The salient point of this episode centers around the evolution and increasing popularity of container home living as a sustainable lifestyle choice. Throughout the discourse, we delve into the historical progression of human shelter, from primitive structures to modern container homes, which epitomize innovative residential solutions. Our conversation features Burton Cardwell II, an esteemed contractor and representative of Blocks and New Co Design Build, who elucidates the practicalities and benefits associated with container construction. We explore the burgeoning interest in this architectural approach, particularly in the context of commercial applications such as pickleball facilities, and discuss the critical importance of professional expertise in ensuring structural integrity and compliance with local regulations. The episode serves as an informative guide for those contemplating a transition to sustainable living through container homes and related developments.

A profound exploration into the evolution of human habitation showcases mankind's relentless quest for refuge from the capriciousness of nature. Over the ages, the architectural landscape has undergone a metamorphosis, transitioning from rudimentary bamboo structures to the formidable concrete edifices that dominate urban skylines today. This transformation is not merely a testament to the ingenuity of human beings but also a reflection of our growing awareness of environmental sustainability. In recent years, there has been an earnest movement towards adopting more sustainable lifestyles, prompting individuals to seek innovative alternatives to conventional housing. Container homes have emerged as a compelling solution, merging functionality with eco-friendliness. This episode delves into the fascinating realm of container home living, inviting listeners to reimagine their perspectives on housing while underscoring the pressing need for sustainable practices in contemporary society.

Takeaways:

• Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has continually sought effective means to protect itself from the elements.
• The evolution of shelters has transitioned significantly from rudimentary bamboo huts to sophisticated concrete towers over centuries.
• In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on adopting sustainable living practices to benefit our planet.
• The burgeoning interest in container homes exemplifies a practical approach towards resourcefulness and sustainable living.
• Engaging with professionals in container home construction is imperative to ensure proper design and structural integrity.
• The container home industry is rapidly gaining traction in the Midwest, indicating a shift in public perception and acceptance.

Links referenced in this episode:

• boxcaruniverse.com
• stardustbuilding.org
• mrelectric.com/phoenix-metro
• idealhomeimprovementaz.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Blox
• NewCo Design Build
• Ideal Home Improvement
• Stardust Building Supplies
• Family Promise
• Mr. Electric of Phoenix Metro

Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.

Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.

The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.

Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?

Look no further.

You're about to enter the adventures of container Home living.

And now, contractor, radio and TV personality and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubel, host of Boxcar Universe.

And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.

We're going inside one of America's most advanced modular builders, blocks and new co design builders.

They deal with container homes, commercial pickleball facilities.

Modular innovation at its finest.

And joining us to tell us everything about the company and the mission that they have is Burton Cardwell ii.

So I want everybody to stay tuned, all that and more on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe, where we're remodeling and renovating your world.

And I'd like to welcome all of you to Boxcar Universe today as we get ready to set our sights on next week and Thanksgiving.

We've got a lot of things going on and as we always try and do, bring the best in container home living and actually, you know, when we can, we can highlight and showcase something.

When it comes to be a container in the commercial aspect, we want to do that as well because we know a lot of our listeners are not just, you know, homeowners, they are commercial business people.

And when you can do the do business and use a container, that's just being more, you know, resourceful and just living, living a better lifestyle and repurposing things and recycling.

So without further ado, I'd like to bring Burton Cardwell a second in.

Burton, thank you so much for joining us on Boxcar Universe today.

Steve, thanks.

It's a pleasure.

Thanks for having me.

All right, thank you.

And I know it's, you're up in the outer reaches of Michigan and we're down here and funny people down here, they say it's raining the last few days and it's cold.

It's only 62.

We're at 42, so I'll come to you.

Oh, there you go.

No, I see.

I know you just, you know, we're still in like sweatshirt weather, you know, but when it rains, but usually in this time of year it's like in the 70s, so it's not too bad.

But you know, people, I like to get on People's case, they turn around and, you know, tell them it's Sweater Wheeler.

But Bert, tell us a little bit about the company and how you got started with Blocks and New co. Design Build.

Sure.

Yeah.

So you, you know, Newco Design Build was, is the parent company of blocks and about 15 years old this year for NewCo and about three years into that.

So, you know, about 12 years ago, we were looking to do something unique and the owner was like, you know what, I really dig the container and I really want to push that.

And so he and I had a conversation.

I was actually renting space from him, believe it or not, and doing something completely different.

And I said, let's push this.

And he said, let's do it.

So the origin is you had a design build construction company and he wanted to innovate, set himself apart and said, I think containers are the way to do it.

I've experienced them not only in Europe, but also Asia and hey, look, bring it to the Midwest.

