Duo turns shipping containers into homes

EAST WHITELAND » With the rise of the tiny home movement, Guillermo Weston and Carlo Castelanelli may have found the right moment for their company, CWDwellings LLC to flourish. Their unique business transforms commercial overseas shipping containers into modern homes.

The two Argentina expats have been working on the business for two years, and have now begun to market their product.

Weston formerly worked in the IT department of SKF, a manufacturer of bearings. He came to the United States from Argentina in 1996 for a two year project and now lives in Tredyffrin.

“I retired and needed to do something,” Weston said while sitting in the company’s sample home, on display at Great Valley Shopping Center. “I’m the numbers and technology partner. Carlo is the creative partner. He’s had the idea for a long time and I thought that sounded like a fun project.”

Castelanelli spent 30 years as an architect in Argentina, specializing in steel building. He came to the United States 15 years ago when the economy in Argentina was in crisis, and now lives in West Chester.

“I entered a competition to build housing for farm workers in California when I realized containers could have potential,” Castelanelli said. “The homes had to survive earthquakes. The design competition was cancelled but I thought this could be good for other places too. After that, I started working on this company.”

“It is cheaper. The inside is just like a regularly constructed house,” said Weston. “The difference is the structure is a less expensive material — steel.”

The company buys what’s called “one trip” shipping containers, that is, they have only been used for one overseas shipment and are in the best condition. Most come from China and are made of Corten, a rust resistant steel. They are trucked to a subcontractor in Gap, where they are washed and the floor is removed and replaced with plywood.

The containers come in 20and 40-foot lengths and are eight-feet-wide. The company modifies the structure with a 16 foot by three foot bump-out that adds 48 square-feet and brings the width of the structure to 11-feet. The bump-out gives the structure a less boxy feel.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Carlo Castelanelli and Guillermo Weston in front of their model home made from a shipping container. It can be seen at Great Valley Center at Route 401 and Lancaster Avenue.