SEVERANCE — We’ve seen them house small businesses, restaurants, even a hotel. Now shipping containers are considered as primary dwelling units, additional dwelling units, home offices and studios.

The Austin yard of Bob's Containers echoes with the typical sounds of home construction: drilling, hammering, sawing and more. "Except our medium is a metal box," says co-owner Robert Balderas.

A record-breaking number of shipping containers are backlogged at LA ports as supply-chain woes continue. But after 15 to 20 years of carrying freight, some containers "retire" into a second life. See ...