Leave it to Ballard to have a company that retrofits old shipping containers and turns them into designer homes, retail stores and more.
The company is ShelterKraft Werks, run by Kai Schwarz and Anne Corning. MyBallard spoke with the entrepreneurs who say an opportunity with all of the outdated shipping containers laying around in Ballard. Once they identify a container that works for their purposes, they get to work retrofitting them to become livable.
If a container is destined to become housing, "that's [when] we put in all the framing,insulation, the wiring, the plumbing," Schwarz said. These items all go into the walls of the container. The stock homes range from having just a sleeping nook to a full master suite, and start at $35,000 for something called a "CargoCottage," which is their base model with one bedroom. The biggest container home is $68,000 and is a two-bedroom "CargoHaus" with a master-suite.
Along with their home and retail uses, the company is looking to create hygiene stations for homeless and low-income individuals who need a shower and chance to clean up. They also have an extremely ballsy prototype for a mixed-use apartment complex which would be pretty amazing to see.
· Local company gives shipping containers a new lease on life [MyBallard]
· http://shelterkraft.com [ShelterKraftWerks]