CLEVELAND — It's an alternative to a traditional home that's gaining in popularity, including in Northeast Ohio.
Whether it's a home planned in Mansfield or a car dealership on Cleveland's east side, shipping containers are being used for construction of new buildings.
News 5 first told you about Container Homes USA almost five years ago, when Derrick Charles White-Childs showed how a bedroom, living space and bathroom can fit into what originally meant to carry cargo all over the United States.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
Childs told News 5 that the cost to build a container home is comparable to a new build, however, the allure comes from the amount of time it takes once construction begins.
"I have to put the same HVAC system in, same plumbing, sewer line, same electrical, and the bonus is you can get your house in four to five months," Childs said.
Census data from 2021 shows it can take almost eight months to build a new home. That number rises to more than a year for owner-built homes, and falls to about six months for a build-for-sale home.
Since we last spoke, Childs has either completed or is working on homes or businesses in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Barbados, St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Childs told News 5 it has gotten to the point where the company has enough containers; they just can’t ship them out fast enough. They have a waitlist of 150 customers.
"We have clients looking for us to remodel trailer parks, all the way up to high-end luxury 5,000 square foot mansions," he said. "We take containers and convert them into whatever you want them to be."
He’s even designed a $40,000 model, which consists of a 20-foot trailer Childs said could help tackle homelessness.
"There’s a shortage of housing everywhere and we believe we have a solution and we can build it in volume," he said.
The excitement continues to build for Larry Briggs outside his Mansfield home, where he plans to build a container home in the shadows of his existing home.
"My wife and I think out of the box, we always have," Briggs said. "For us, it was just the uniqueness part of it. It would be different."
In his case, their ranch-style home is set to consist of six containers.
"I dont want any steps going anywhere," Briggs said. "I’m done with steps."
Right now, the design plans for Briggs' home is currently going through permitting with the city of Mansfield. Briggs told News 5 he hopes to see construction start next spring.
"You don’t know what to expect, it’s metal, not wood," Briggs said. "I figure that’s an old house and [a container home] has to be an improvement. It won’t be a downgrade."
