In the 40′s, when “trailer park living” was all the rage, a certain type of mindset developed regarding the trailer park community. Unlike a cargo container, a trailer had it’s own set of wheels, could be hooked up to your 1950 Hudson, and driven off toward a new community or a new state if you wanted. Mom tells me that outside Fort Totten in New York where my dad was stationed, they brought me home from the hospital to a brand new, 23 foot, trailer. Mom still loves remembering that little abode. Economical compared to stick built homes after the war, the trailer had all the newest appliances and gadgets. However, the very things that made it so well loved, was also nearly it’s downfall. Economics brought in a type of person to the community that wasn’t everyone’s idea of the perfect neighbor. Soon, a stigma appeared driving people to stick built communities that popped up like dandelions in an untidy yard.
In some parts of the world, the 1950′s is still going on, although not as neatly or homey as it did in the real era of the baby-boomer. A shipping container to buy, can cost anywhere from $2,000.00 to about $5,000.00, depending if it’s used, new or your region. That’s less than a manufactured home, which is still cheaper than buying a stick built home. In some parts of the world, a cargo container is even less, but you pay for that luxury. Often rusted through with holes and gouges, these ocean containers are patched like a quilt, offloaded where a squatter says to put it, and there it sits. People move in and now you have home sweet home. Some South American communities are so inundated with cargo containers piled next to each other and often on top of each other, that the site resembles a Where’s Waldo puzzle. How does one find their “home” in all of that? And so the stigma continues, although now it’s for cargo container living.
The shipping container homes that are truly beautiful are a sight to behold. It’s often very difficult to tell if what you’re looking at is actually a cargo container! But these are still in the minority. While the actual purchase of a cargo container is small, you still need the land and a competent architect/designer to check on psi loads and to get you beyond the local permit regulations. Still, the monetary savings is nearly in everyone’s reach (however, with the recent economic turmoil even this is debatable). Would you set up housekeeping in a cargo container? I honestly can say I would truly consider it. And depending on how our ecomonic woe turns out, we might all be considering that option. It’s an idea that should be thought out. Perhaps all of our thinking needs to take a different route now. Recycle what we have and save hard earned money in the process. Maybe that should be the new mindset.
