Builders bring container house concept to Alberta

It may look average. But this tiny house deep in southwest Edmonton is far from typical.

The 640 square foot, two-storey house was shipped from China in steel shipping containers. Whats different about this model is that the shipping containers themselves make up the homes foundation.

Entrepreneurs Sergio Torres and Chad Osman are convinced there is a market for this unusual building concept in Alberta.

Torres first saw it on television.

It got me wondering. What would be the step to take this from just people that really dare to do things differently to the everyday home? he said.

Torres phoned an Edmonton company specializing in ecologically-friendly construction to get ideas. Osman, the builders son, joined the project and they ordered their first container home.

Upon first sighting, he admits he was surprised.

I looked at it and I thought wow, thats neat! said Osman. How is that a house made out of containers?

It didnt take long for him to see how easily the process could work.

The containers come with everything needed to finish a home, including the insulation, drywall and electrical. Two or three workers put it all together using only a crane, wrench, caulking gun and drill.

The pair believes container homes offer an inexpensive alternative to the hot housing market. They say the home they built on Ellerslie Road near 181 Street would cost about $60,000.

Its also the first of its kind in Alberta.

Weve heard of it in B.C. and Ontario, but in Alberta theres nothing. So I thought to myself - lets bring a sample here, said Osman.

"Lets try it out.

In Canada, there is already a motel made of Sea-Cans in Estevan, Saskatchewan. And a women's social-housing development in Vancouver was built from 12 recycled shipping containers.

Torres and Osman see room for similar opportunities in this province. Theyve already been in touch with interested businesses. And they have plans to pitch the concept in the Alberta oil patch where housing space is limited.

This container home in southwest Edmonton is a single pilot model. But the pair hope to market larger projects soon - including a design for an office building.