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One thing I'm not sure of - are these containers new ones so benefit from cheap mass manufacturing - or cheap old ones that are too rusted/bent to be used any m
by rb808 9y ago
One thing I'm not sure of - are these containers new ones so benefit from cheap mass manufacturing - or cheap old ones that are too rusted/bent to be used any more? I'm not sure why containers are more effective than mass produced modular houses.
- olympus 9y agoContainers aren't cheaper than a modular (manufactured) home, they are just trendier. That's why you haven't seen containers replacing manufactured homes in trailer parks. This is kind of like the tiny house movement. It's not actually cheaper than existing options, but it is disassociated with the "white trash" connotation from living in a mobile home. Rich people will pay extra to not look poor.
- ada1981 9y agoI think you mean middle class people will pay extra to not look poor. Or better, poor people will pay extra to not look poor.
- wallace_f 9y ago>pay extra to not look poor. Tragically, it looks as though actually the majority of household expenditure in the USA is to not look poor. Well, if not, we certainly don't know what it is for: it isn't making us any happier. Status, not wealth, is linked to happiness. Better put: "Spending money you don't have for things you don't need to impress people you don't like." Source: content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1974718,00.html
- mojomark 9y agoThere is a shipping container surplus in the US due to the large trade imbalance between the the US and the far east.(1) It's my understanding that it's generally cheaper for the far east to manufacture new containers than pay to ship empty containers back. Like you mention, there are also a number of containers that age out. 1. https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a3en.html https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a3e...
- jtolmar 9y agoYou can buy containers that are new, one trip, or well-worn. Usually the one trip containers are significantly cheaper than new, and well-worn are somewhat cheaper than that. But it varies, and I've occasionally seen new ones be cheaper for odd sizes. The "used once" category is most popular among container home enthusiasts.
- TorKlingberg 9y agoIf there is a large market of one trip containers, that must mean there are companies that buy new containers, use them once and then sell them. Who does that and why?
- jtolmar 9y agoMy guess would be trade imbalance. If you can't find something to put in it, re-using the container means paying to ship it empty.
- mojomark 9y agoYes, they are from US - far east trade imbalance. Regurgitated from my reply above: https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a3en.html https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a3e...
- wastedhours 9y agoProduction cost in one location vs near-new cost in another perhaps? If you can produce one new in X for $1k, and sell a near-new one in Y for $2k, you might as well make cash on the shipping by carrying goods (if it has to travel to Y anyway, it's going to get beaten up in transit whether it's full or not).
- robocat 9y agoThe minimum price for a container is set by the local scrap price for steel e.g. a 20 foot container weighs 2,300 kg. The one-trip containers use thinner steel.
- jandrese 9y agoI wonder about the longevity of these container homes. Assuming you keep the steel from rusting they should last a good long time. Mobile homes usually start falling apart after 20-30 years.