Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot built his 3,000-square-foot home out of four containers in 2019. cabin modular homes
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Kyle Decot’s container home has modern décor with a hint of industrial style because of the original metal ceiling.
Decot saved money by using concrete for his shower floor and repurposing everything he could.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot built his 3,000-square-foot home out of four containers in 2019.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Kyle Decot’s container home has modern décor with a hint of industrial style because of the original metal ceiling.
Decot saved money by using concrete for his shower floor and repurposing everything he could.
Rock Creek Container Homes owner Kyle Decot’s container home in Markle on Friday, Feb. 16.
Fort Wayne has more people than current housing can handle, and the population is expected to keep growing at a brisk pace, according to county data.
The city’s population growth is more than double that of the state, or 1.1% compared to 0.5%, the All In Allen Comprehensive Plan notes. It’s the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in the Great Lakes Region, and the county’s population is expected to increase by almost 50,000 people by 2040.
However, the need for affordable units for people with low incomes, particularly those who earn less than $25,000 a year, is estimated at 7,081 units, the plan states. With a need for higher-priced housing in the area, too, many builders have opted to cater to the higher earners.
Temporary lodging isn’t necessarily more accessible. Rents have increased by about 23% since 2010.
“You have rents that are absolutely skyrocketing at this time,” said Sally Segerson, founder of the local organization Street Reach for the Homeless.
Container homes – repurposed new or retired metal shipping containers lauded for their affordability – could be a viable option for residents.
Fort Wayne City Council passed an amendment in January that added container homes to the zoning ordinance. They can be built on smaller lots than traditional houses, although other standards will apply.
Mayor Tom Henry in his Feb. 21 State of the City address said officials have “aggressive plans” to fight homelessness and are looking into tiny homes and will be investing in the new container home initiative.
“So, we’re taking a look at all of those (options) and put together a program where now we have a committee examining all of those continuing to do site visits, trying to determine what’s the best approach for Fort Wayne,” he said.
Officials say they are not releasing more details about the investments at this time.
City Councilwoman Michelle Chambers, D-at large, has long been a champion of container developments locally. She sees them as a way to fight the housing crisis and add new options to the market for unhoused families and veterans.
She said the city is moving in the right direction.
“It’s exciting,” Chambers added.
A quick internet search shows a single, used 20-foot-long shipping container selling for $1,300. Another asks $4,500 for a new 40-foot-long box. A container about a foot higher than the standard 8-foot-6-inch size can run $6,000.
Markle-based Rock Creek Container owner Kyle Decot says he tries to keep the cost for each container below $5,000 by cutting out the middleman, so that’s the delivered box price, he said. The main cost difference is in the amount of time it takes to construct.
Decot said the price can go as high as the builder wants to make it by creating high-end features.
And benefits go beyond affordability, fans of container homes say.
Rory Rubin, founder and CEO of Chicago-based SI Container Builds, which is licensed to build in Indiana, said in an email that the structures have many positives.
“The pros are we can build faster (than) 8-12 weeks, our builds are superior (in withstanding) things like weather and fire, and we can clad them to blend into any community,” she said.
The structure is designed to repel water, making it a good fit for housing, Decot said. Construction is fast, mostly because it involves more destruction than construction. Experts are called in for electrical, utilities and other services, which are additional costs to the builder.
The homes are also sturdy. Decot has a video of a box squashing a truck like it was a bug.
Rubin said the boxes fit together “like Legos,” providing flexibility in design.
“We may be a unique envelope of steel on the outside, but the inside is built like other new homes,” she said.
The possibilities seem endless: A luxury ski and yoga resort with minimalist aesthetic exists in the country of Georgia, an award-winning 188-bed hostel in Germany and purely functional tiny houses made with single containers serve a diverse group of customers. Several have been featured in publications including House Beautiful and Architectural Digest.
Segerson envisions permanent homes for people currently unhoused, creating a sense of community, belonging and pride.
“I see nothing but positive things coming from container housing,” she said.
Chambers first saw container buildings in an urban area in Southern California and was amazed by how well they fit into their surroundings.
“People became very creative,” she said.
The homes have been gaining popularity nationwide, Rubin said.
“The industry is finally catching on like it has done for decades in other countries,” she said.
Rubin said 23 million shipping containers are just sitting in storage lots, “so it seemed like a perfect way to repurpose an already structurally sound Cor-Ten steel frame into something beautiful.”
Gary Fleisher, editor in chief of iMedia and an industry blogger, said port cities essentially have “container graveyards.”
“You can’t believe how many there are,” he said in a phone interview.
Decot, a car builder, developed his own 3,000-square-foot home in 2019 with four containers. He initially wanted to construct a “barndominium” – a barn with all the amenities of a home – but realized he couldn’t build it on the property’s hill, he said.
Three years and countless HGTV and YouTube videos later, Decot’s house has a 56-by-40-foot, attached garage and modern décor with a hint of industrial style because of the original metal ceiling. He saved money by using concrete for a shower floor and repurposing everything he could.
The trial-and-error experience grew into a business selling containers. They’ve been repurposed into garages, control rooms, solar sheds, a horse barn, a secluded cabin and complete homes.
Decot sold 30 boxes in December 2022 alone, he said. His own house was built with four boxes.
“We’re doing all right,” he said.
But buyers have a lot of information to sift through if they’re researching container homes on their own, some industry insiders say.
“There are many forms that are being produced for the public today,” said Fleisher, who worked as a contractor for 50 years.
Generally, two types are repurposed for building, single- and multiple-use, he said.
“They can look very, very similar,” Fleisher said.
A single-use container could be filled with electronics and shipped from China to the United States, but after that, it’s retired. That kind is the “cleanest, best” container available, Fleisher said.
Other boxes are used dozens of times, which “could be a detriment further down the road.” The container could have holes, for example. And it’s not always clear what the containers carried, he added.
Decot also noted factors to investigate, including whether a container is “cargo-worthy” or sold “as-is,” which can give buyers an idea of the condition. Cargo-worthy means it would be strong and weather-resistant enough to travel on a cargo ship.
Rubin warned prospective homeowners not to be fooled by hype about the price, though. It’s not always as cheap and easy as some people think, she said.
“It tends to be about 8 to 10% cheaper than a traditional wood-frame build and it is tricky to do, which requires skilled trade to work with the corrugated steel and know how to prevent moisture, etc.,” she said. “You need to work with someone that is using only one-trip (containers) and has the knowledge to do this.”
Government rules can also present challenges, she said. Ordinances sometimes restrict building on small plots of land, and the process of changing the rules can be long in areas that haven’t yet embraced container use.
“The cons are you still have to do some education with the municipality so they understand what you are doing,” Rubin said.
Because Fort Wayne officials have already jumped aboard the trend, the process could present fewer challenges locally.
“We’re doing our due diligence and seeing what other communities are doing,” Councilwoman Chambers said.
Fleisher, of iMedia, said future housing alternatives will present new challenges and benefits. Creative options are continually evolving, he added.
“Tons” of innovations are coming down the pike, he said – including homes made out of cardboard and plastic, and even inflatable houses.
“We’re building some really strange stuff today,” he said.
The city of Fort Wayne added container homes to the zoning ordinance, which means requirements can be placed on their construction.
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