Container homes are exactly what they sound like; homes made from the steel shipping containers that you see carrying goods everywhere on trains, trucks, and ships. From these giant Lego blocks, people are building homes of all shapes and sizes.
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Shipping containers are generally available in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft. The smallest shipping container can provide about 100 square feet of floor space for a shipping container home. Eight larger containers together can make a two-story house at about square feet. Hundreds of container micro-apartments together can make a huge apartment building.
Why are shipping containers being used to make homes, studios, cabins, and offices? Well, with about 14 million ‘out-of-service’ containers in the world, there are lots of them available. And playing with giant blocks has a definite appeal!
Besides trendiness, interest in container homes is also part of a wider interest in saving money with prefabricated and modular homes. Many potential homeowners are looking for lower construction and maintenance costs. There is also a perception that container homes are contributing to recycling.
Could a container home be a good choice for you? Here are some pros and cons to consider.
Many shipping container homes are available as prefabricated modular homes, making construction time shorter. Some companies advertise delivery within 10 weeks! Most of the building code inspections are done at the factory, which makes things simpler and quicker. Or if you are designing a custom home or building a do-it-yourself project, the container gives you a fun prebuilt structure to work with.
A worldwide system exists for moving containers around. Once they reach your site, they are relatively simple to set in place on a prepared foundation.
Most of the work is completed on a factory floor for a fixed price. Delivery to the site, site preparation, foundation, assembly and utility connections are the only variable costs. That said, container homes are not always less expensive. Estimates vary, and some put the savings at 5-10%, depending on what you’re comparing against.
The environmental appeal of a container home is the idea that you are re-using a leftover product of the shipping industry to make a home. This can be a good thing, but as we will see, it’s not always true or the best thing.
Some of the advantages, like short construction time and predictable pricing, are the same for all prefabricated and modular homes, not just those made with shipping containers. But container homes benefit uniquely from the worldwide infrastructure built to move shipping containers. Even container home skeptics admit they can be useful where local building expertise is lacking or for emergency shelters that can be moved easily. In these scenarios, the versatility of container transport is a huge advantage.
Container homes are often marketed as being environmentally friendly because they are said to be made from used containers, thus conserving metal resources. There are lots of old shipping containers out there, no longer in circulation, and repurposing them into homes has a strong appeal. But is a container home really the best use of a container, from a sustainability perspective? Many would disagree.
Most factory-built container homes are built from ‘one-use’ containers that have only had a single trip. These containers tend to be in good shape, without dents or rust, so they are nice for building with, instead of containers that have gone ‘out-of-service’ and may be damaged from years of use. Taking a box with lots of shipping life out of service after a single use isn’t effective recycling. And there is way more steel in a container than you need to build a house - if recycled as steel, it could make enough steel studs for 14 framed houses the same size.
A shipping container is very strong at the corners, but the roof is not that strong, so typically you need to build another roof over it, especially where there will be snow. Also, the corrugated steel walls are essential to the strength of the structure. This means anywhere you cut out a large window, or door opening requires new reinforcement. And when they are stacked together to make larger homes, welded (expensive) reinforcement is needed wherever two containers join at a spot that is not a corner. Any later renovations require significant engineering and welding.
Suburban and rural areas tend to be more open to shipping container homes; however, some states are visibly more open to alternative living. Texas, California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Oregon, and Alaska are among the more progressive states that have, to some level, opened their doors to shipping container homes. Texas already plays host to many container homes. Even though California is known for its red tape, it has been open to container homes and hybrid container homes. Louisana and Tennessee experience some of the most lenient and forward-thinking zoning regulations in the United States. As alternative living options continue to grow, it's only a matter of time before more states in the country begin to allow shipping container homes in designated areas.
Shipping container homes are becoming trendy for a reason. The cost of housing is going through the roof and shipping containers provide a fast affordable way to build a home.
Without any modifications, shipping containers provide much better shelter than tents. Add a front door and a couple of windows, drop it on your raw land, and you’ve got an instant hunting cabin.
Add insulation and a wood stove, and you’re practically ready to list it on Airbnb. The point is that it doesn’t take much to turn a shipping container into a suitable dwelling.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of 20ft Luxury House Mobile Container. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
And with a little imagination, you could turn shipping containers into your dream home!
This guide provides everything you need to build a shipping container home - designs, ideas, floor plans and cost.
Let’s get into it…
Prefabricated (prefab) shipping container homes offer a streamlined process. Prefab container home builders handle design, construction, and delivery. They provide a quicker turnaround and professional quality control.
However, customization options are limited, and the cost reflects their convenience. Prefab shipping container homes cost around the same as manufactured mobile homes which are typically 14-feet wide versus 8-foot wide container homes.
Prefab container home models are also usually limited to just single container designs instead of a complex design with multiple containers. So if you want a larger home, you’ll likely have to build it yourself or hire a shipping container home builder.
Building your own container home allows maximum personalization and cost savings because you can buy cheap used shipping containers. You can choose the container condition, layout, and finishing touches to perfectly suit your taste and budget.
Ultimately, the choice hinges on your priorities. Prefab offers speed and ease, while DIY allows for ultimate control and potentially lower costs
Ceilings of 9.5 feet make High Cube containers desirable because they allow room for insulation and running utilities above a drop ceiling and still make your home feel larger.
Standard 40-foot containerswith 8.5 ft roofs are also suitable for home ceilings but they may feel more cramped.
In either case, 320 square feet is plenty of room for a comfortable living space. Think of luxury 40-foot RVs and how attractive they can be. And 40 ft shipping container homes are the same amount of space but with taller ceilings.
Not only that, you can put a rooftop patio on a shipping container home like the Airbnb rental above.
Below are a couple of floor plans for 40 ft shipping container homes. The first is for a 1 bedroom home and the following design has 2 bedrooms.
The short answer is, Yes. But in most jurisdictions in the United States, structures under 200 sq ft do not need a permit - especially if you don’t connect to public utilities.
So using a 20 foot container to build a cabin, guest house or man cave may not require a permit because it is only 160 square feet. Check with your local building authority for more details.
In addition to normal construction tools, you will need a good angle grinder with metal cutting disks to be able to cut holes in the containers.
You will also need a welder in order to weld in framing for doors, windows, AC units etc. And finally, you may need to rent a large tractor or crane to move your containers around.
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