Montainer

Montainer shipping container homes come complete with utility connections and are meant for full-time living.

(Courtesy of Montainer)

A company entering the Portland market might be able to make use of all the shipping containers not being loaded or unloaded at the Port of Portland.

But the firm won't be stacking containers onto ocean carriers or Columbia River barges. The company, called Montainer, wants to drop them into Portlanders' backyards as an alternative form of housing.

"We really started the company to make homeownership more attainable," said Patrick Collins, chief executive at Montainer, based in Missoula, Montana.

Montainer shipping container homes come complete with utility connections and are meant for full-time living. The company has already shipped units to California and Washington, Collins said, but is looking to enter Portland because of the city's interest in accessory dwelling units - backyard housing sometimes referred to as "in-law apartments."

Between June 28 and July 2, Montainer will hold a launch event at Pioneer Square, where residents can walk into a container home to see how it would fit in a backyard, the company said in a news release. The company provides design, engineering and permitting services, and then the container is manufactured in Missoula and delivered to a resident's backyard.

Collins estimated that a typical Montainer unit with less than 1,000 square feet would cost between $80,000 and $120,000.

"This is a home fully compliant to building code. ... It's kind of counterintuitive, but it's really an aesthetically pleasing design and material to a lot of people," Collins said.

Montainer's business model comes at a time when area home prices are skyrocketing and the market for less expensive tiny houses is gaining steam.

Collins said the company is working with Wells Fargo, which will be on hand at the Pioneer Square demonstration to outline financing options for potential customers. A New York Times story about Montainer reported that one of the company's obstacles has been lenders' reluctance to issue mortgages for container homes because of the newness of the market. Some buyers have used home equity loans to purchase container housing.

"We're just really excited about the Portland market," Collins said.

-- Luke Hammill

lhammill@oregonian.com

503-294-4029

@lucashammill