So that's kind of the origin how they got started.

Well, you know, and that's.

I can appreciate wanting to diversify and set yourself apart for something that you do because obviously that is something container home building, something that, you know, not everybody can do.

I mean, I know you can go online and you could, you could see people, you know, thinking that they're making a mark on the community and they have no clue on what they're doing.

When they say, well, I'm going to do this design and container home, you know, then they start hacking the container up and they have no clue on how to support the walls and everything else.

And, you know, it's, that's why I always tell people it's, you need to go to a professional who understands what's going on.

And especially, you know, when you, when you wouldn't think of trying to do something without plans or anything, if you were going to build a traditional home, the same thing goes for the container home.

You've got to have something there that is signed off, that is engineered properly because God forbid something happens to it and someone gets injured, you know, the liability is going to go back on the builder.

You are absolutely right.

And I think that is a lot of, you know, our part of our origin, if you would say like 1a or 1b is the fact that we came along at a time when, you know, there was a lot of what you're talking about.

And just to be completely honest, there's a lot of shysters in the, in the area, you know, hey, I can make a quick buck.

And what happened was, you know, we ended up fixing a lot of that early stuff with our knowledge, with our engineering, and truly just listening to the customer and the client.

And so once people started to understand that, to your point, it wasn't just cutting steel and putting yourself inside it.

We started to gain a foothold and community started to trust us.

And that is when we really saw a change in the perception of container homes, container fabrication and construction.

Tell us a little bit about how, obviously we're out here on the west coast, or kind of west coast, almost in Phoenix.

Phoenix.

But how is container homes?

How is that received in the Midwest, up in the region of Michigan where you are.

You know what, Steve?

It is.

It has been slow, to be completely honest, but what I will say is it is now becoming a juggernaut.

I am taking probably easily 15 to 20 inquiries a month for container construction from homes to pop up retail to, you know, literally dispensaries.

And it's just all over the map, to be completely honest.

Well, yeah, I mean, yeah, I'm sure, yeah.

Dispensaries are probably something that somebody wants to put up very quickly and get moving on their business, that's for sure.

But, yeah, we've seen a lot of different commercial aspects here in the Valley.

There's one place down here in central Phoenix called Churchill's.

And what it is, it's almost like a.

It's similar to what we're going to talk a little bit about later with the commercial pickleball courts, but it's like a container set up in a rectangle with shops and a courtyard and everything else in a couple of, you know, sports bars all put into this.

And they.

The one thing that I thought was very unique was that it wasn't just like they sat them on the ground on the corner where it.

Because this.

Their business is right on a corner.

They took a container and they stood it on end and they put it right on the top of the corner.

And then they did a.

They sculptured out the sidewall to give it a little artsy effect, which is really pretty cool.

But, yeah, a lot of different things.

A lot of different people trying to do certain things.

I know somebody who was a roofer that all of a sudden he got online and, you know, he was.

Just.

Because he thought he was a roofer and a contractor, that he knew what he was doing when he was.

He was showing people how he was hacking up the container.

I haven't seen anything about reinforcing any walls yet, though I don't know about that.

I don't know if he's going to do it or not.

But in the course of the containers that you build, do you usually frame the insides with metal or wood?

We will do either.

What we have found is that obviously our client sometimes have some specific requirements or thoughts on that.

And then what we try to do is work collaboratively with them.

And the reason I say that is because we have found that certain applications work better for utilizing wood and certain applications work better with utilizing steel.

And so we have the capability to do either.

And what, what we have found quite frankly is on a, a quick residential build or a small type of application, when we call them singles.

Right.

It's a 20 or a 40.

Right.

We tend to use wood more.

If we're doing something where it is a multiple container application, more of a commercial application, we will use steel.

Okay.

Yeah.

Because I know some of the other container companies that I've been privileged to meet and, and talk and have on the show it they talk about a lot of times if they do one particular commercial project which is like Israelium, really near and dear to my heart because they did a build out for a non profit organization called Family Promise.

And what it is, they're building six different small communities, six 40 footers and building us like a small courtyard and everything else.

And it's for homeless moms with their kids that had to flee and now they're trying to get back.

You know, they're putting, and it's not just having a roof over their head and food.

The Family Promise actually has a program that they can actually go through.

And I actually did a, a PSA with my former guest host and must have been about a year and a half ago now.

And for them to be able to go out and they had a testimonial from one of the ladies that had gone through the program.

I'm telling you, Burton, if, if you heard this, you would definitely be moved.

It had to be one of the most emotional shows I've ever done in the last 20 years.

I mean there's so much to the point that I asked them to let me use the testimony in a psa, but the ways that you could help people in a lot of different things.

