Reinventing the Shipping Container Part 13
MNP hasn’t really talked about "normal" residential housing and shipping containers, so here is Cordell House by Christopher Robertson. Bamboo flooring and cost (a similiar home in Canada ran $64,500 USD or about $67 per sq. foot) make this unit reasonable….but let it be known there are heat and toxin issues that you will have to deal with when fabricating a new home.
Two 40-foot long, 9’6″ tall containers form the two bedroom units, which directly support the three roof beams. The rear freestanding guest unit is a third 40-foot container. A 20-foot long, 8’6′ tall unit forms the kitchen which opens onto the main living area. The main structure was set in a single day and the house was enclosed during the first month.
All the containers were repurposed. The three units forming the main house are so-called "one-trippers" that have been used for import from Europe or Asia. The rear structure is a more heavily used unit. Since the US has had a large trade imbalance in recent history, more containers are imported than returned, and are considered a re-usable by-product of the shipping industry.
Manufacturing Pre-fab
Manufacturing pre-fab could be the bright spot in an otherwise dismal industry- having gone through a bubble ten years ago and at a building cost of 10 to 35 percent less than site-built construction- since 2005, single family home sales have fallen 76%, and pre-fab by 57%.
Scaling the US Economy
Economists are considering past elections as the recent debt problem of the United States seemed to have gotten people thinking about what would really happen if a default occurred. For further insight about the challenges, read a physicist’s opinion on scaling the economy through 2100.
Posted: August 2nd, 2011
at 8:13am by mnp
Categories: green,business,science,development,education,trade,entrepreneurship,jobs,innovation,real estate
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The $300,000 $16 Home
Thanks to a little-known Texas law, a man found an abandoned $300,000 home, moved his stuff in and filled out some paperwork. It cost him $16. Now, apparently he’s a homeowner. (Source)