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    House For Sale

    2 quirky shipping container houses come on the market in Dallas' Fair Park

    Teresa Gubbins
    Feb 28, 2022 | 5:08 pm
    Three-story shipping container house cuts a sharp profile.
    Three-story shipping container house cuts a sharp profile.
    Photo courtesy of Reality 360 Imaging

    One form of housing that has captured people's imagination as of late is the shipping container home, and now there are two on the market from a Dallas developer who has made it his specialty.

    Both properties are located just a few blocks south of Fair Park. One has a conventional facade; the other is a quirky rectangle that stands three stories tall. Both were built by Ken Bennett, a property manager, flipper, adventurer, and raconteur who's been building shipping container houses for a few years.

    Both are listed for $220,000:

    The property at 3206 Reed Ln. is a two bedroom, two-bath single-story house with 840 square feet, built in 2020, with granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, and an inset patio of sorts with sliding glass doors that looks out onto a long fenced-in yard.

    The property at 3327 Rutledge St. is especially distinctive: It's a one-bedroom, two-bath house with 960 square feet, three stories tall but only 8 feet wide, with a gunmetal gray exterior that cuts a sharp profile on its 6,011-square-foot triangular lot overlooking a set of train tracks.

    The Rutledge Street home is built a concrete pier foundation, with an interior featuring original container walls and ceilings in some areas. The original container floors are painted and polished.

    The building is insulated with a closed cell spray foam, and zoned with three energy-efficient mini AC systems, one for each floor.

    The bottom floor can be used as gym, office, or workroom. The second floor has the living space, and the third floor has the sleeping area.

    Texas is no stranger to shipping container structures, from hotels in Fredericksburg and Round Top, to bars in West Dallas, to BBQ joints in North Dallas. The most famous shipping container residence in Texas has to be PV14 in East Dallas, the architecturally significant home overlooking White Rock Lake. DFW also has two affordable container communities in the works: one in McKinney and another in southeast Dallas.

    Bennett built his first one in Belize, where he is a frequent visitor.

    "I had the idea to buy a lot and build something inexpensive on the water," he says. "On the north end of the island, there's a little spot called the Truck Stop, that has really wild painted containers, and I thought it was cool. I built one in San Pedro that was two containers wide — 15 feet wide — and 40 feet long."

    A few years ago, he caught wind that Fair Park was probably going to become more valuable, so he bought a couple of lots.

    "I started to think that the area could support something more expensive, and one thing led to another," he says.

    At one point, he resided in one of them and he's also rented them out as an Air B'n'B.

    "I do have a contract on the three-story one, but will it appraise?" he says. "The appraiser can't find any other container houses to compare it with."

    With the market going crazy right now, his shipping container adventures are, for the moment, on hold.

    "I love doing them and wish I could continue," he says. "I don't know how in hell I got into steel boxes. Maybe it's that my mother would never let me play with Legos, so now I'm playing with big boy Legos."

    -------------------------

    Photos provided by Reality 360 Imaging. To book a shoot, click on calendly.com/reality360imaging.

    Bathroom boasts modern fixtures and a streamlined commode.

    3327 Rutledge
      
    Photo courtesy of Reality 360 Imaging
    Bathroom boasts modern fixtures and a streamlined commode.
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    housing cost analysis

    Here's how much Dallasites spend renting instead of buying a home

    Amber Heckler
    May 6, 2025 | 2:34 pm
    Dallas
    Photo by Mark Patterson on Unsplash
    Owning a home in Dallas doesn't come cheap.

    The affordability of homeownership seems to be a hot topic in 2025, and a new housing cost analysis has revealed that Dallas residents who are renting are getting a bargain: saving nearly $900 per month by renting rather than owning their homes.

    The 2025 report, called "Renting vs. Buying: How Housing Costs Compare Across America," examined the median monthly homeownership and rent costs in 342 of the largest U.S. cities.

    The study's findings revealed Dallas homeowners spend a median $2,381 on their monthly housing costs, whereas renters spend about $1,512 in comparison. That's an $869 price difference.

    Dallas wasn't even the biggest city in terms of renters saving money — ranking No. 55 in the report's rankings of cities where homeownership is more expensive than renting.

    This study compares median costs for each group of people regardless of what they're getting for that cost. Because of this, we only know how much more homeowners tend to pay in general — not how much more they'd pay for a comparable space.

    Newark, New Jersey, ranked No. 1 on the list, with homeowners spending $2,641 per month on their homes, while renters only pay $1,341 a month, reflecting a whopping $1,300 difference.

    As any Dallas-area resident knows, the real cost of living in the city doesn't just stop at the monthly mortgage or rent price. SmartAsset also factored in the cost of utilities, insurance, maintenance, and taxes to show the most accurate representation of the ongoing costs of renting versus owning a home.

    "On the rental side, the cost of utilities can add a consistent, considerable amount to your costs," the report said. "For homeowners, mortgage costs are padded not only by utilities but homeowners’ insurance, property taxes and maintenance costs."

    Housing costs in Dallas-area suburbs
    The difference between Frisco (No. 57) renters and homeowners is greater than it is in Dallas, though both monthly costs are much higher in Frisco. The report found that homeowners' costs in the suburb outpace renters' by more than $1,200 per month, totaling $3,300. Renters pay only $2,099 a month.

    Housing costs in Denton (No. 32) are similar to Dallas', though the city ranked higher on the list. Denton residents pay $2,291 a month to own their homes, while renters only pay $1,411. That means the gap between renters and owners is $880 per month.

    In neighboring Fort Worth, residents are saving about $611 per month by renting rather than owning their homes. Homeowners are spending about $2,158 to maintain their homes, while renters only pay $1,547 a month.

    The difference between home ownership versus renting is smallest in the far eastern suburbs of Mesquite and Garland.

    Here's what the report says are the monthly housing costs in other Dallas-area suburbs:

    • McKinney – $2,626 for homeowners; $1,862 for renters = $764
    • Plano – $2,589 for homeowners; $1,848 for renters = $750
    • Grand Prairie – $2,247 for homeowners; $1,612 for renters = $635
    • Allen – $2,803 for homeowners; $2,064 for renters = $739
    • Lewisville – $2,278 for homeowners; $1,678 for renters = $600
    • Arlington – $2,005 for homeowners; $1,495 for renters = $510
    • Richardson – $2,454 for homeowners; $1,834 for renters = $580
    • Irving – $2,185 for homeowners; $1,650 for renters = $535
    • Carrollton – $2,314 for homeowners; $1,770 for renters = $544
    • Mesquite – $1,722 for homeowners; $1,487 for renters = $235
    • Garland – $1,896 for homeowners; $1,678 for renters = $218

    Residents in any major city who are considering buying their first house must consider all monthly financial costs before deciding to leave the rental life behind. Potentially large bills, like property taxes, can sneak up on some homeowners if they don't educate themselves properly prior to buying a home. (Thankfully, there are ways to save money in that category.)

    "These hidden costs can add up and change the dynamics of tradeoffs between the flexibility of renting versus the security of owning your own home," the report added.

    rentinghomeownersreal estatereportshousing costsdallassuburbs
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