Would You Buy a Pre Fab Shipping Container Home from Amazon?

  |  November 2, 2017
pre fab shipping container home

MODS Pre Fab Shipping Container Home via Amazon.

…or an 1100 square foot kit cabin, for that matter? Yesterday, we featured this vintage kit cabin in Big Indian, and it got us thinking about cabin kits and how feasible it would be get one. That sent us right over to Amazon, where we searched for “tiny homes,” “prefab homes,” and “cabin kits.”

We like the 1100 square foot Modern cabin, priced affordably at $46K…but free shipping, you guys! This from the single review of the Allwood Eagle kit cabin:

“This does not come with assembly. You will need a contractor or some serious skill to complete the build.” 

Yikes. And, the walls are not insulated. That’s not a huge surprise. Consider it a DIY (or contract) seasonal two-story cottage project.

pre fab shipping container home

Or, how about a 113 square foot kit cabana for less than $4500? Definitely not meant for winter use, but we like the idea of perching it on a deck (not included). Imagine opening the doors and windows and watching a summer thunderstorm pass over from this tiny cabin.

Insulated kit cabins seem to be a little more difficult to find and mean more work for the builder, which is why we these pre fab shipping container homes might be juuuuuust right. It’s already constructed. It comes with bedroom, shower, toilet, sink, kitchenette, and living area already installed. Also includes a bottom sewer connection, electrical connection, and kitchen appliances. It’s insulated, heated, and air conditioned. Not half-bad for just under $13K.

Here’s what one reviewer said about the MODS International pre fab shipping container:

“I have personally walked through several of these “tiny home” units built by MODS and they are just like a conventional home on the inside.”

…aaaaaaand the lovefest ends there. The other reviews are not quite so friendly, and one mentions the existence of several lawsuits against the company. Read all the Amazon reviews here.

Meanwhile, here in the Hudson Valley/Catskills, Tiny Homes are almost old news, and there are plenty of reputable builders – like Hudson River Tiny Homes – to put one together for you if it’s too much to tackle without professionals. There’s also Steele House, who’ve done four container homes in Sullivan County. Want to try a Tiny House on for size? Book at stay at Think Big! A Tiny House Resort in Greene County.

Ordering a Tiny House from Amazon seems like a nifty idea in theory, but color us skeptical until they make a module that involves as much effort as putting up a pop-up tent.

I should be able to build my Tiny House like this.

Have you built a kit cabin, Tiny House, or shipping container house? Did you order it from Amazon? Tell us about it in the comments…

 

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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