Tim Bessell has spent the last 25 years crafting surfboards for world-class athletes out of his understated shop near La Jolla’s Windansea Beach.
The 54-year-old Bessell, who grew up in La Jolla, says the thinning custom surfboard market in the United States and a lifelong appreciation for architecture have pushed him toward another passion: sea-container home building.
The idea is to take discarded, yet still-sturdy steel containers found at ports and convert them into habitable spaces. Container home advocates say this type of construction is more “green,” and over time, can be more cost-effective.
Bessell and business associate Claude Anthony Marengo hope to break ground soon on their first custom project in Pacific Beach, believed to be the city of San Diego’s first certified factory-made home constructed from steel shipping container material. The closest structure to that is the Periscope Project in downtown San Diego that hosts art shows and serves as office space.
Bessell spoke with the U-T San Diego about his current project, a three-story home slated to be done by September, how it will be built and the costs involved.
Read more at: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/07/tp-container-enthusiasm/
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