Building small homes with shipping containers – This is a relatively new industry. With the downsized living trend and fewer available plots to build on in the cities, turning to container architecture is a new way to meet the needs of the 21st
Shipping containers are readily available, inexpensive, and convenient to use. Because they come in simple standardized shapes, they are easy to form beautiful architectural configurations when you use two or more to construct your home.
When you build homes with containers, you offer a green and sustainable approach to conventional construction. This is because they are factory-built to serve for shipping and after a trip or two can be recycled to use as a building material to construct homes.
Building small homes with shipping containers is simple and fast. All you need to do is to order the number of units you require to build and have them delivered by a flatbed truck or a trailer to your plot. Assuming you already have your design, you can begin construction immediately.
When you build with shipping containers, you not only save time on building, but you also save a lot of money on building materials. You already have the building’s pre-fitted and structurally sound shell. That’s the first and most important thing. Other features can be put in place in no time.
Why Should You Build Your Home with Shipping Containers?
Do you wish to build a sleek, safe, contemporary and inexpensive home for a fraction of the cost of building a conventional residential structure? If your answer is yes, then maybe you should consider re-purposing shipping containers to build a home of your dream home.
There are many reasons why you may want to opt for container architecture. Some of them are most probably because:
- You dare to be different.
- The plot you have is quite small or narrow and you wish to make the most of your available space.
- You wish to save on building construction costs; for a fraction of it, if possible.
- Home maintenance costs of a conventional building can run high and you want to find means of reducing them as much as you can.
- Building small homes with shipping containers means that you can build within a very short period.
- You have found that the concept is winning converts all over the world.
- It is a challenge to source the massive funds required to build the traditional way.
From small elegant homes, and medium-sized houses to schools, clinics, offices, and workshops, the idea of recycling materials is eco-friendly. Used shipping containers classified as industrial cast-offs creativity turned into sustainable living spaces has become a really clever idea. It has become a wonderful concept that many prospective homeowners respond to in a positive way.
What You Need to Know Before Building with Shipping Containers
Before you decide to construct your home with shipping containers, it is good to be well-prepared and know the right steps to take.
Purchase the right type of shipping container
It is important to choose the right containers for your building project. You must be sure there are no dents, holes, rusty sections, or general wear and tear. If you can, it is often best to choose a ‘one-trip’ container. These types are practically new in that they’ve been used to ship cargo only once.
Avoid buying containers that have been used to ship cargo to and from one continent to another over a number of years. For a bit more, you can buy brand-new unused ones directly from shipping container factories. This way, you can take the guesswork out of buying the right container.
Building and planning regulations
Depending on where you reside and intend to erect your container home, you will require building permission and/or council consent. If, for instance, you are building with just one 20-foot container, you may not require such. However, if you are building a larger home with two or more containers and stacking them to create a two or three-storey building, you will need building permission.
During your planning stage, find out from the relevant local council about the application process required. Getting the best results without running into unnecessary hitches is all about preparation.
Find the right builder
It is not a wise idea to build the structure all by yourself unless you are a professional builder with shipping container-building expertise. There is no self-build with this. The task is best approached with professional drawing services and competent structural engineering. Whoever you work with must also understand shipping container interior and exterior finishing.
Building with steel containers can be challenging. And although the stress is almost similar to what’s involved with traditional construction, the good thing is that your building costs are certainly less.
Keep the heat of a scorching sun from its roof
You have to consider this at the planning stage. If and when the sun beams down on the top surface of the containers, the interior can become as hot as an oven. And because it is made from steel, the air-conditioning will be virtually useless. So, it is good to think about double ventilation and insulation.
Research
If you plan to build a more complicated architectural design for your container home, it is a good idea to research thoroughly. Building small homes with shipping containers may seem like a breeze, something like building and stacking Lego blocks in a creative form. It is not. You have to think of its engineering aspects as well.
Additionally, building with steel structures is certainly a bit more complicated than what you will learn from a YouTube video tutorial.
Step-By-Step Guide on Building Small Container Homes
To cut the time of endless research, you can also find complete guides to building shipping container homes that will provide a detailed step-by-step walk-through of the process. In this book – “A Guide on How to Build and Move into Shipping Container Homes with Examples of Plans and Designs”, you will learn about selection, transportation, structure foundation, utilities, and finishing. Included in each chapter are pictures of each stage of construction, providing real-life examples to help put the theory into tangible terms.
Think of it this way. If you are considering building your dream home with modular units of steel boxes, you want to approach it from an educated perspective so as to avoid unforeseen construction problems, traps, and pitfalls.
Further reading:
Container Atlas: A Practical Guide to Container Architecture