And again, they use containers because that was something that they wanted to do and be a good steward of what we have here to use.

Instead of using new materials, they wanted to use recycle containers.

Hopefully.

You know what we, I've, I've learned that they Also have to use either brand new or one time use.

Yes, I think, and I think that's important.

We do too, Steve.

We absolutely do.

When we got started, a lot of, you know, our thought process was upcycle and you know, CWS container cargo worthy.

And we kind of said, you know, we'll do it, but we'd prefer not to.

We're now at a point where one trips or new is all we use.

And if I can just step back a little bit.

Interestingly enough, Newco has had a relationship with Family Promise here in Grand Rapids for about six years.

And that installation that you are talking about, the local entity here pointed to that.

And I can tell you that there has been talk and discussion of doing, working with blocks to do emulate what they did in the project you're talking about.

So we have been involved with them as well.

So that's kind of interesting that you brought that up.

Yeah, I mean that's really good.

That's good news to hear.

I mean, because they have, I mean, I think it's a great organization.

And you know, the containers that they built, I mean I was over there at the property before they.

Even when they just placed the containers there, I mean, and they obviously are, they're all finished about 90% when they get over there.

The problem that we had was that, and I'm sure you experienced this too, government, municipalities and permits and all those other things that we need to talk about to be able to make sure that those are in place before we can actually put it all together.

And they just, it went on for months, it was just amazing, till they were finally able to get the clearance to move forward on it.

Yeah, I think you hit upon something that is very prevalent in what I will call our industry, the container industry and the modular is, pardon me, the municipalities not necessarily understanding in totality what it is, why, why it's good, how this construction technique not only is acceptable, but in some cases can be better.

And so what we find Steve, is that there is a lot of education process that goes in.

It's kind of interesting that you have municipalities who want this for their community or want something that is maybe less expensive, can be put up faster.

And then there are those what I'll just call the roadblocks or the difficulties of understanding the process.

And so we, we that really what what we do is we do have project managers who go out ahead of those projects and start to talk with the municipalities about what blocks or what container construction is and what it is not.

Yeah.

And again I think that's, you're right on point, especially when people that are not familiar with that type of build the education process that you have to go through so that they understand why they, why you do what you do.

And if that's the decision they want to go to and they like it, then they're fully up to speed.

I think that's again, an educated, an educated consumer I think is so important.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

No question.

Absolutely.

But we're going to take a short break.

When we come back, we're going to be talking about one of my, you know, near and dear things that I started getting into this year and when I had a chance and I found, you know, Burton and his company the Blocks, we were talking about pickleball courts and one of the, one of the projects that Burton has done is build a commercial container built pickleball court.

So I want everybody to stay tuned because you're going to be love to hear all about that when we come back.

Don't go away.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

This is Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

And if your home needs a transformation, Ideal Home Improvement is a team you can trust.

From kitchens to bathrooms, room additions, windows, roofing and flooring, even full home renovations, we deliver craftsmanship, communication, integrity every step of the way.

Licensed, bonded and insured.

Ideal Home Improvement we build it better because your home deserves it.

Stardust Building Supplies is your home improvement thrift store.

Find salvaged and gently used cabinetry, doors w windows, appliances, lighting, plumbing and much more.

Save money, be green and support the community.

Shop and donate at Star Building Supplies Valley locations.

For more info visit stardustbuilding.org.

All right, we are back and you're listening to Boxcar Universe and we are talking about container homes and container commercial pickleball facilities with Burton D. Cardwell ii.

And we're going to talk a little bit about the commercial pickleball courts and the project that he has done and other ones that are on the, on the planning board.

But, but Burton, tell us a little bit how did this come about?

Did the consumer was interested in doing a facility as this with containers?

Sure.

So this was kind of really interesting here in Grand Rapids.

Like so many places, it's just sweeping the country.

Of course the sport of pickleball, we have a number of ranked amateurs who live here.

And one of those ranked amateurs decided, you know what?

I want a pickled ball.

I'll just.

Facility, right?

But I want one where there is food, where there is, you know, other activities.

This is actually also married with an indoor wiffle ball court.

So, you know, kind of combining that as well.

And so that, that individual walked in our door and said, hey, this is what I kind of want to do.

And so we sat down with them, talked with them, and because of course, we're in Michigan, you know, being outdoors 24, 7 is, you know, not, not going to work year round.

So what we talked about, Steve, was because of our parent company being able to build in a standard fashion, we built a pre engineered building, right.

Lack of a better word, a warehouse.

Then what we did is, I believe there are six quarts inside there, plus the, the wiffle ball court.

And then we used the containers inside as eating areas, bar areas, viewing areas, and because you need the extra height, we were able to stack those containers as well.

