All posts by LouAnn M.

When it comes to what's popular on the market, trends and buyer needs always change over time. Trends may involve the best stone for your kitchen countertop, interior paint colors, or window treatments. However, sometimes home trends focus on the type of home most buyers want. One of the most popular home trends that probably won't fade anytime soon involves shipping containers. Yes, you can convert steel shipping containers into comfortable and stylish homes. Many people are enjoying the results of this alternative residential structure. Read on to see why this is such a popular home option. Sustainable Living Are you concerned about sustainability? If so, a shipping container home may be right for you. Only 6 million of the 17 million shipping containers are in use. That means as many as 11 million solidly built containers are available for suitable homes. With the price of housing continuing to inflate, having an available and eco-friendly option is attractive to those looking for a home. Energy Efficiency A home that constantly loses energy makes it hard to have consistently comfortable temperatures and can hurt the purse strings. Did you know as much as 25%-30% of residential heating and cooling energy involves heat gain and loss from windows? When windows have cracks or improper sealing, it's easy for energy to escape and for your utility bills to rise. However, a shipping container has fewer windows than your standard home. As a result, you'll deal with much less energy loss. Less energy loss also means a warm home in winter and a cool home in the summertime. Less Maintenance Owning a typical home means lots of responsibility and constant upkeep. Someone has to mow the lawn. You need to worry about how well your windows are sealed. Then there's siding, floor finishing, checking for leaks, etc. According to Roofing Contractor, more than five million new roof installations happen annually. However, with a container home, there's no need to install or repair a roof. Adding a new roof can cost thousands of dollars without a solid warranty, so it's one less bill with a container home. Mobility Within the past few years, the term digital nomad became a regular part of worldwide lingo. Plus, more established companies are allowing remote work. If you fit in the category of not wanting to stay in the same area too long, a shipping container home may be for you. This type of structure makes it easy for you to change locations while keeping your home intact. It's portable and can last 25 years with good maintenance, according to Neavas. Cost-Effective More home trends involve finding cost-effective solutions to the inflated price of housing. With a shipping container home, you have an affordable residential option that won't break the bank. Even if you construct one from scratch, it's much cheaper than doing a custom build on a traditional home. Safety Rest assured that you have a solid structure when you purchase a shipping container home. It's made of steel and can sustain the high impact of winds, snow, intense rain, and hail. So, if you live in an area with seasonal or extreme weather, you can feel safe in a container home. Don't feel discouraged because buying a traditional home may be too much for your home budget. Maybe you've seen the perfect home for you, but it isn't in an area you want to live in. When you open up your mind to the world of shipping containers, you'll have access to affordable and portable housing that you can customize and enjoy for as long as 25 years. With over 11 million containers available, it's one of those home trends that can save people money and prevent homelessness.