Page 4 - REN_May-June 2021

Would You Live in a Shipping Container?

Jen Buchan courtesy Realtor.ca
ith real estate prices hitting record highs in cities like Vancouver and Toronto, it’s no surprise that small
spaces are becoming big business. The housing crunch is perhaps most keenly felt in dense urban centres
Wwhere even a few hundred square feet can make or break a budget. As a result, home buyers and business
owners alike are increasingly on the hunt for compact, cost-efficient and decidedly alternative spaces. In some cases,
that means thinking…well, inside the box. Shipping containers, to be exact.

The Rise of the Repurposed Shipping Container Downtown Project Las Vegas Container Park by Lahti213 via Wikimedia Commons
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably already seen a repurposed shipping container at a local sporting event,
fair, or pop-up market in your own neighbourhood.

You might even know someone who uses an old container as an outdoor storage shed or “man cave.” Coming in
a variety of shapes and sizes, shipping containers are offered brand new or, more likely, in retired condition after
years of hauling cargo over land and sea. They have proven invaluable to small businesses looking for a quick and
relatively inexpensive way to set up shop. With four walls and a roof already in place, shipping containers can be used
as-is or modified to suit virtually any need. They are compact, nearly indestructible and, best of all, easy to transport.
Containers can even be joined together or stacked vertically to create larger spaces.

Shipping Container Living in Canada
But what about actually living in a shipping container? It’s one thing to operate a summer yoga studio out of a
rectangular metal box but quite another to call it home year-round. Yet that’s exactly what a growing number of
innovative (and brave) Canadians are already doing—and the idea is steadily gaining traction.

In downtown Toronto, for example, construction is nearly complete on a multi-container addition behind the Harlem
Underground restaurant on Queen Street West. Upon completion, restaurant owner Carl Cassell says he plans to
make it his family’s primary residence.