So what you basically have is you can have tournaments, you can have, you can take your drink from the actual bar and you can go, you know, to a second story overlook four courts and you can watch pickleball and you know, you know, munch on your chips or your, or your burger while you're doing it.

It's kind of great.

Well, that's pretty cool.

Yeah.

And I think the, the aspect of having a wiffle ball court is interesting to be able to have that in there as well.

I think, you know, from the traditional courts that I see over here, some of them are more elaborate.

Like you say.

They have the pickleball courts and the buildings and the bars and all that other good stuff that you want to be able to do.

Obviously, like a lot of people and they come out just for, for fun.

They come out.

And what do they want to do?

Well, they want to play pickleball, but at the same time too, like you say, they want to take a break maybe between a game and eat while they're there.

This other one I'm thinking of, it's called chicken pickle, chicken and pickle.

And they have obviously chicken there.

But they have some other things too.

They have like a big area where they have cornhole, where you can play cornhole, along with the different.

They've got indoor and outdoor courts.

So I think everybody is, everybody's situation's a little bit different in the way they do it.

I think they've out here, the ones that I've came across is they've utilized, you know, regular commercial buildings and created it within them, but they haven't gone out and created a single entity like the one that you're talking about, which I think is, is, is very unique.

How long did it take to.

Once you.

I mean, with the design and the build, how long did that take?

Sure.

I would say that it was probably around eight months total.

And of those eight months, probably three of them, four of them was designed, believe it or not, because as you well know, you know, people have some changes and you know, starts and stops.

The construction was about four, four months.

Okay, so that was good.

Did.

So did they do most of the construction on site once they placed the containers, or did you do part of it, you know, at your warehouse?

Yeah, great question.

So I would say warehouse about 80%, 90%, maybe 85 if I'm splitting hairs.

And then the extra balance was done on site.

But it was nice because we had, quite frankly a big open space, as you might imagine.

And we were able to not only get the containers inside, we were also able to, we painted them in our facility, but we were then had to do some touch up, as you might imagine, as things are moved in.

And yeah, the stairs had to be connected and the railings and so.

Yes, but what we found about that was really interesting, Steve, is that the reception was just absolutely amazing because I think it's the first time locally some of people had been exposed to containers and the capabilities.

And so it's been an interesting way for us to kind of jumpstart that whole market segment locally and regionally.

Yeah, I mean, I'm sure that you must have had a lot of people saying, what are they building here?

We absolutely did and we're very excited to be partnered with this group.

And all things being equal, there may be more with this if we're lucky.

So we're very excited.

Well, that's really cool.

Can these, once you build this, like the facility we're talking about, can they actually enlarge it?

Is that a possibility in the design?

It is.

It absolutely is.

In fact, that is already programmed in.

There is room for expansion and they are talking about outdoor courts and also an outdoor wiffle ball field as well.

And one of the things that have been kind of penciled in is an outdoor bar slash restaurant to potentially be able to service people so they don't have to go inside.

So it really is a nice location and the community has embraced it.

That's really Good.

I mean, and you're dealing with something that's a little bit different, obviously, than out here because you've got to deal with winter.

Absolutely.

Unfortunately.

Yeah.

Now, what I, what I will say is there are some, there are some hearty souls.

And if I'm allowed, we have been approached by an individual.

And if you can imagine, and I think you're certainly, if you can imagine upwards of 80 containers building a, creating a very large rectangle around 8 quartz and the perimeter, and those are all perimeter containers.

And then two stories, and then between the courts would be also viewing areas.

So there would be restaurants, there would be, you know, a place where you can buy your pickleball accessories and equipment going all the way around what would basically be a stadium.

You have to have a pro shop there, obviously.

You got to have a pro shop there.

Got to have a pro shop, you know, because it's funny too, because when I first, I first, you know, people say to me, steve, why don't you go try and play pickleball?

Because I used to play racquetball all the time.

And then they said, well, yeah, I mean, that sounds good.

You know, I watched people play.

I just, can I use my racket?

And they were like, no, Steve, you need a pickleball paddle.

You can't use your racquetball racket and probably kill somebody with that and hit one of those, those, those balls.

But yeah, I mean, and it's amazing, you know, and again, you know, the sport itself, I think it's developing and it's like you say when you, when you're facilitating a venue like that, you need to keep pace with people like the public, what they're looking for, what they expect, you know, And I just, obviously, from what I've seen, the manufacturers of the equipment is just amazing.

I mean, you could go, you can go to Target or Walmart and buy a paddle for like under 10 bucks, or you could go online and you, you could pay several hundred.

And it's like, really?

