Vacant shipping containers given new life on land

An outside-the-box idea has some architects and home buyers turning to inside-the-box eco-friendly, affordable housing that uses as building blocks the 8-by-40-foot steel containers often left vacant at seaports.

Mainly an "experiment" at this time, the homes have the potential to take off in the industry, said Bill Gati, a member of the American Institute of Architects' Custom Residential Design Committee.

"It's cutting-edge, and people that use it are considered mavericks and trailblazers," he said.

Architect Peter DeMaria of DeMaria Design Associates in Manhattan Beach, Calif., says the recycled containers, which cost between $2,000 and $3,000, are only "the tip of the iceberg" of the designs. The homes, which use anywhere from four to eight containers, can include add-ons such as solar panels, "green" roofs, radiant heating and other environmentally friendly or energy-efficient features, DeMaria says. ...