Chuck Lemieux thinks he's hit on the perfect home for modern families: an affordable structure that offers durability and a flexible floor plan and one that can easily expand, with all the renovations performed off-site.
Mr. Lemieux's company, Blocks Container Structures based in Okotoks, Alta., is a shipping container construction startup offering creative solutions for multigenerational households that challenges the conventions of how we up-size.
"It's really about building homes that grow as your family grows and grow as your budget grows" the 31-year-old founder and real estate entrepreneur said.
"We've had a big increase in demand for secondary suites recently and we're building them primarily for aging parents or older children. A lot of parents see them as a stepping stone for teenagers, and even kids in their twenties, who need their independence and privacy but aren't quite ready or able to move out yet. They also make a great investment, so it makes sense all round."
Costing as little as $120 a square foot, the compact units can work for compact budgets.
But Mr. Lemieux has his sights set higher than granny flats, student pads and tiny rental units. His vision is to create homes that evolve over time to fit the changing needs of your family.
"The really unique thing about building with containers is that we can start you off with a small one- or two-bedroom house and then we can add to that to grow your home around you as your family grows, as your circumstances change and as your budget increases. We start by planning where you want to be and then we build for where you're at right now."
It might sound futuristic, but Mr. Lemieux says this model is proven and working right now.
"I have clients who've called me and said they're expecting their first child, so can we look at putting together a couple of new units for them and delivering in six months' time. We can stack upwards or outwards."
The added benefit with containers is that units can be constructed and kitted-out off-site, minimizing time spent living in renovations. It's a benefit the commercial construction industry has been enjoying for years.
Even with so much potential within their humble 8-foot-by-40-foot dimensions, shipping container houses have had a hard time gaining a foothold in the single-home residential market. Shipping container construction for family homes is an idea that's been around since at least 1987. But some see a growing acceptance and demographic change that may propel the market.
Jyoti Gondek, an urban sociologist and director at Calgary's Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies, says the changing face of the typical North American household could hold the key.
Canada's aging population is growing. Simultaneously, many millennials have "failed to launch" from the family home. Thirty-five per cent of Calgarians from the ages of 20 to 29 were still living with their parents in 2011. These trends are combined with rising numbers of immigrants from cultures where family homes regularly feature a full spectrum of generations co-habiting.
The result is more than half a million three-generation households in Canada, a number that is growing each year.
"We have more family unit types than ever before in Canada, from blended families to multigenerational families, and builders are starting to try to build for that market," Ms. Gondek said. "Privacy, flexibility and compartmentalization, coupled with communal space, are all becoming key features."
And she's enthusiastic at the prospects afforded by Mr. Lemieux's evolving container homes. "By allowing people to be less transient because they don't have to sell up and move when their needs change, we achieve greater social cohesion and sense of community. That's a really exciting prospect."
Nora Spinks, CEO at the Vanier Institute of the Family, a national organization dedicated to understanding family life in Canada, agrees that the social climate for shipping container homes could be just right.
"There's an abundance of them in Canada; we're starting to see examples of them in action and they're economical," she said. "Plus the generation now looking to buy their first home grew up with that reduce, reuse, recycle message and it's important to them."
Ms. Spinks expects multigeneration homes will continue to increase in number, but the bigger developing real estate opportunity for container construction could be congregate living.
"Every generation is facing new and unique challenges ,which means people are becoming much more creative in the way they live. Occasionally, seniors will outlive their savings; we're seeing a rise in 'grey divorce'; young people are struggling to find work and pay off student debt. All of these challenges create a strong case for co-habiting. Humans are very adaptive creatures; we adapt our living spaces to our reality."
But the limits of how creative we're willing to get with our homes might not be quite as wide as Ms. Spinks believes. Mr. Lemieux said his biggest hurdle to date has been educating people on the end product.
"Alberta is a pretty traditional market, so we've spent a lot of time setting up show homes so people see that the finished product can look as much or as little like a shipping container as you want it to. That's also one of the biggest challenges we've faced with communities where people want everything to look the same. And we can do that – people just don't realize we can do it."
So we shouldn't expect to see any life-size Lego brick homes any time soon? "No," he said with a laugh. "Most of our finished homes are unrecognizable as containers."