Doesn't it do the same thing?

You know?

But no, you know, it's the compression when the ball hits the paddle.

I'm like, okay, all right, look, I'm not a professional, but I just play it because I like doing it.

It's a good workout, especially, you know, for, for middle aged people that they can actually go out and stay active.

I mean, because they're, maybe they're beyond the tennis or the racquetball stage, but pick a ball.

Pickleball's, you know, something that really works.

So it's interesting that, you know, I think God leads us in certain ways.

You know, where you were doing a specific thing and that gentleman came along and he wanted to do something very unique and then you were there and took on the challenge and I applaud you for that.

I think that was a very, very good thing.

Well, you thank, I appreciate that.

And you know, our whole team did a, did a wonderful job working with their team and I think it's, it's been a great success.

And, and I think one of the things that's really interesting about where, you know, you've got the, you know, this one doesn't have, you know, obviously restrooms.

It does have, but it does have a pro shop.

Right.

You do have the ADA compliant restrooms, which, you know, we do know how to do that with containers.

Should that be something that somebody wanted to.

And yeah, truly there is a fast deployment element from this.

And I think the other thing that's really interesting that I think you've mentioned before is the capability for deploying these things relatively quickly and then also investors being able to take advantage of that fast deployment to move things from a development standpoint ahead very quickly.

Yeah, I think.

And again, that's one of the things that I like about containers, where you can actually go in.

You know, some people, I've had people turn around to me and they say, well, I've gone in, you know, how.

What does it look like?

I mean, is it, it's so funny.

This lady came up to me one day and she said, she says, how do you live in a container?

You live in Arizona.

And I looked at her and I'm like, did you ever hear of insulation?

I mean, you know, it's just, yes, it's a metal container.

But you know, it's funny though, that's why people's misconceptions about what the industry is.

It's an ongoing learning process.

But we're going to take a short break.

When we're going to come back, we're going to be talking a little bit more about container homes and ADUs.

And we're going to give everybody a little schooling about what to expect if you are looking to get a container home and put it on your property or maybe even use it for, you know, an Airbnb.

So I want everybody hang tight.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

Hi, I'm Erica Thompson, the dominating designer, a hard working artist with a sense of humor.

What is the dominating designer process?

It's just like what you see on.

Tv we discuss your wants and needs about your project, go over your ideas.

Then I provide you creative, one of a kind options that fit your budget with respect to your home's value.

When we finish your project, you are set to enjoy your new space.

I would love to help you with your upcoming project.

Please reach out to me on Instagram thedominatingdesigner.

Hi, I'm Sean with Mr. Electric and I have a tip to help make your life better.

One important reminder is to call a qualified electrician when you have frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers.

When a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows, it's indicating that you have a problem with some other part of the circuit.

If your breaker trips more than once, you should have a qualified electrician come out and take a look at it.

Contrary to what may be acceptable, you really shouldn't try to continuously try to reset the breaker because there may be a problem somewhere else down the circuit and you could be causing a fire hazard.

There could be a loose connection or some other form of problem on the circuit and every time you reset the circuit breaker could be causing a spark at the other end.

We recommend having a qualified electrician come out and check on the condition of the circuit and make sure that the circuit does not have any problems and it could just be a bad breaker also.

But you definitely want to have a qualified electrician check that out.

To have someone come out from our team may only take a portion of a day, but it could potentially save you a lot of money for your life.

And that's just another way Mr. Electric has the power to make your life.

Better govern the future of sustainable lifestyle living.

With Boxcar Universe your go to source for cutting edge container home and container pool information.

Want a dream container home or pool?

We can build it for you.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

For the latest in container innovation and expert insights, tune in to our weekly podcast, Boxcar Universe.

Ready to start your project?

Listen, learn and build with us.

All right, we are back and you are listening to Boxcar Universe and we are talking container homes, business container facilities and with Burton Cardwell the second and we are talking about the blocks and new build design and his companies and the things that he does and he does well and we're trying to let everybody know what you need to do.

Obviously, if you're going to go out and build a container or have, I should say have one built, or even if you do build it, there are certain things that you need to know about it because you just can't drop one on your property and cut it up and make a house and frame it out and, you know, and hopefully it'll be good.

Yeah, you'll have a roof over your head.

But why spend all that money?

Because as we were talking about Burton in the last segment, you know, somebody had come up to me and they said, well, you know, what is it?

What does the inside of a container home look like?

I said, well, I mean, it really looks for the most part just like your house.

It's just different dimensions.

Absolutely.

And you know, because you use.

Yes, there's certain considerations because you have space, but other than that, I mean, you've got, you got the typical electrical insulation, plumbing to deal with, you know, drywall, you know, you got to take care of your H VAC needs and stuff like that.

