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10 >> OUR HOUSE SUMMER 2017 DoMinion LEnDing CEntRES FOUNDATION says they're built like a house, and include electrical and plumbing like a traditional build. He says his company also helps guide owners through the process of erecting the containers. Croft sees the prefabrication of living structures, like containers, as the future of home ownership, noting they can be transported at low costs and can last longer than a conventional wood frame home. "our demographic knows they want to be in a container house, they like the look and feel of it and the sustainability aspect," he says, noting his customers range in age from millennials to couples in their 40s. "this is something i've really been behind… i really do think this is the future of building." F or most Canadians, a home comes in just a few different varieties. it's either a single- family, wood-frame house, townhome, condo or high-rise. in the quest to find less expensive housing, alternatives to the conventional home were bound to get serious traction. From container homes to tiny homes and even the centuries-old design of a yurt, Canadians and Canadian manufacturers are starting to look at the home in an entirely different way. Daniel Croft is the vice president of giant Container Services, a toronto company that's been converting shipping containers into places to live since the beginning of the decade. the company has its roots in the trucking industry. in the early 2000s Croft's grandfather started noticing these containers being used for storage. the company bought 100 and after a few years, a new division was born to turn the containers into homes. Since then, Croft noted business has been brisk. "We're seeing a huge interest in container homes," he says, noting some of the company's projects include condominiums built out of hundreds of containers. However, he noted at this point, most of his clients are using the containers as a vacation property home. giant Containers offers four to five different models ranging from 320 to 1,000 square feet at a cost $85 a square foot. While the containers are basically just a prefabricated steel structure, Croft OUTsIDe bOx Nomad Micro Homes sells the 156-square- foot Cube for about $32,000. Some assembly required Described as a "do-it-yourself kit home," the Cube makes for affordable infill housing or vacation property The