July 21, 2008

Container Architecture Sails Into The South Bay

Ok. So I know this isn’t exactly my area, but I couldn’t resist. There’s been a bit of buzz in recent years about a unique, more affordable way to build your home - with shipping containers. If you follow the latest in residential architecture news, you’ve probably already heard of it. If not, the whole concept might sound downright odd to you.

In comments on a USA Today article, this type of construction has been described as everything from “affordable” and “versatile” to “the new trailer trash”. I, personally think they’re kind of cool looking. I don’t see shipping containers in the finished product, but modern, aesthetically pleasing architecture. Take a look at the photos of this Redondo Beach residence. You may disagree with me - or not. Let me know what you think.

Anyhow, the architect, Peter DeMaria, plans to market the homes at a starting cost of $150 per square foot. Here is a snippet from the article.

With high construction costs throughout California, Anna and Sven Pirkl turned to DeMaria for a lower-cost modern dwelling that used recycled materials for their Redondo Beach lot. DeMaria designed a 3,220-square-foot home on a 8,860-square-foot property for the couple, DeMaria said.

More than a year later, the Pirkls don’t mind that their home, completed in May 2007, stands out in the neighborhood because of its modern design, Sven Pirkl said.

On the outside, the Pirkls didn’t try to hide that their home is made from six shipping containers cut into eight, although the couple did use beige acrylic paint to cover the containers. On the inside, the Pirkl’s home has high ceilings, concrete floors, recycled cotton insulation and walls framed from formaldehyde-free plywood, Pirkl said.

As an added benefit, by retaining many of the features of the containers, the Pirkls won’t have to deal with costly upkeep, he added.

DeMaria is planning to offer the container houses starting at $150 per square foot, or $300,000 for 2,000 square feet, through Logical Homes, a website being launched this month to let customers purchase the homes that arrive on location quickly and need little on-site labor, he said. Costs for a traditional custom home in Manhattan Beach run around $225 to $250 per square foot, he added.

Now let’s move onto some homes that are more affordable (relative to the area, of course) around LAX.

Right now, I’m looking at the average cost per square foot of homes in Westchester. As of this posting, they’re at an average of $475 a square foot for listed properties. Sold properties are at $425 a square foot.

Here are some homes that give you more for your money.

6420 W. 85th Pl./4bd, 2bth/$330 per square foot/$599,000

5575 W. 79th St./4bd, 2bth/$331 per square foot/$750,000

7631 Kittyhawk Ave./4bd, 3bth/$336 per square foot/$729,000

---