# Box-Car Living Houses Made From Shipping Containers By Geoff Thiessen | Published 2006-10-04 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/houses-made-from-shipping-containers References: [fabprefab](http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm) Live the life of box-car Willie - but now without those frustrating train noises. A number of companies have started creating [low-income housing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype) out of [recycled shipping containers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teeny-tiny-haus). The houses can be created quickly in a number of configurations in sizes ranging from 600 to 3000 square feet. One of the reasons behind this is that some containers are shipped so far that the cost of returning the container exceeds the cost of replacement! If you like this, make sure to check out three of our other articles on modern prefab homes: [Sunset Breezehouse](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sunset-breezehouse-prefab-home-i-wish-i-lived-in-your-trailer-park),[Luxury Prefab](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/living-homes-modernist-sustainable-prefab), and the [Dwell Home](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-dwell-home-pre-fab-house). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.9/10 - Popularity: 100% | Activity: 98% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Low-income Housing:** Opportunity for companies to create affordable housing options using recycled shipping containers. - **Prefab Homes:** Potential for innovative prefab home designs using shipping containers as building materials. - **Sustainable Architecture:** Disruptive innovation potential in sustainable architecture by repurposing shipping containers for housing. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Construction:** Companies in the construction industry can explore using shipping containers for building affordable housing. - **Real Estate:** Real estate professionals can consider incorporating shipping container homes as an alternative option for low-income housing. - **Architecture:** Architects and designers have an opportunity to create innovative and sustainable housing solutions using shipping containers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Shipping Container-Built Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kennedy-model.md) - [Triple Shipping Container Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modhouse-tiny-home.md) - [Cost-Effective Shipping Container Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/custom-container-living-nook.md) - [Shipping Container Tiny Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rising-sun.md) - [Senior-Friendly Single-Floor Tiny Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mark-vi-vic.md) - [Versatile Compact Modern Residences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/augustine-tiny-home.md) - [Affordable Portable Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/boxabl-baby-box.md) - [Miniature Insulated Home Solutions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ark-tiny-homes.md) - [Recycled Material Mobile Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contihome.md)