quadrillionBtus: Green Homes

One of my passions is to come up with an inexpensive, recyclable, sustainable, off-the-grid, energy efficient house. I believe that part of that passion has been identified. I had heard about containers homes. What most people conjure up are images of mobile homes. But, that couldn’t be more incorrect. There are some amazing homes that have been constructed from this ubiquitous, steel, seafaring container. As an example, if you were to Google Benjamin Garcia Saxe’s $40,000 container home (I have provided both the photo and the link below), you may have a new appreciation for container homes. I know that I did. This is a 100 square meter home, or 1,076 square feet. The house is light and airy, sturdy and easily and quickly constructed. I contacted him about blueprints and material lists. He responded to my email, saying that he was swamped with enquiries about the house and decided to make the blueprints and materials list affordable and available for $950.

Because of my fascination, with these homes, my 14 year-old son, Edmund, constructed a container home for me out of Lego entitled, “Thinking outside of the box.” I believe that he captured the essence of what is possible with this building material. See the photos.

Why do I like these homes?

Containers cost $2,000-$3,000 per container (40 feet long, 8 feet wide, 8 feet high) at the port. In my case, that is at the Port of Duluth, MN.
Containers can be arranged in any configuration in 2-D space or 3-D space.
Containers are rigid (aluminum or steel).
They can be easily, quickly and cheaply retro-fitted with wiring, floors, plumbing, etc. before transporting to their end location.
They are recyclable.
They are instant housing.

What kind of home would some configuration of containers make?

Emergency shelters for hurricane, tornados, and storms of any kind.
Summer vacation residences – without the maintenance.
Winter vacation residences – without the maintenance.
Full-time residences.
Apartments.
Hotels.
Camps for military and businesses in remote locations.

These structures are indestructible and quick to assemble. At the end of the day, they assemble like Legos.

If one were to add photovoltaic panels ($10k), a geothermal system ($20k), a garden roof-top (<$1k), a field leach system ($5k-$20k) and a cistern ($5k), one would be completely off the grid and dominantly self-sufficient. To double the plan of the above home (2,152 square feet) and then add the above systems, brings the cost of the home to approximately $150k before land acquisition.