Shipping containers/tiny-houses COOL!..Trailers..stigma? Why?

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1

1still_waters

Guest
#1
#1
I came across this story about shipping containers turned into homes for living.


I've also seen stories about mini-houses.
Small House Plans and Homes

Using a shipping container as housing seems to be viewed as cool, and trendy, and green. The same can be said of tiny houses. Yet if someone uses a trailer to live in or lives in a trailer park, there appears to be all of this stigma and negative stereotypes and connotations.

What's up with that?
Someone says, "Hey I live in a shipping container": The herd says neato.
Someone says, "Hey I live in a trailer.": The herd cringes....

I see no substantive difference between a shipping container and a trailer.

So ummm...what's up with the apparent double standard on this one?
Marketing?

Trailer park..


Shipping container...
 
Grace-Like-Rain

Grace-Like-Rain

Senior Member
#2
Sep 6, 2013
4,430
117
63
#2
Probably has to do with sheer cost of converting a shipping container into a housing unit. That extravagant cost automatically places you into a financial status that demands respect and admiration from the general public and HGTV. (Even though many mobile homes these days cost much more than a modest sized brick and mortar home.)

Something else about the idea that a mobile home can burn to the ground in less than 2 minutes... they really aren't made with quality materials.

But mobile homes definitely have their uses. It's a shame about the stigma. We lived in one for many years in order to reach financial stability while I stayed home to raise children. I'd do it again in the blink of an eye.
 
JesusChica1991

JesusChica1991

Banned
#3
May 9, 2012
1,514
25
0
#3
I'd rather live in a semi-trailer. But, ya know...a tornado might have a bit more fun with that.
 
U

Ugly

Guest
#4
#4
I'd say because the stigma of trailers is an established viewpoint in American culture as 'trailer trash'. It's a long standing idea of people in trailers. Not that it's right, but it's just an old way of seeing people that's been around for decades.
On the other hand shipping trailers are 'new' and 'cool'. And while i don't know the expense put into them, if Angie's right, and that's a factor, then that would only serve to increase the perceived distinction of the two, as usually trailer home people are perceived as low class and poor and 'out of the loop'. I think it mostly has to do with the long term way of seeing people that live in trailers having never ended.
 
N

Nodmyheadlikeyeah

Guest
#5
#5
Oh, i already have one of those.
 
N

Nodmyheadlikeyeah

Guest
#7
#7
Shouryu said:
Wait...THIS MEANS I WAS TRENDY AND COOL WHEN I WAS A KID!!!

Don't even get me started on my old roommate's cat!
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<---Old roommate's kitty??
 
I

iTOREtheSKY

Guest
#8
#8
Nodmyheadlikeyeah said:
Oh, i already have one of those.
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♫ Been livin' in a box...been livin' in a cardboard box ♫ Is homelessness the new black? Maybe HGTV will do a show on people who refurbish cardboard boxes...they can combine a few shows together & used the thing's collected from Hoarders. I smell an Emmy,er..or is that cat wee? Same diff.
 
Oncefallen

Oncefallen

Idiot in Chief
Staff member
#9
Jan 15, 2011
6,031
3,269
113
#9
I think the whole thing with the Conex home3s and "mini" homes being trendy is "green" construction. Obviously mini homes use very minimal fossil fuels to heat/cool due to them typically being only a couple hundred square feet.

Grace-Like-Rain said:
Probably has to do with sheer cost of converting a shipping container into a housing unit. That extravagant cost automatically places you into a financial status that demands respect and admiration from the general public and HGTV. (Even though many mobile homes these days cost much more than a modest sized brick and mortar home.)
Click to expand...
Other than possible headaches at the building department since transforming shipping containers into living spaces is not all that common, it is very inexpensive to "build" the structure. Used 40' shipping containers in good condition such as those pictured in the OP can be acquired for about $2,000 then the cost of a crane for a few hours to get them set in place. Someone with minimal metal working skills (cutting/welding) can do the "upgrades" (cutting in and reinforcing door and window openings. Chances are that this type of construction would have to be done cash as you go since most banks aren't going to write a construction loan and then mortgage for a non-traditional structure.