With mini splits, which I know people just, people out here just going crazy with mini splits.

I'm telling you, they love it.

Which I think is really a great deal.

Like, where were these things like 20 years ago?

Right.

You know, I mean, you know, because everybody.

And you know, one of the things that I think people would be, you know, I see this every now and then.

I feel like stopping and knocking on the door and trying to tell them, hey, would you like a mini split for your closed in patio that you probably didn't get permitted?

Because they, and they run a duct.

They run a duct from inside the, in the attic, okay.

And they cut a hole in the roof and then they run it out along the top roof of the patio and they put a supply vent down in the ceiling.

Meanwhile, a lot of these people just, first of all, it looks like hell.

Second of all, they, they don't, some of them, they don't even do anything to insulate them.

So you, so, you know, especially here, you know, in the summertime, you get up to 115 degrees easy.

And you know, you're trying to blow cool air in and it's just the metal's hot and the heat is actually affecting the cooling inside the duct.

So anyway, other people, they go back in, if they have a foam roof, they just foam everything.

They foam the ductwork and everything.

And it's just like, you know, a mini split would be so much easier.

It would look so much better.

Not to mention for resale value.

I Know if I went out to look at a house that had something like that, I mean, I don't mind.

I've closed in patios before too.

But you know, put a mini split in it.

What is it?

You're absolutely right.

What is an extra line?

A little, you know, you hang it on the wall, you got the unit outside.

20.

What was it?

It was about 20 years ago now and half of it was garage, half of it was shop.

And we had a mini split in there.

And it's 750 square feet.

It cooled it like, you know, like it was nothing.

Now you're able to go back and have one mini split with several, several vents.

So, you know, you might not have to put one in.

Well, I know you won't have to put one in every room.

No, you're absolutely right.

And, and the technology has just come forward, leaps and bounds and you know, as you say, the efficiency, the ability to now even duct them.

Right.

I mean literally you can zone these things and they are.

I agree with you 100%, Dave.

More people should use them and more people should really look at what's, what's out there because.

And that's the other thing.

You know, you can put them high, you know, on a wall and truly you almost forget it's there.

And true, they're, they're very, I think they're actually, they're not, they're pleasing to look at.

I guess is what I'm trying to say is like, it's not an obtrusive thing.

It's really, they're designed well.

So yes, I think that was really good.

And I know again, the mini splits, I'm sure.

Let me ask you a question.

What, what.

You know, with all the different aspects of what goes into a container home, do you have any like preferred, like.

We'll just talk about H Vac for a minute.

Are there any preferred mini split that you would use over another one or do you utilize a lot of the name brands?

We utilize name brands primarily.

One tried and true.

And you know what we want, again being the, in this business, we want brands that are going to perform and the companies are going to stand behind.

So we typically use name brands.

Now that's not to say that, you know, we, we get some DIY folks and we love those folks who basically come to us and say, hey, design it for me, cut it out, deliver it to my site, weld it together and I'll take it from there.

Right.

And hey, we're glad to do that.

We like the fact that there are people out there that still want to be more involved in the construction themselves.

And then we also, we don't.

The other thing we do is we don't let them hang.

Right?

I mean, we, we, if they want our help, we actually put together a fee to be able to do that for them.

But certainly we want them to experience container living if that's what they.

And we want to help.

Yeah, I mean, that's really good that you're, you know, that it's not either.

It's like not all or nothing.

You know, you have that, they have that in between siren where you're able to, to guide them along the way.

And Lord knows I'm sure your, your professional help is a whole lot better than they could ever get on YouTube.

No, it's so funny.

I'm telling you.

We, we literally have had people, you know, hey, I'm gonna do X. I don't know what it is, right?

And we're looking, going, okay.

And then, and I said, well, you know, do you have experience?

Do you have somebody in your family that is a plumber or whatever or, you know, has welded before?

No, I'm just going to look it up on YouTube.

Well, well, that goes under the, the old saying that, you know, if it's on the Internet, it's the truth.

Right.

It must be the truth.

Let me tell you something.

I've seen one thing.

I gotta share this with you.

I saw this one guy one day and I tell people, if you're gonna do something and you're gonna, if you have any skills at all, okay, when it comes to home.

To home repairs and remodeling, that's fine.

But you know, most of the time I go out and you'll find a lot of people out there aren't.

So.

I coined a saying a long time ago that a homeowner with tools could be a very dangerous.

Not only will they screw up the project, but they'll wind up injuring themselves and have to go to the hospital.

And I've had some friends of mine that do that.

And I'm like, why didn't you call me?

No, no.

