Shipping container homes have recently become more popular, attracting a more mainstream audience than before. Similar to a tiny home, it’s cost-effective and has the ability to move locations, unlike a traditional home. Not to mention they are very customizable and can look however you want them to. To save even more money, you can consider looking at used shipping containers. If you’re unfamiliar with the shipping container homes world, there are a few details you should look out for when purchasing shipping containers.
See the Container
With anything in life, whether it be buying a car or computer, you want to see what you’re buying before spending the money. The same goes for when you are looking to purchase any potential shipping container homes. An estimation of 97% of the world’s shipping containers are made in China, so it may not be possible to see the container you wish to purchase. If it’s not possible to see the storage containers for sale, then ask the seller for detailed pictures of the shipping container. You want to look for any rusting issues, dents that could cause water issues or any type of structural issue. If your goal is to create a shipping container house, you want to make sure that your container is strong.
Size
Shipping containers come in a variety of sizes, so it’s important to know which size is best suited for your needs. A 20-foot shipping container is the most versatile and popular option, so it might be best to start there. However, if you’re looking for a little bit more space, a 40-foot storage container would be a fine option.
Building Code Restrictions
Depending on where you live, different states have contrasting building codes. These codes could impact your work on your storage container home, so you want to make sure you’re informed on the matter. Being aware of any regulations or ordinances regarding shipping container homes is important to know before you invest in a shipping container.
Insulation
A steel shipping container will be ridiculously hot in the summer, and unpleasantly cold in the winter. Insulation will be your key to stopping this from happening, so having a plan for insulation in your shipping container is very important. The walls and the roof of shipping container homes need to be heavily insulated, as this will prevent outside weather from coming into your home.
Get Rid of Any Harmful Chemicals
Storage containers are meant to transport various objects overseas, so they tend to have pesticides and chemicals within them. There are pesticides in the wood flooring, designed to deter any rats or other rodents from eating through the wood floors. The walls also have chemicals in them to protect the walls from the salt water as they are transported. You can rid the storage container of these by insulating the walls and replacing the wood flooring. This will make the shipping container homes safe for you to reside in.
Plan Ahead for Electrical and Plumbing
Planning ahead of time and having an idea of where you’re putting the plumbing and electrical lines in your shipping container home. By planning ahead, you will be able to map out the rest of your home and won’t have to make any last-minute adjustments that could be costly.
There are plenty of great reasons to buy your own storage container home, and it’s nice to try something new. Shipping container homes give you the chance to fully customize and create your home and making sure you know everything beforehand will make that process less stressful for you.
How Shipping Containers are Revolutionizing Home Construction
Statistics indicate that more than 95% of the world’s cargo moves by ship. This has caused an indirect increase in the number of shipping containers for sale intended to be used for various commercial and domestic purposes.
One of the most attractive ways that shipping containers for sale are used is in the construction of residential houses. With the increase in the cost of building materials, people have been utilizing storage containers as homes after slight modification. If you’re experiencing hardships in constructing your home, here are some of the ways shipping containers are changing home construction.
Affordable Housing
If you have a perception that you will never own a house due to the ever-increasing cost, you might need to rethink your plans. Building a house from shipping containers is much affordable than you ever imagined. You can easily find 40-foot containers for $3,000 to $4,500. With the container in your compound, you have to include some personalized interior modifications to make it look like a house.
Strong Construction Material
If you think that constructing houses with shipping containers forfeits the strength of concrete or timber, you are wrong. Shipping containers for sale are inherently strong. They have been designed to carry heavy cargo in extreme weather conditions and ever-changing deep-sea environment. They are also subjected to the strongest winds and waves in the sea. If they have been withstanding such conditions regularly, you can be sure that your house will withstand cyclones and hurricanes.
Pest Proof
Everyone hates pests and rightly so. They have been known for damaging the interiors and interfering with the structural integrity of the house, especially timber constructions. In houses made out of shipping containers, pests are blocked outside because the container is covered with steel. You don’t have to worry about termites and other pests that may inflict damages on your interiors and exteriors as well.
Quick Build Time
Homes build with shipping containers can be built within a short period of time. All you have to do is get a container and have it modified on its exteriors and interiors. Short build time will help you to save thousands of dollars in labor costs. You can also move to your new container house immediately because there is no healing time like in concrete houses. The federal government has been using container houses to settle displaced families because construction takes two to three weeks.
Shipping container houses are environmentally friendly, unique, and are available at affordable prices as compared to concrete or timber houses. Whether you know it or not, shipping containers are changing the way homes are built.
5 Reasons to Convert Shipping Containers into Tiny Homes
The movement to build and live in tiny homes is one that is powered by a desire for eco-friendly, minimalistic living. Tiny homes are being created out of many different recycled materials. Though utilizing storage containers as a home may not seem like a natural idea, there are many advantages to shipping container homes. Below are 5 of the main reasons why you should invest in a shipping container house.
-
An Eco-Friendly Practice
Out of the 17 million shipping containers in existence, only 6 million are in use. This means 11 million shipping containers are unused and ready for home conversion. When it comes to eco-friendliness, reusing materials is the easiest way to ensure that they are being recycled with the most minimal impact on the environment. Therefore, utilizing storage containers in a tiny home project can help decrease your home’s impact on the Earth and make sure that the shipping container does not turn into waste that will harm the environment.
1. Cost-Effective Solutions
The price of storage containers is comparable to the materials for a traditional wooden structure without having the added cost of time and labor for construction. In addition, you might be able to find used shipping containers for sale that are still in great shape and get an even better deal on your tiny home’s structure. Looking for shipping containers that have only been used once can ensure that the quality of the storage container is still intact while saving you some money.
2. Plenty of Online Resources
If you want to DIY your shipping container house conversion, there are countless articles, videos, and websites geared directly towards utilizing storage containers as tiny homes. There are tips, tricks, recommendations, and even pre-made designs and blueprints that are available for free.
And if you don’t want to DIY your shipping container house, you can find contractors online that specialize in shipping container conversions.
3. Room for Creativity
With a shipping container conversion, you are starting with a very blank canvas that you can customize to fit any of your needs. Whatever style of home you want, you can create by utilizing storage containers. Whether you want a luxe style or a more free-flowing, bohemian-inspired home, you will be able to realize your vision in a shipping container house. The possibilities of customizing your tiny home are endless when you are starting with something that has as much potential as a shipping container.
4. Lots of Flexibility
If you want to be able to move with your tiny home, you can design it to be mobile-friendly or to stay permanently in one spot. Because shipping containers are designed to be moved, you could easily find transportation for your home.
If you decide to keep your converted shipping container house in one location, you could make the area surrounding your home more permanent and settled, adding a garden or a porch off of your shipping container home.
Whatever kind of tiny home you want to create, you can easily create your dream house by utilizing storage containers. You can have a custom-built, eco-friendly, and sustainable home with a shipping container conversion.
