That ugly cargo container you got stuck behind on the way to work is getting a new face and use, thanks to an enterprising couple who will soon be making the Tri-Cities home.
Tang Phosy and Eduardo Valdez are the owners of Kottage RV, manufacturers of what they say are the strongest park model RVs in the world. Made out of recycled shipping containers, Kottage RV is also a green business, which opened up in January in Port Coquitlam with nine employees.
With babyboomers soon to be empty-nesters and retired, Valdez and Phosy are hoping to capitalize on the growing destination RV business. Their affordable and customizable park model - with a roof so strong you can put a hot tub or garden on it - could be the next trend in green living for boomers seeking to get off the grid.
"These are ideal for people who like to have moveable homes, people who want to save on utilities and want green living," explained Phosy.
The couple has three children and will soon be moving to the area from North Vancouver (their PoCo factory even has a kids' playroom for when Phosy has to work weekends and nights) but for now they are concentrating on spreading the word about container housing. They've been hosting lunch and learn sessions with builders, planners and city mayors and posting videos about their attractively furnished and practical homes on YouTube.
"We're working on building education and understanding," said Phosy, marketing director for the family firm, who said the structures are made of Corten steel and built to Z241 Code Canadian standards.
Since opening, Kottage RV has sold six container park models to a holiday trailer park, which are currently under construction in a building that used to house the Salvation Army's recycling centre. Phosy said a First Nations group is looking at acquiring these homes for residential housing in the far north. They are cheaper to tow than traditional park models because they are narrow and don't require a pilot car, and can withstand extreme weather conditions.
Housing built from used shipping containers is not a new idea. It's a world-wide phenomenon because of the glut of these heavy steel structures that languish in ports after being delivered of their cargo. So called inter-modal steel building units or ISBUs have been used for student housing in Amsterdam, affordable housing in Vancouver and adaptable housing for modernist architects all over the world. Some time ago, container housing was even considered an option to house homeless in Port Coquitlam.
Kottage RV, however, is targeting the destination RV business, including resorts, trailer parks, lake lots and holiday parks, and has developed its own locking mechanism for slide-outs to expand the interior and is working on a hydraulic version as well as a peaked roof that will be collapsible.
Phosy credits her husband, a mechanical engineer who was previously employed in the shipping industry, for many of the modification but the original prototype was purchased from a friend who wanted to concentrate on the temporary office market.
"I saw potential in it," said Phosy, of the practical container homes she saw three years ago at EPIC, a sustainable green living EXPO in Vancouver. Her family has long been associated with green industry, having developed Overtime Building Maintenance, which uses only Green Seal and EcoLogo certified products.
Last year, Kottage RV further developed the prototype and showcased it at the PNE in a display with Victoria container architect Keith Dewey. "He invited us to be part of that, that's when interest really grew."
Other applications for the homes include laneway housing, park concession stands and mobile recording studios. But steel structures are particularly well-suited to the park model RV style of living. They are cosy and contain all the conveniences of home but can be locked up and left, and the building materials are resistant to pests.
Construction begins with the solid steel shipping containers as a base, windows and doors are cut out, the roof is coated with durable ceramic paint. Closed cell spray foam is used for insulation, giving the park model an R20 rating, and interior framing and drywall, plumbing, including on demand hot water heating and Thermo Matrix radiant floor heating are added. The structure is wrapped with cedar, vinyl, Hardie Plank or custom order siding material and other decorative features are added. Then specially made or adapted furniture is added, all of which can be customized.
Phosy and Valdez, both immigrants to Canada, also see the potential of using recycled containers for affordable housing. "That is something really close to my heart," said Phosy, who is originally from Laos in southeast Asia but grew up in Vancouver.
But for now, as the babyboomers begin their exodus from paid work to retirement, the park model RV housing sector seems an ideal launching pad for a new business.
For more information, visit www.kottagerv.com