Well, I, yeah, I tried to do it.

Like, okay, okay, let's put it, let's be honest.

You let your ego get in the way and that was it.

You know, you wanted to please your significant other.

But no, this guy on YouTube one day, he was trying to show people how to take the elements out of a hot water heater and I'm looking at this and the hot water heater is underneath the stairway going down into the basement.

And I'm like thinking to myself, well, you know, he's got to drain it, disconnect it, move it to pull the rods out.

No, he drained it, but he tried to take the rods out without moving it out.

So you had clearance to pull the rods out.

So naturally he starts pulling them out.

He hits the steps because he can't get them out.

So what does the guy do?

He starts bending them, and he bends them out and he gets them out.

I'm like, okay.

I'm screaming at the screen.

I'm like, you stupid imbecile.

What is wrong with you?

And then he says he picks up the new rods and he's getting ready to put them in.

And he bent the new ones and put them in.

But I thought maybe he thought when they went in inside, they were going to straighten out or what.

So as he's tightening them down, all of a sudden you hear the end of it, like, playing on the inside.

Then I think a bulb went off in his head that said, oh, my God.

So instead of not posting it, he tried to.

He tried to save himself.

And he turns around and he says, well, you know, we're going to have to, you know, remove, you know, take this from out from under the staircase.

And then so we get the rods, have to go in straight.

And I'm like, why didn't you just not post it and then go back and film it when, you know you were doing it?

Right.

You just made.

Gave me a lot of chuckles.

Right.

But I mean, you know, you made yourself look terrible.

So I appreciate that professional guidance that you give them, because maybe you should get them to sign a paper and say, are you not dangerous with tools?

I think that would be really good.

You know what?

I think I'm gonna have our legal.

Yes, absolutely.

Because they'll come back and say, well, you know, you told me to do this.

Well, I didn't tell you to be an idiot trying to do this, you know, the wrong way.

I mean, that's just ridiculous.

So true.

Yeah.

What about on the units that you build?

Are you using solar at all?

We.

The short answer is we have experimented personally with solar with some of the things that we have done on site on our campus.

We have.

We've not done some installations of them yet.

We have had people ask.

And to be completely honest, solar is one of those things that everybody kind of talks about and wants.

But then when you look at the cost here in Michigan, about what your ROI is, it's not as good as maybe you know, in Arizona.

So that doesn't mean that we can't do it.

We definitely have the capabilities and we would bring in the experts.

We partner with a couple of companies both through the blocks division and the new CO division.

So that's something that we can definitely do.

Yeah, I think that's, I think out here that's, it's definitely, you know, solar is a big thing, especially out this way.

One of the things a good friend of mine has, she deals with selling sheds and she's got a lot of different lots all over the country.

And when she came back to Arizona I helped her.

We found a gentleman who does custom built solar systems designed for the need of what they have.

So he built a custom system for her showroom which, well, showroom, her office building which was about 14 by 30.

So it's a little bit bigger than you know, depending on the container, like a regular 40 foot container.

But anyway, so they had put down there but it was able not only to supply, you know, lighting, all the computers they had any other stuff that they were in the hvsc, all of that with, with no pass along.

In fact it was so powerful we were thinking we were trying to work on getting a small 20 foot ADU to put on site and it would have powered that as well.

So it definitely has uses.

But again, you know, you have to.

It took me a while to find this person.

He does these systems and he does them all over Arizona.

He does not only down here in the valley, but he does them in north northern Arizona where they're experiencing weather like you do in Michigan.

I see.

So it's very interesting where, where we.

Are doing that Steve, where we, you know, we'll have people like you said, we'll have people that take the containers and they want to shed.

Right.

They, they've got a little bit of property.

It's the, the shed is away from the house and we've, we've rigged up the, the, the, the solar either ribbons the plastic or you know, the panels and then we'll put the battery system in.

And so it's really nice for where we're using it is those small 20 to 40 foot units where they're not using it day in, day out.

But yes, we, we definitely can do it.

Yeah.

Do you find what's.

How is the permitting process up in Michigan?

It's pretty straightforward.

Right.

One of the things that we have found and again I get Involved with this all the time is they're looking for plans that are stamped by an architect 99% of the time.

We do have an architect on staff.

That architect is, you know, he's licensed currently in about 27 states, and then there are five other people who support him.

So what we found is if we have the stamp drawings both by our architect, and then we also employ structural engineer.

If we have those two stamps and those drawings, we find that there's no pushback.

We've only found within the state of Michigan.

I've only come across two municipalities who within their zoning codes have said, hey, you know, we just don't understand it yet.

So we're, we're, we're not, we're not good with it.

