Shipping Containers are coming to PDX

What once may have hauled everything from new sneakers to smartphones across the seas and across the country could now be part of the answer to Portland’s housing state of emergency.

At least that’s how Montana-based Montainer Inc. is in part positioning its entry into the Portland market next week. The company, which is headquartered in Missoula, revamps old shipping containers into Accessory Dwelling Units. Decked out with utilities, appliances, a range of finishes and design accents, the units are manufactured in Montana and then delivered and installed to homeowner sites across the U.S.

Montainer plans to officially launch in the Portland market with a demo installation event in Pioneer Square that runs from June 28 through July 2. The company sees its offerings as part of the solution to the Rose City’s increasingly tight and expensive housing market. According to “independent research” cited by the company, Portland has more than 100,000 backyards that are zoned to accept ADUs.

“We see each of these backyards as a vacant lot, with the potential to add much needed housing for the city,” said Montainer co-founder and CEO, Patrick Collins, in a release. “We are empowering individual homeowners with a streamlined way to add an ADU to their backyard, and in essence, become micro developers who can collectively make a real dent in rising housing costs.”

The company offers a range of different configurations and has a design team that works with individuals to customize their units. Prices vary, but sample configurations on the Montainer website range from a 160-square-foot unit that would cost between $60,000 and $105,000 to build and install to a 1,000-square-foot configuration that could top $325,000 to build and install.

The original article can be found HERE on the Portland Business Journal’s website.