After developing the concept for more than a year, Habitat for Humanity Georgetown County, in South Carolina, recently received the necessary approvals and permits to go ahead with its project of converting shipping containers into tiny homes for low-income residents. Habitat volunteers officially began working on a prototype last week, ABC 15 reports.
A first of its kind in the state, Georgetown Habitat is transforming 300-square-foot shipping containers into tiny homes. Each home will include a bedroom, full-size bath with a tub, living room, washer and dryer, and a kitchen.
Executive Director Laura Gassler said this creates an affordable housing solution for people making as little as $16,000 a year.
"We are building our first shipping container home. We've named it 'HOPE' because that just says so much about the project and what it's gonna do for the people in Georgetown."
She explained, "With the shipping container, we don't have to have the cost of a roof, we don't have to have the cost of a siding and everything, so we are hoping to build these much more economically than we would a stick build house."
Advertisement
Related Stories
Innovation
IKEA Model Home Aims to Ease the Trauma of Homelessness
Blending innovation with empathy and eco-conscious design, IKEA US unveils a pioneering model home in its Live Oak, Texas, store
Affordability
How Much Income Do First-Time Buyers Need to Afford the Average Home?
The median-priced home is unaffordable in 44 of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas
Affordability
What Is the Relationship Between Urban vs. Suburban Development and Affordability?
A new paper from Harvard's Joint Center looks at whether expanding the supply of suburban housing could, in turn, help make dense urban areas more affordable