Personally, I'm contemplating buying a trailer (RV) to live in just to cut living costs since in recent years the cost of living has skyrocketed yet income has remained stagnant. I see no shame in making decisions that although they may fall outside the mainstream "American dream" are practical and will insure financial stability and the ability to actually put money away for the future.
 
1

1still_waters

Guest
#10
#10
It's the same thing with Urkel car and "smart cars".

Urkel car..


Smart car

 
JesusChica1991

JesusChica1991

Banned
#13
May 9, 2012
1,514
25
0
#13
I've thought about just making a shire hole like in LOTR and living in that XD
 
Oncefallen

Oncefallen

Idiot in Chief
Staff member
#16
Jan 15, 2011
6,031
3,269
113
#16
JimJimmers said:
Sharp ride. I drove a Duramax today, first time behind the wheel of a GMC made after 1988.
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That is not my truck, just one that looks like it that I sourced online. Unfortunately mine needs a paint job. :( The high levels of UV in CO is not kind to paint.
 
Pipp

Pipp

Majestic Llamacorn
#17
Sep 17, 2013
5,536
2,702
113
Georgia
#17
Oh is living in a trailer shameful? I live in a double wide trailer...beats living in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road . :p
 
seoulsearch

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
#18
May 23, 2009
14,943
4,587
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#18
Pipp said:
Oh is living in a trailer shameful? I live in a double wide trailer...beats living in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road . :p
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Pipp,

I lived in a double-wide trailer for the better part of my adult life. It was my first "house" and if not for other situations right now, I'd get another in a heartbeat. People don't realize they've come a long way. Mine was not nearly this fancy but many have fireplaces, jacuzzi's (I had a friend with who had one), and kitchen islands (perfect for you, Pipp! :))

I kept my expenses there as low as possible (being cheap, I never turned my thermostat higher than 70, even in the below-zero winters--I just wore sweaters) and worked to save money for several years. Some of my friends teased me for living in a "trailer", and one in particular would chide me to buy a "real" car (I had a Dodge Neon at the time) and "real" house, by why? What I had worked just fine, and I was able to save up for things like a 2-week trip to France because of it.
 
K

kenthomas27

Guest
#19
#19
Pipp said:
Oh is living in a trailer shameful? I live in a double wide trailer...beats living in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road . :p
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This was rich. For those of you unaccustomed to the nuances of a southern lady, "living in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road" is a fate worse than death. A southern lady would rather answer the door with cardboard toilet paper rolls in her hair for curlers than to live in a ditch on the side of the road. Living in a ditch is preferable to doing it on the side of the road where somebody could see you. You might as well go out in the garden and eat worms.
 
E

elainelw

Guest
#20
#20
Traditionally, trailers were made to be light weight and inexpensive, so in a few years, they started to rot and look unsightly. They are being better built now, but many old, dilapidated trailers are still around.

In addition, because of the low cost of the trailer and land rent, trailer parks attract people who have trouble functioning successfully in everyday life. Certainly some people in trailer parks are highly functional, but on average, trailer parks have a not insignificant percentage of people with substance abuse, unemployment, and/or other issues.

Tiny houses are often self-built by people who take pride in their craftsmanship. They are enthusiastic about choosing the design and materials and are often concerned about building sustainably. As a result, both the homes and the people tend to be more benevolent in society. The same is true, to some extent, to folks that convert shipping containers. They often spend a lot of time and energy on creating a beautiful space.

That said, there are exceptions. Some trailers are beautiful and owned by lovely people, and some tiny houses are ugly and thrown together by careless people who are a scourge to society.

If interested, you can learn more about tiny houses at Tiny House Community: home
We're having a fair in Texas in October that should be lots of fun.
 
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