Shipping Container IP Viability

Hi,

This idea, is out in the market place allready, in Christhcurch buildings are being made out of containers and so wil some properties in the future.

Recently a building in melbourne was extended by using containers. By the way it was to extended the QV building.

Keep an I out on this!!!

The idea has been around for more than a few years now and is very popular in the mining areas of Western Qld.

We had a few on a site of ours other side of Roma which we did nicely out of.

Not sure how you would go trying to one an empty block in Balmain as the locals might object but ideal for the Country areas where accomadation is needed and needed fast.

Cheers

Yours in Finance

Last time I talked to Royal Wolf  they had a gazilion of these things floating around. They aren’t the only mob into converted shipping containers for all sorts of purposes. As mining construction has come off the boil all the equipment used in construction (incl containers) has been progressively backloaded to holding areas for disposal.

Royal Wolf commercial for containers

Container buildings may seem sexy but they’re a specialised (very small) niche market. I and a mate experimented with niche construction projects over 25 years ago. The theory was great. The practical outcomes where a disaster.

Container accommodation is associated with short term, cramped, worker style living quarters. There is no market looking to buy these things other than emergency or worker quarters.

My advice would be to find out if there is any demand and if that demand is being met. off the cuff I would say at this point the market is over supplied and there are sophisticated players like Royal Wolf who pushing their own surplus stocks. For the life of me I can’t see why anyone would want to try and make a go of it in that market.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking “If I build it they will come”.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by  Long John.

andy28 wrote:

I have looked into it a bit. The refrigerated ones seem to be the go, as they have good insulation. They cost more though. I could see them being used as granny flats in big back yards of existing rental properties. Or as a hobby off-the-grid project/cubby house/man cave for personal use.

I wonder if some second-hand ones could be gotten cheaply post-mining boom.

There are quite a few resources online about this.

Be careful of getting Council approvals for these types of buildings Andy. Many Councils go by the EP&A Act definition of a building which defines transportable and modular structures as not being buildings; thus they won’t approve them as granny flats. Just make sure you check with Council before hitting the ‘buy-it-now’ button.

Here’s the NSW Planning Circular on the matter: http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/planningsystem/pdf/circulars/ps06_018_transportablehomes.pdf

I’ve had an application rejected by a Sydney Council and the client already bought the container from eBay! EEEEEEK!

Serge.