All Forum Posts by: Dan Sokol

Apparently with the middle class going down the toilet, the market is growing.

The 'RV' classification changes everything including insurance. Honestly, they're not very solid.  The containers feel like tanks while the tumbleweeds feel like shacks. I read of a guy in Texas who had his home stolen twice! He installed a GPS after the first theft. Welding a container onto concrete piers doesn't get much stronger.

Thank you, Lance. Your part of the country is much micro micro friendly that the Northeast. Just hate the though of all the paperwork, banking, lawyers, etc. I like to design and build. It's personally more rewarding than spreadsheets. I've consulted from Aruba to CA and most projects don't make sense, however, the small communities especially with the vanishing middle class is there. Warren Buffet owns vast amounts of trailer parks, Clayton Homes and Vanderbilt Financing - there is a niche there for the vast majority of the US public going down the toilet but want to do it fashionably. Not trying to be funny here but housing - decent rental housing - is nearly gone.

I build micro homes from shipping containers. I'm continually asked if I provide financing and the answer is no. My homes are 320 or 640 sq/ft, are beautifully designed and finished, energy efficient and virtually maintenance free.

Local zoning and planning can't charge enough taxes and fees for micros to justify their overhead while the banks won't bother with a smaller loan. 

There is a niche here. 

Any thoughts?

A shipping container home if properly anchored easily alleviates the problem (provided proper windows are used) of wind resistance. A project on RI's coast required zone IV yet the state denied a permit based upon the Industrial Building Commission; the IBC board is comprised of modular home builders using wood and completely self-serving regulatory body. No container homes in MN, ND, NJ, RI.

Never.  Think skinned and no structural strength. Defeats the purpose of using an ISO box.

I've been converting shipping containers since 2010 and have complete 14 containers to date. Expert at utilizing small spaces as I was a interior contractor in NYC.