future. Just the greenhouse acrylic alone was worth over 40K and it was all donated. The waiting for the acrylic took some time but the cost savings was huge. All my great research on this project took place by simply walking my dog by the house three times a week and asking about how the project was going with the contractors. As for thd tobyboby guy, he sounds like a frustrated person with bigger issues to address. The last I heard is that the house will be done in about a month. We're all excited and looking forward to a tour with our new neighbors.
spoke with one of the contractors. the $125 a foot was the original estimate all in. donations were icing on the cake. actual price is around 135 because of additional costs associated with soils conditions and recompaction. if you figure in the donations, it probably came in around 120. Without donations, 135; with donations, 120; killer deal either way! SBJ, you're right, those early hondas were kind of ugly. At that point honda's best vehicles were riding mowers. the real visionaries purchased stock in that lawn mower company back in the seventies.
This concept has incredible value. Ruling out criticism for thier utilitarian look, the concept is phenomenal. Steel building is off the chart in structural strength compared to wood. Hellooooo, this is earthquake zone California, right??
Not to mention the sustainable responsibility of the use of one, two, or fourteen in your own home.
I have a major container home project underway. 14 containers. County of San Diego on Mt. Helix. I have been following the DeMaria project for some time with interest. Great vision. One benefit of our container project is the dual use of containers as retaining structures placed at the downhill side of a slope. This eliminates the need for retaining walls and at the same time provides incredible livable space. I will soon put images on the web of the planning so far and may contact DeMaria for input or design assistance through to permit.
My company www.sustainourworld.com
partnering with www.GlobalPeaceContainers.com is the first built-on-site container housing company in the US. We are unveiling new models for sale at this time and we will also build to suit. Check out our website for more info and advice. I am one of the first container house proponents in the U.S. (13 years experience). Look for us on the news in the future. We are taking this to a new level, and we have quite an awesome group of experts (Architects from the U.S. and Italy). Check out the website and spread the word we are going to be updating often over the next few weeks.
If you still need your questions answered, please contact me at the below email address and I'll be happy to assist.
admin@globalpeacecontainers.com
We have the most sustainable and green housing in the world, reusing containers is the ultimate form of recycling. Let us know what you think about container housing.
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