The housing sector in America is observed with great detail as it affects nearly everyone. American cities are experiencing a population inflow causing cities and multifamily investors to house more people than ever before. Well, they’re trying.

Tourists need places to rent. Locals need places to live. Many people are still feeling the effects of the whopping 19.3% increase in pricing in 2021, leaving city-dwellers with not very many homes – and expensive ones at that. Community growth is certainly a positive for cities, but it demands innovative solutions for housing needs. Enter Custom Container Living: A blue-collar company harnessing the versatility and efficiency of shipping containers as homes.

CCL’s home designs emphasize durability and comfortable living, and they design with an eye for aesthetics. Models like the two-bedroom-two-bathroom 40’ Bunkhouse are perfect for two people to share and still have access to their own kitchenette and bathroom. CCL can create neighborhoods and contemporary communities by stacking models that are able to house 100+ residents like they did for the Fisk University housing project in Tennessee.

No matter your location’s needs, Custom Container Living has the solutions for cities grappling with growing pains. The modular nature of their shipping container homes allow for quick build times, in-house communication without the blurred lines of contractors, and a contribution to sustainability by repurposing a resource that already exists.

In the Fall of ‘23, a private island owner in the Bahamas contacted CCL to help sustainably create a neighborhood for resort employees. Thus far, CCL has delivered 12 shipping containers to the island embracing principles of sustainability and adaptability while contributing to the comfort of the island’s flourishing population.

Custom Container Living is thriving as they aid metropolitan growth. If you are eager to solve a housing need, contact them at their website for quotes and conversations about your projects.

Praised for their simplicity, consistency, and smooth processes, Custom Container Living has embraced the potential of modular building and proven, time and time again, how fruitful it can be.

Custom Container Living (CCL) builds spacious homes within the confines of shipping containers. How? Their streamlined process emphasizes their employees’ specialties in framing, electrician’s knowledge, and insulation, too. That’s just the inside. On the outside? Custom painting, window framing, and custom doorways are their definition of ‘fun’. Using multiple bays in their warehouse, employees are thoughtfully and thoroughly building container homes. The perks? Let’s get started.

CONSISTENCY IS CCL’S KEY

Building in a climate-controlled building eliminates issues with weather. On-site construction is at the mercy of Mother Nature, but CCL’s controlled environment assures plans can be carried out seamlessly.

IN-HOUSE CONTRACTING IS CCL’S WAY

Consistency could be CCL’s middle name. Their processes are so consistent because they are their own contractors. Communication from employee to employee is precise and scheduled, creating a unified building system from start to finish. Their brand’s expectations are understood and executed company-wide.

CCL’S HOMES ARE TURN-KEY

Owner Robert Wagoner realizes his wide array of customers have one thing in common: to move into their home quickly. “We provide homes for first-time homeowners to event spaces turning their homes into guest houses,” he says. “People want to move in and make their space their own as quickly as they can, and we make that a priority.

“They laid the building and it was turn-key.” – Simple Blessings Farm and Event Barn

CCL’S HOMES ARE CUSTOMIZABLE

Inside each shipping container home looks a little different according to what the customer asks for. Want a one bedroom studio? Easy. Need a two bedroom shipping container for a roommate? Got it! Three bedrooms for a family and an upstairs loft? They do that, too.

CCL PROVIDES AFFORDABLE COMFORT

In Ron Barnes’ customer testimonial, he praises CCL for their build time and ability to meet his needs. As a customer who lives in the country, his praise emphasizes the energy efficiency of his new container home and describes the insulation, electric system and his new electric bill amount as “fantastic.” With reliable weather protection and no home mortgage, Mr. Barnes is one of many of CCL’s customers who have experienced financial freedom through the investment of their shipping container home.

In Mr. Barnes’ interview, he goes on to praise how easy it is to keep clean, how well-insulated it is, and brings up how many people have expressed interest in CCL’s work since coming to visit his new home. He and many other satisfied customers share their testimonies and experiences on CCL’s website.

For these reasons and many more, CCL’s success in modular building will continue to grow. If you have any questions on how you can build your future home with them, contact them here.

Container Dorm Living At Fisk University

Remember the excitement of moving out of your parents’ nest for the very first time? Students at Fisk University were feeling the anticipation of being back on campus and moving into their apartment-style housing. When they heard there was a housing shortage, they questioned how the issue would be solved.

Fisk University’s student body has grown by upward of 70% in the university’s past 5 years according to Jens Frederiksen, Fisk’s Executive Vice President. “We were looking to put 100 beds – quickly – on our campus for student occupancy. The growth was happening faster than we could adjust as a university.”

As they sought solutions for their demanding population growth, a co-worker of Frederiksen’s suggested container homes by Custom Container Living (CCL). Unfamiliar with this type of residential living, Frederiksen questioned the design, the impact, the noise issues – they had loads of questions. All the while, CCL remained confident they could answer questions and provide a stellar solution.

David Cobb, Director of Housing and Grounds of Fisk University, recalls CCL “coming to the rescue like the Lone Ranger.” “They spent hours with our staff answering our questions and making us feel at ease.”

Dr. Frederiksen recognized that students today are intrigued by innovation, sustainability, and thoughtfulness when solving problems, and Custom Container Living could provide a solution that would meet those expectations. Ready to commit to a new style of housing, Dr. Frederiksen agreed to partner with CCL. “It became a no-brainer and became about ‘How do we get it done?’”

As you walk on the sidewalk through this new housing community, you feel as if you are in a college neighborhood. The 40-foot-long container homes are arranged in blocks of four, stacked two units high and two units wide, and showcase wooden staircases that lead students to their second-floor dormitories. The homes are painted a regal, navy blue and a true gold to fully embrace Fisks’ identity.

“Once you walk into one,” Frederiksen says, “you forget that you’re in a shipping container. You have this image in your head of what you will think it will look like, but seeing it come to fruition was pretty exhilarating.” The container homes act as a fifth residence hall for the university and were supposed to be temporary. However, after receiving loads of positive feedback from residents and prospective students, the university is reconsidering the shipping containers’ permanence.

“They turned out great” students say as they rave about the container homes. “You get just enough kitchen, just enough living room, a workspace and a bathroom. It’s all I need as a student.”

“Once you walk into one, you forget you’re in a shipping container.” – Dr. Jens Frederikesen

Robert, owner of CCL, reflects on this project and is proud of the process and finished product with Fisk University. From construction to site logistics, Robert and his team have a lot of experience and know how to coordinate schedules so the logistics run smoothly.

“It’s [logistics] a piece of the puzzle that’s really huge,” Robert says referring to his company’s breadth of skills. Custom Container Living worked with Certified Construction to make sure the sites were licensed and permitted, and quality control was trustily taken care of to help develop the land for the containers. Certified Construction admires their work with Custom Container Living and describes the project as “glitch-free.”

During our interviews, one student went as far to say that when she searches for living post-college, she will look for a micro apartment thanks to such a good experience with the container home.

“One of the things that really drove me to get into this business was to be able to provide affordable, sustainable, durable housing for people,” Robert from CCL explains. “So providing housing for students makes my heart happy and proud we could achieve this.”

For Fisk University and Custom Container Living alike, it is gratifying that the project was a successful, well-received project.