CJD

I haven’t seen any containers used in vertical or diagonal repose. Should I assume that there is an underlying engineering reason, or has no one simply opened that mental portal?

I think too many Americans simply do not truly understand the realities of poverty and extreme poverty. Parts of Mexico, but perhaps better yet are Guatemala and Nicaragua and such nations are examples of the destitution most of the world lives in.
To find a solution to fit their needs- you must walk a mile in their shoes.

Summarily, the main problems to consider are cost, expertise and equipment involved in construction and repair transportation and handling, weather/rust-proofing, environmental concerns re hazardous residual chemicals and inadequate decontamination expertise or even facilities, let alone building waste disposal infrastructure.
Road infrastructure in most developing nations- particular in poor areas of cities are non-standard sizes and poor to woeful and narrow. How does a shipping container be moved or craned? Who pays for the crane, the transportation and crew or accidental damage with a society devoid of insurance?
Although impervious to insects, rust is a major structural problem for the developing world- especially in nations with high rainfalls and humid climes. Rust-proofing is also hazardous and toxic.
Then the actual construction- and repair- assuming most shipping crates for construction would be retired from normal intended use. Most 3rd world skilled builders/labourers have the most primitive and basic hand tools only. and arc/tig/mig or oxyacetylene would be beyond their purchasing power. Equipment hire is almost non existent due to theft considerations. How then to cut, braze weld or join? Where does one find this rare expertise in the outlying areas, the slums or villages?

So from a third world perspective, it is not economically viable, environmentally friendly or an appropriate housing solution for the poor. Also consider scrap metals are a lucrative cash source for those on the poverty line.
Still wood, bamboo, wattle and daub, straw-bale, stone, rammed earth/cob/adobe remain far superior, appropriate technologies that have requisite indigenous expertise .

So- superb idea, brillant design and wonderful theoretically. But not use for the poor sorry.

A pity they didn’t post the pics of the master bedroom – you can see the pop-out for the second bedroom in the (repeated) main front shots, there is a slightly bigger one for the master br on the other side. Required by code (something about a 9 foot circle or similar), and it allows for a queen size bed with room to actually walk past it, plus views out the back, which is where the best views are on our lot. And yes we used high-cube (9 feet 6).

I’m glad some of you like what we consider it’s post-modern aesthetic; our neighbors all do too (well, the ones that will talk to us, anyway…), and I’m frankly confused about citicritter’s comments about a “fake historical style”, it sure don’t look like a Victorian or ranch to me – but then style is in the eyes of the beholder, and critter presumably hasn’t seen it in the flesh, where it contrasts with the 24 foot yurt in the front of the lot. The eaves are for sun control as well as aesthetics btw, we don’t do AC around here and the sun gets pretty strong in the summer.

As for the minor issue of cost… this was a one-off using new technology (we don’t know of any other “reefer houses”, if anyone does please let us know), on a sloping lot bisected by the Hayward fault, so the foundation was expensive, and yes all that sheetmetal, popouts, trim etc. added up too. It ended up being a more expensive (and beautiful) house than we had originally envisioned, and my wife and I are not wealthy by Bay Area standards so we’ll be paying it off for decades like most homebuyers/builders. The reefers themselves were in fact the least of the cost issue, we got em used for 2200 a pop plus delivery, crane, and storage until we were ready for them (had to get 3 from the same lot for the engineer, so we sourced them well ahead of time and they sat around at the unnamed container handling facility while the county and the architects and engineer negotiated). Yes that was an accomplishment, no matter what you think of the design.

We and architects are hoping to transition to a less expensive design now that we’ve worked out some of the bugs, maybe set up on good old concrete blocks (OK, so they fall off when the big one hits, then you just crane the whole shebang back on). But still looking for a builder/developer. At least we had the sense to attach the darn things (with industry-standard cam locks), unlike the insane project in Germany featured in that scary YouTube video.

BTW we’ll be in the Green Homes Tour on June1, come by if you’re in the area.

And the East Bay is not a suburb of San Francisco, nor does it overlook the city – we’re across the bay. The closest we come to a view of SF is a glimpse of its skyline at the end of a view of sparkly waters and neighboring cities. I would love to know what city this is actually in – Albany? Berkeley? Oakland? Farther away?

I’m not trying to be a cynic, though its a natural talent for me. Really I’m trying to see where the basis of cheap versus expensive comes into play. After the schooling buzz wears off in practice theres cheap and there is developer cheap; a whole new low for the budget. Where does ‘cheap’ land? and don’t even get me started on third world countries.