Chuck Lemieux thinks he’s hit on the perfect home for modern families: an affordable structure that offers durability and a flexible floor plan and one that can easily expand, with all the renovations performed off-site.
Mr. Lemieux’s company, Blocks Container Structures based in Okotoks, Alta., is a shipping container construction startup offering creative solutions for multigenerational households that challenges the conventions of how we up-size.
“It’s really about building homes that grow as your family grows and grow as your budget grows” the 31-year-old founder and real estate entrepreneur said.
“We’ve had a big increase in demand for secondary suites recently and we’re building them primarily for aging parents or older children. A lot of parents see them as a stepping stone for teenagers, and even kids in their twenties, who need their independence and privacy but aren’t quite ready or able to move out yet. They also make a great investment, so it makes sense all round.”
Costing as little as $120 a square foot, the compact units can work for compact budgets.
But Mr. Lemieux has his sights set higher than granny flats, student pads and tiny rental units. His vision is to create homes that evolve over time to fit the changing needs of your family.
“The really unique thing about building with containers is that we can start you off with a small one- or two-bedroom house and then we can add to that to grow your home around you as your family grows, as your circumstances change and as your budget increases. We start by planning where you want to be and then we build for where you’re at right now.”
It might sound futuristic, but Mr. Lemieux says this model is proven and working right now.
“I have clients who’ve called me and said they’re expecting their first child, so can we look at putting together a couple of new units for them and delivering in six months’ time. We can stack upwards or outwards.”
The added benefit with containers is that units can be constructed and kitted-out off-site, minimizing time spent living in renovations. It’s a benefit the commercial construction industry has been enjoying for years.
Even with so much potential within their humble 8-foot-by-40-foot dimensions, shipping container houses have had a hard time gaining a foothold in the single-home residential market. Shipping container construction for family homes is an idea that’s been around since at least 1987. But some see a growing acceptance and demographic change that may propel the market.
Jyoti Gondek, an urban sociologist and director at Calgary’s Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies, says the changing face of the typical North American household could hold the key.
Canada’s aging population is growing. Simultaneously, many millennials have “failed to launch” from the family home. Thirty-five per cent of Calgarians from the ages of 20 to 29 were still living with their parents in 2011. These trends are combined with rising numbers of immigrants from cultures where family homes regularly feature a full spectrum of generations co-habiting.
The result is more than half a million three-generation households in Canada, a number that is growing each year.
“We have more family unit types than ever before in Canada, from blended families to multigenerational families, and builders are starting to try to build for that market,” Ms. Gondek said. “Privacy, flexibility and compartmentalization, coupled with communal space, are all becoming key features.”
And she’s enthusiastic at the prospects afforded by Mr. Lemieux’s evolving container homes. “By allowing people to be less transient because they don’t have to sell up and move when their needs change, we achieve greater social cohesion and sense of community. That’s a really exciting prospect.”
Nora Spinks, CEO at the Vanier Institute of the Family, a national organization dedicated to understanding family life in Canada, agrees that the social climate for shipping container homes could be just right.
“There’s an abundance of them in Canada; we’re starting to see examples of them in action and they’re economical,” she said. “Plus the generation now looking to buy their first home grew up with that reduce, reuse, recycle message and it’s important to them.”
Ms. Spinks expects multigeneration homes will continue to increase in number, but the bigger developing real estate opportunity for container construction could be congregate living.
“Every generation is facing new and unique challenges ,which means people are becoming much more creative in the way they live. Occasionally, seniors will outlive their savings; we’re seeing a rise in ‘grey divorce’; young people are struggling to find work and pay off student debt. All of these challenges create a strong case for co-habiting. Humans are very adaptive creatures; we adapt our living spaces to our reality.”
But the limits of how creative we’re willing to get with our homes might not be quite as wide as Ms. Spinks believes. Mr. Lemieux said his biggest hurdle to date has been educating people on the end product.
“Alberta is a pretty traditional market, so we’ve spent a lot of time setting up show homes so people see that the finished product can look as much or as little like a shipping container as you want it to. That’s also one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced with communities where people want everything to look the same. And we can do that – people just don’t realize we can do it.”
So we shouldn’t expect to see any life-size Lego brick homes any time soon? “No,” he said with a laugh. “Most of our finished homes are unrecognizable as containers.”