Can Less Square Footage Mean More Happiness?
Dreams and aspirations change over time. Perhaps, in your parent’s or grandparent’s generation, bigger meant better. “Keeping up with the Joneses” meant that as your neighbour added on square feet to their home, you felt the need to follow suit. A bigger, taller house with all the trimmings of modern technology, landscaping, and interior “extras” (think hot tubs and wine cellars) used to signal success. But, times are changing. Many people from all walks of life are turning away from the trappings of modern real estate and finding freedom inside the walls of a shipping container house.
Read on to discover 4 reasons why shipping container homes made a big appearance in 2022.
Living Small Can Mean BIG Budget Savings
I think we can all agree that the cost of living is higher now than it has ever been. Inflation and price gouging dominate the news cycle. Regular day-to-day expenses like fuel, insurance, groceries, mortgage payments and other financial commitments are squeezing the average household and many of these folks are entertaining alternative ways to reduce their bills. We understand that living in a shipping container home or tiny house may not appeal to everyone…But, when you step back and look at how cost-effective they can be, this option may become more appealing.
Let’s do a bit of number crunching. The cost of real estate does vary by region but let’s take the average “traditional” home price in Canada, which currently sits around the $750,000 mark. The cost of a tiny house or shipping container home also does vary greatly depending on location, type of container used, and design budgets, but even the fanciest, decked-out model sits just shy of $250,000! On average, most tiny home dwellers will spend somewhere between $50,000 to $100,000. We don’t know about you, but saving $500,000 or more on home costs sounds pretty appealing. Having less financial stress from a smaller (or non-existent) mortgage leaves more room in your life for things other than worrying about affording your next home payment. Hobbies or travel, anyone?
Your Dream Home Could Also be Good for the Environment
Climate change is top of mind for a lot of people around the world, and rightfully so. If you’ve recently been impacted by wild weather such as British Columbia’s heat domes and atmospheric rivers, you know the pains we’re talking about. And, perhaps you may be thinking how you can help.
One of the main benefits of a shipping container home is that many are made from recycled materials and are, therefore, considered a green solution to the modern home. With its growing popularity, most provinces have home builders specializing in container shipping and outfitting.
Think you have to settle for four bare metal walls? Think again! Companies specializing in container homes offer a variety of floor plan layouts with dedicated spaces for your bathroom, dining room, living space, and bedroom. Builders often encourage additional customizations like paint, finishes, hardware and more, which can all be selected to make your new “green” home truly yours. Get what you want AND contribute to the health of the environment? Yes, please.
Container Homes: Designed to Move With You
The allure of tiny home living is often tied with a nomadic lifestyle. This lifestyle is growing in popularity, thanks in part to many organizations allowing their staff to work from home. Many people are finding joy and success in the ability to stay on the move and earn a living remotely. In fact, many tiny homes can be built on top of trailers, ready to hit the road when you are. Shipping container homes are no different and are also designed to be moved. Many services are already in place to allow you to move your shipping container home from one location to another. So, if wanderlust is knocking at your door, maybe you don’t have to leave your home behind to explore this unique and exciting opportunity for more work/life balance.
Spend Less Time Building and More Time Living
Anyone who has built or renovated their home can tell you the honest truth: It’s likely going to take you twice as long as you planned and eat up more budget than you may be comfortable with. With this in mind, new-home seekers are attracted to the speed and predictability of container home living. With many companies offering pre-fabricated layouts and designs for shipping container homes, you can skip the time and labour of building your own home and get back to the good stuff: enjoying life in your new pad. Since most of the initial work on container homes is completed in a factory setting, buyers can enjoy the comfort of fixed pricing and timelines for delivery. Many models of shipping container homes can be shipped to your location within months or even weeks.
Savings, Sustainability, and Mobility. Container Living for the Win!
Container home living may not be for everyone, but there is a groundswell happening to rethink where and how we live. If you find yourself among those considering a shipping container home or tiny house living, we hope this post gives you an idea or two. From financial freedom to the ability to change up where we live on a whim, container living is a unique way of constructing your dwelling in alignment with the type of lifestyle you want to have. When we’re courageous enough to step outside of the “norm,” we may just find ourselves living small but dreaming big.
Living in a container home or tiny house and need some design assistance? Our graduates from the Advanced Interior Design Diploma Program have the knowledge and experience to elevate your small space into a dwelling big on style. Provide us with your project details and we’ll be in touch!
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