Cargo containers gain steam as building blocks of new homes

This undated photo provided by Tim Steele shows a container home designed and built by Steele House in Callicoon Center, N.Y. (Nils Schlebusch/Tim Steele via AP)

This undated photo provided by Tim Steele shows a container home’s living and dining room designed and built by Steele House in Callicoon Center, N.Y. (Nils Schlebusch/Tim Steele via AP)

This undated photo provided by Tim Steele shows a container home designed and built by Steele House along with Bigprototype in Livingston Manor, N.Y. (Nils Schlebusch/Tim Steele via AP)

This undated photo provided by Tim Steele shows the inside of a container home designed and built by Steele House in Youngsville, N.Y. (Nils Schlebusch/Tim Steele via AP)

Cargo containers, long a staple of international trade, are designed to be affordable, sturdy and water-tight. So it’s no surprise that for decades they’ve been used by the military, the needy — or just the hip — for other uses, including dwellings.