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Inn Owner, Survivor of Hurricane Ike, Will Use Shipping Containers in B&B Expansion

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CRYSTAL BEACH, TEXAS—In September 2008, Hurricane Ike leveled thousands of homes along the Texas coast. It was the third costliest Atlantic hurricane of all time. The four-room Out By the Sea Bed and Breakfast in Crystal Beach, owned by Carole Hamadey, survived the onslaught but still sustained significant damage. The next time a powerful hurricane comes knocking on Hamadey’s door, it will have a more difficult time “renovating.”

Hamadey is about to add three additional guestrooms to her B&B using three steel shipping containers. That’s right, the large shipping containers one sees on ships crossing the ocean. Construction using the containers has been perfected by Devan Sophia, owner of PhiloSophia DesignWorks in Lake Jackson, Texas. Sophia’s construction team will soon begin the work on the B&B addition. The shipping containers will originate from the Port of Houston.

After a friend suggested the building technique to Hamadey, she visited a home in Lake Jackson that is being built by PhiloSophia DesignWorks using shipping containers. The containers’ low cost was certainly a factor in her decision to use them. While the specific price for the addition has not yet been determined, Hamadey says her budget for the project is $30,000.

Highly Resistant to Rust

Sophia says shipping containers are easy to work with and cost-effective. “They are very strong and resistant to the elements,” he says. “They are constructed to survive ocean voyages. They are very resistant to rust. They are perfect foundations for any home—especially on the beach. There is not much framing and you get a very structural building. Anywhere we can, we use materials that are renewable or recycled.”

Windows or doors can easily be cut into the steel walls of the containers. The most common container size is 8 feet wide and either 20 or 40 feet long. Some containers are up to 53 feet in length. Container prices fluctuate like the stock market, Sophia says. They can easily be shipped by truck.

Initially, Sophia says his idea to build using shipping containers was met with a lot of skepticism. Now that his business is beginning to take off, he believes shipping containers are ideal for not only homes but also apartment buildings or hotels. Outside of the United States, shipping containers have been used in many types of buildings (click here to access Container City video).

Be sure to follow Green Lodging News for updates on the Out By the Sea Bed and Breakfast expansion.

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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