If passed, residents won’t be joining the novelty trend of container homes or even using containers for storage
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Container homes and buildings
If you’re a fan of HGTV, you may be familiar with the show called “Container Homes.” The show premiered their very first episode when it aired in March 2016 featuring a home in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Located in Iowa County, in the southwestern part of the state, the episode showcased an executive and a civil engineer who had their 3,500-square-foot designer house constructed from four 40-foot shipping containers that made up the open floor plan on the first floor, and three 40-foot and one 20-foot shipping containers that made up the second floor, and a huge rooftop deck.
In the Oshkosh/Appleton area, the company, MODS [which stands for Modular On Demand Structures], and began business in 2010, modified the storage containers in their factory by cutting out necessary areas, such as openings for windows and doorways and where containers would be combined to make rooms, and then reinforced them, as necessary. At the building site, a concrete foundation was prepared for the arrival of the containers and construction of the home. Then the prepared containers were shipped to the home site, where they were placed one at a time with a crane, and then welded and bonded together, to create an open floor plan and a solid reinforced structure. Vertical beam were inserted, and the containers essentially created the structure or shell of the home, and from there, walls, electrical, plumbing, and other components were installed to transform the storage containers into a high-end custom designer home.
MODS uses new or lightly used steel containers and builds everything to the International Building Code (IBC), their website emphasizes.
With metal storage containers priced at $1,500 – $4,000 depending on size and condition, and described as “cheap, abundant, and almost indestructable,” according to HGTV, storage containers are “revolutionizing the way homes are being designed and built.”
“With a little creativity and vision, you can create some truly stunning homes,” the show proclaimed. And indeed, the shipping container homes they’ve featured in their television series, were very impressive.
The show was canceled after only one season.
MODS, however, is still doing a great business. What started out as a way to create fast, efficient, temporary housing as a response to Hurricane Katrina, grew into a business where they began building everything from homes and offices to event displays and retail stores, tiny houses, commercial buildings, and even emergency intensive care units for hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients and press boxes for stadiums – all out of metal storage containers.
Using storage containers for building has many pros: they’re strong and durable, earthquake and hurricane proof, make building much faster, are affordable [although the cost of the build can add up depending on your home design and interior finish work selected], and the build is limited by little more than one’s imagination.
Great for storage and other backyard buildings
Shipping containers also make terrific temporary or permanent storage containers, and many people would rather purchase and own a shipping container to use for a storage container than to rent a storage unit. [Although metal storage containers are available locally for temporary rental, as well.} And a 20- or 40-foot storage container can hold a lot.
Steel shipping containers can also be retrofitted to become attractive garden sheds, home offices, guest houses, and other backyard buildings.
Merrill public hearing to consider ban on storage containers
That being said, container homes and buildings are not permitted in all municipalities, and Merrill may soon be one of them.
Merrill’s City Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, September 7, at 6:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers to consider a proposed amendment to City Zoning Code Ordinance Section 113-317 which would add the following language to the Zoning Code:
(n) Shipping Containers, Semi Trailers, or Similar Structures. Shipping Containers, semi trailers, or similar structures are permitted as storage facilities in an Industrial District only. Shipping Containers, semi trailers, or similar structures are permitted as temporary storage facilities in a Business or Thoroughfare Commercial District by Conditional Use or for a maximum of 30 days in a 12 month period. Shipping Containers, semi trailers, or similar structures are prohibited in Residential Districts or residential use properties. A special exception may be given by the Zoning Administrator for storage purposes for moving or permitted property renovation for a maximum of 30 days. The Zoning Administrator may extend the timeframe upon request of the property owner for special circumstances. Shipping Containers, semi trailers, or similar structures may not be modified or used for any other purpose than temporary storage. Any person or business that intends to place a shipping container, semi trailer, or similar structure on a property must register it with the zoning department prior to such placement and pay the applicable fees.
If you have an opinion on this topic and would like your thoughts to be heard, plan to attend the public hearing in person. Remote attendance is also permitted. To attend remotely, call 413.357.2122 and use meeting PIN 316 153 509 #.