What I find typically happens for me is I start with, somebody comes to me, they want to do something, particularly on the residential side, and we go, hey, what?

Have you checked with the municipality on the minimum square footage?

Because that seems to be the stumbling block.

Yeah.

You know, and once we get past that, we're typically good to go.

Yeah.

I mean, you know, down here, about two years ago, approximately the, all the municipalities in and around Phoenix, the state legislatures decided that they were going to allow secondary dwellings on the property, which, which was, you know, a great thing because people, you know, not only could build them or have them built and put on their property, not just for extra space for, for their home or office, but then, you know, obviously people start using them.

Oh, hey, I could make it a, you know, Airbnb, you know, and then they're thinking about, thinking about if they have, really have a lot of room and they want to get a little more money for the people that come in and want to stay in their units, put a container pool on the property so they can even do even more.

So I think the, the cool thing about it is, you know, when people, when people ask you about, well, what are the advantage over, you know, you know, why would I, why would I want to build, you know, a, a container, 20 foot VRBO and put a container pool on a property?

And, and, well, I said, you know, one of the reasons is, you know, which is pretty obvious at least it is to me, that you could turn around and say, are you going to plan on staying here the rest of your life?

And they're like, well, probably not.

And I'm like, well, they can be moved and you could take them with you.

You're right, it doesn't, you know, it's not like, you know, years ago when I Was a kid, you know, used to watch stuff on TV where, you know, the construction people used to go move actual houses.

And I know they still do that, but still, I mean, you don't find.

At least I don't see any of that going on here in Arizona, you know, you want.

Because they got so much land.

I mean, it's just amazing.

Well, let's just throw a slab down on the ground and build.

Yeah, no, you're absolutely right.

And you know, that the whole idea behind a container pool, I will say, you know, we here at blocks, we tried it and we.

We built a couple, but they're so intricate.

We're going to leave that to the professionals.

And, you know, there are some out there, and I think there's one in Arizona.

I think that does it.

And, you know, we just learned that we're a construction company, and what we found is we love homeowners, but they don't know a lot about pools, and they want us to be the expert on all of it.

And that's just not who we are.

So, long story short, as I think they can be really great pools, I think you can marry them with an adu.

And I think it's a great little story for any sort of land that you might have or be able to.

Utilize that on, you know, and I think having this separate company doing container pools and you focusing on what you do best with container homes is.

Is a good.

Each other.

You're a good resource for each other.

Absolutely.

And, you know, and this way, because you never know, as somebody might see it online, think it's pretty cool.

I mean, I, you know, people that I spoke to about here in the Valley, I said, you know, let's put it down and I'll build a patio around it for you.

And, you know, it'll be a conversation piece.

But yeah, you know what?

You know what?

I.

One of the things that I think also for.

For us is that we have started to really talk to the commercial folks, right.

Those people who are looking to do something on a larger scale.

And we've.

We've talked a lot about the.

The residential market, but our commercial market is the part that just seems to be expl.

Which we're really excited about.

And a lot of that is a combination of container construction married with conventional construction.

So I want to kind of point that out to your listeners that it's, you know, there's.

There's opportunities to do some really unique structures on the.

On the.

On a larger scale as well.

We find that people who come into our offices and which they.

Our entire office is what we call a showroom.

Right.

We're showing scale, we're showing size, we're showing connection details.

And they're like, oh my gosh, this is phenomenal.

And so it starts, they come in with one sort of one thought and they tend to go, you know, I really never thought of that.

And so it's really, it's really fun to see their eyes light up.

Yeah, well, yeah, it's good to see your customers get excited about what they want to buy.

Yeah, absolutely.

Burton, tell our listeners a little bit.

How could they contact you?

Sure, you can visit our website at www.

Got blocks.com that's G O-T B L O X.com and we're there.

You can take a look and see what, what we have to offer.

And I believe there's also a link to within there to new co design build and that is N E W C O D B as in design build dot com.

Okay, great.

Like you said, the technology is forever changing and upgrading and there's going to be a lot of things coming down the pike here in the new year.

So best of holidays to you.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

Thank you.

And we'll talk to you real soon.

Absolutely.

This has been great, Steve, thank you so much.

All right, thanks, Burton.

And thanks for all our listeners to listening for Boxcar Universe.

We are your source for cutting edge information on container homes, container pools.

So let us help design and have built your dream container home or container pool.

Don't forget, you can include solar if you would like.

You know, let's live in a sustainable lifestyle.

If you have any questions at all, please email me at steve@boxcaruniverse.com and Boxcar Universe can be heard on any podcast player.

And always remember, let us remodel and renovate your world.

Have a great weekend.

You're a great American.

I love you.