Permits and other factors

I've been getting a lot of email recently. People really do read my posts. I'm not surprised that people are talking about building again and I'm happy that they are taking a look at alternatives like cargo containers. Every body that writes to me already sees the value, sustainability and low cost as being what people need right now. There are a lot of questions about how to approach the building department. As you've read in previous posts it's not the technical part that's difficult getting a permit, it's the cost. It seems like costly system development fees and long drawn out design reviews put a lot of people off. There is a way around that.

In most neighborhoods in cities built early in the last century there are houses which didn't get regular maintenance. Even before the current fore-closer mess houses sat vacant. If there not tuned up periodically nature takes them back. Sills rot and roofs leak causing all sort of damage. Usually their small and it didn't make sense to redevelop back in the boom. If you want to build a container house this is the thing you want to buy. The way the rules work in most municipalities if you save part of one wall of an existing structure than your doing an extensive remodel, you are not doing not doing new construction. The water pipes to the meter are still there and the sewer is already hooked up. This saves vast amounts of money on permits. Picking the right place could save you the cost of a small container home. Fee's in Portland, Oregon for new raw land construction run about $34,000. I built my last house here for about $32.000.

Hall Mark

This month when I picked up the rent check from the people that live in my container house I realized that I'd reached break even on my project. They pay $850.00 (usd) a month and I have been cashing a check for that amount every month for the last three years. My total cost to build that house was $30,000 and change. From here on out, excluding whatever maintenance costs may come up, I will be making money.

Aside from the other benefits of building green housing, container built residential construction makes money, fast. Amortizing the total cost of an investment over a three year period is very fast. Where else are you going to double your investment capital in three years? And that house isn't going anywhere. I'll continue to cash rent checks every month from that property for years to come. Building green has been the best investment I have ever made.

And this has happened during the worst recession in history. Sure I live in an area that has good rental rates but the truth of the matter is that because of low project cost I have been able to set my rents in the low end of the available housing market. This guaranties that I will always have renters lining up to live in the home I've built.

I challenge you to look around the rental market in the area that you live in and see if you can't make a little money for your family too.