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Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

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Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#81

Post by KaiserPro »

liseman wrote: post #77
KaiserPro wrote: post #72

A couple of points, Photos: Hire a decent photographer, large sensor, low f number. You'd be surprised what a good camera with a competent person running it will do. Go wide angle. Your unique selling point should be the thought you put into the layout. Anyone can insulate and sling in some furniture, the real hard part is making the space lovable/liveable. Choose a theme or period, industrial is a good start. You ha…

Great ideas, thanks! We've been through 4 different attempts at photos, and results are obviously lacking... do any of you have sources you really like for outlet covers, light cases, and other fixture / finish elements?

Depends on your look you want to achieve. I'm in the UK, so its literally a different world

You might want to try brass, as it might fit with the wood better. You could even use floor plates (if they are legal in your part of the world). it might also just be a case of putting them in less obvious places.

http://cdn.homedit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Container-...

In the above example, they are not that dissimilar to your $25k offering, apart from the ceiling is white plasterboard/drywall, which is smooth. Also the appliances are hidden, its a living room, not a nuts and bolts room :)

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#83

Post by asciimo »

cbr wrote: post #4

How are you going to deal with zoning? Generally the big problem with tiny houses is that while they're relatively cheap to make they're not allowed by existing zoning.

Looks like they learned some lessons the hard way. They were forced out of their original location by Oakland. "Iseman said after the inspection at 2836 Union Street that it might have cost $200,000 to $300,000 to bring the property and containers into compliance with building and health codes.

... The new space 'will be organized, beautiful, and largely inside, hidden from the prying eyes of nosey neighbors and nettlesome bureaucrats.'"

(http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2015-03/shipping-container-hom...)

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#84

Post by accountface »

I know you're trying to keep costs down, but unfinished trim work and/or exposed plywood (especially on the $9k model) makes everything look incredibly cheap. Take a look at how similarly-priced RVs handle their interiors for comparison.

For $29k you can get something that you can drive and is generally furnished better (in a lot of municipalities these tiny houses need to be on wheels to skirt code violations anyway).

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#85

Post by accountface »

abakker wrote: post #61
brudgers wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's more than local zoning at play. There are health regulations regarding potable water and sanitary waste disposal for dwellings that occur at the state level. There's ADA and FHA at the Federal Level. Also at the local level are things like occupational taxes and building permits. Unlike room and whole house rental, a container provides direct visible evidence of the activity from the air, over a neighbor's fe…

Short summation: No way. Living in shipping containers is not a great idea. By the time you overcome all the hurdles, you realize the envelope is smallest cost of housing development.

Wood framing, especially for a small single-level structure, is the de-facto in the US for a reason.

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#86

Post by johan_larson »

How does the legal side of this work? Do these houses meet the requirements of major construction codes, or are they somehow exempt? Also, aren't there typically restrictions on where units like this can be deployed? There have been all sorts of fights about granny-flats over the years.

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#88

Post by ceejayoz »

dogma1138 wrote: post #87

Can we please stop making the fifth element into a reality? Humans need space.

Humans need space, but it doesn't necessarily need to be in their bedroom and kitchen. Small houses work just fine when there are recreational options around - walkable cities like NYC, large properties in the country, etc.

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#89

Post by lefstathiou »

My dad owns a few trailer parks. Great investment but not for the faint of heart. From our experience, you're not going to want to live in any neighborhood that allows this kind of housing and as a result, it wont be available for long in any neighborhood you're trying to address. Many trailer parks are trashy (literally trash everywhere) with a highly uneducated and unstable demographic. Its the suburban equivalent of an urban ghetto. Alcoholism, assault, vandalism are daily occurrences. Some questions to ask yourself: am I comfortable evicting people on a weekly basis? How many problematic tenants can my system tolerate before all the software engineers who have the option to pay high rents for crappy apartments decide safety and piece of mind are valuable?

Oh and by the way, this type of housing is cheap but not necessarily inexpensive. A trailer in upstate GA an hour and half away from Atlanta in the middle of nowhere makes $500 a month. In Oakland, market rates (and all roads lead to a market rate) will likely get this to $750-800. People are going to start piling into these things to make the economics work, which will make them more dangerous, more unstable.

Re: Launch HN: Boxouse (YC W17) – Shipping-container homes

#90

Post by dogma1138 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #88
dogma1138 wrote: post #87

Can we please stop making the fifth element into a reality? Humans need space.

Humans need space, but it doesn't necessarily need to be in their bedroom and kitchen. Small houses work just fine when there are recreational options around - walkable cities like NYC, large properties in the country, etc.

Keep telling that to yourself the air quality in these shoeboxes alone is a reason to stay away from them. Homes should be roomy these are not prison cells or airport sleepover rooms.
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