He has had a good deal of success, all of it deserved. He travels frequently and has lived much of the past 20 years outside of the United States. He first presented the idea of a nomadic house to me several years ago. I've been pestering him for the past two years to put the concept into a written form for EscapeArtist.com  Here's the second installment in what we hope will be an ongoing series. We fully recommmend that readers visit Colins website to see his furniture designs. There is a 'workshop tour' on the site. Take the tour. MetaMorp -

In Part 1 of this article I introduced the idea of a portable dwelling based on a standard international shipping container.   As a housing alternative to renting or buying, it¹s one that offers a high degree of portability, customization, and security.    In the second half I want to get specific and lay out plans for moving the idea closer to reality.

For starters, how many containers make a suitable "home"?   After walking inside several and imagining the possibilities, I¹ve long thought two 40 foot containers would be good.   I foresaw one container as a living space and another as a work studio with tools and storage.   But I now think just one container would be an appropriate challenge.Perhaps a second container could be acquired locally at new destinations and used for additional space as needed.   I still want to discuss arrangements with more than one container, but I see a different level of customization for each container.   For instance, the primary container might be equipped with plumbing for bathing, a toilet, and a sink.

It would also have electrical outlets connected to a fuse box and a propane system for a stove, refrigerator, and heating/cooling.

Electric power.   To run lights, tools, some appliances, computer, and a stereo.   The idea when planning all utility systems for the container home is to be flexible and prepared to handle as many diverse situations as possible.   Obviously, broader flexibility and or adaptability will create more opportunities for locations.   Access to a local electricity source would be the easiest solution.   A small opening on the outside of the container to accept a heavy duty extension cord would allow the whole plug inside and secure it so no one could accidentally or easily unplug you.   Two or three of these plug-ins could create different circuits to keep the computer and stereo power separate from tools or charging batteries.

Surge protectors and a power converter are basic electrical accessories to include.    A small fuse box with 2-4 breakers would be great if you planned to have a more direct power source.   But I think well-placed standard "power strips" (multiple socket rack with a built-in fuse) and extension cords can offer just as much function.

Locations away from local power means generating your own.   This is where you realize which appliances suck up power and which don't.   I'm not going to recommend specific solar power systems because a huge array of products exists.   There are options from reasonable to expensive that will keep your lights, music, and computer running.

Water:   arguably the most important utility and one of the main factors determining the placement of your container home.   Any decent water system requires a source, pressure, maybe storage, heating, and the plumbing to deliver it where needed.   The easiest situation would allow you to hook up to a municipal water source.   All that'd needed is a range of fittings and a hose, and the fittings could be purchased locally since they'll undoubtedly be of local size standards.   That'll give you the source and pressure you need, but not a hot shower.   Storing large amounts of water and continually heating it for immediate use is amazingly stupid no matter how much space and money you have.   I can¹t believe this is the standard in the United States well, maybe I can.   I once lived in an apartment in Milan, and we had a box on the bathroom wall with gas and water pipes running thru it.