CHARLESTON , South Carolina ( CNN ) -- Magoline Hazelton is used to people driving by her home just to take a look . She 's also known as the `` house lady '' by her fellow residents in North Charleston , South Carolina . Steel shipping containers , like these at a depot , can be turned into homes . From the outside , Hazelton 's home does n't seem much different from the rest of the neighborhood . But there 's one big difference . Her house is made from cargo shipping containers . Using containers to build homes has increasingly become a trend in the past several years because it can be cheaper and faster than using traditional construction methods . There are also plenty of containers at most major ports . About 18 million containers are used worldwide to transport a variety of everyday products , such as cars , toys and food . Because the United States imports more than it exports , many containers end up stacked at ports . See one of the homes being built » . SG Blocks , a company whose name stands for safe and green blocks , has made a business from the container overflow . Co-founder David Cross previously worked as a merchant marine and spent a lot of time at sea , dealing with shipping containers . `` As you 're looking down the deck of the vessel , you see hundreds to thousands of containers perfectly configured , '' Cross said . `` They were stacked nine high below deck , five or six high on deck , and I just kept seeing hotel after hotel on the deck of our ship . '' Watch how residents like living in the homes » . Cross also saw value in the strength of the material . `` The containers are designed for hostile dynamic life at sea ... capable of carrying 60,000 pounds . It just made imminent sense , that with minor modification , it could become a multi-family living system . '' In 2003 , Cross partnered with engineer Steve Armstrong to help bring the idea to fruition . A year later , Hazelton 's house was built in South Carolina . According to Cross , modifying containers into homes uses significantly less energy than melting them down . `` These containers weigh about 9,000 pounds , and it takes about 9,000 kilowatt hours of energy to melt down 9,000 pounds of steel , '' Cross said . `` We modify that existing piece of steel with approximately 400 kilowatt hours of energy input . [ That 's a ] 95 percent energy footprint reduction . '' The energy saved by transforming a single container into a home , rather than melting it down , can power a standard 70-watt lightbulb for up to 15 years . The time it takes to assemble a container home can vary , according to Cross . Hazelton 's home took 10 weeks to build . Generally , SG Blocks has found that recycled homes cut construction time in half . `` Typical homes can take four to eight months [ to build ] , '' Cross said . `` For container homes , it 's usually two to four months . '' According to Armstrong , who is president of SG Blocks , the cost of building a single family container home is comparable to a traditional home . `` But you get a steel home instead of a wood home , '' he said . `` So , it 's more durable and has a lower carbon footprint . It 's also water resistant and termite resistant . '' The construction becomes cheaper as you get into multi-family homes . According to Armstrong , multi-family mid-rise units cost 10 to 15 percent less than typical `` stick frame '' homes . `` That 's a lot to do with speed and ease of construction , '' he said . Companies around the world are using shipping containers as building materials to create offices , army barracks , dorms and even designer homes . `` [ We ] can make these look like anything you want . [ We ] can put a pretty dress on any skeleton , '' Armstrong said . `` So , if you want it minimalistic , so you can see the container walls , we can do that . If you want stucco or brick or siding , [ we ] can do that as well . '' While each container has its own roof , when multiple containers are put together side by side , there are gaps between the boxes . Therefore , a traditional roof is put on top of the entire home , providing additional safety in inclement weather . `` When the boxes are joined together , the gaps are sealed , so even if you lose your roof above , you 'd have some protection , '' said Armstrong . The second roof also provides another benefit . Hazelton finds she ca n't even hear the rain hitting her home when it 's pouring outside . Her house has been almost maintenance free since she moved in . `` The only thing I 've done here is exchanged the hot water heater . Nothing else I 've had to do in the last five years ... so far , it 's pretty good . ''
18 million shipping containers carry goods worldwide ; many arrive at U.S. ports . Shipping containers are recycled into buildings and other structures . Amsterdam has one of the biggest container parks , housing 1,000 students .