Shipping Container Home! Expensive or cheap? (flooring, how much, windows, heater)
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Does anybody have any idea about the shipping container house? It uses the used container to build houses. I want to know how much I have to spend on a single container if I ask a contractor to do it for me.
If you know the answer, please let me know. Have a good day!
Last edited by fortune-tellers; 03-27-2009 at 08:55 PM..
Used containers are a couple of thousand, depending on scrap costs and the condition. The costs start building up if you want insulation, decent floors and walls, etc. In most cases, the idea is more of a novelty than a sensible solution. A used travel trailer can be had for a similar amount, complete with bathroom, kitchen, heater, windows, and AC.
The metal container will do a great job of letting heat in during summer and letting the cold in during winter. Don't forget to take into account the cost for covering up the metal with something else to keep the sun and wind off it.
Harry I cant believe those containers cost that much do they?
But if so then your suggestion of an old travel trailer should be a better option since you would have most of the things like bathroom, tables, fridge etc etc to start with. Oh and windows. Who wants to cut out windows from solid steel sides? How many areas would permit one to erect one of these?
We had a thread going here on just this subject about 6 months ago if one felt like doing a search.
Some tornado prone areas are making container shelters with earth berms on each side of them for residents to escape damaging wind.
I think those things go for about $20K new. Several years ago (I guess a couple decades now) I bought a few for a company I was working for. Since it was in So CA it was close to the shipping yards, and there were lots to pick from.
The problems that I found looking at used ones was the basic condition (rusted or damaged. They usually use them until they are worn out. The other was the stuff that got spilled or leaked on the wood flooring inside some of them. Who knows what kind of toxic chemicals might have been stored in them.
On TV the other night there was a show about houses built out of these things. To me it was just a gimmick. First of all, they are not very wide. They have no insulation, and any modifications require cutting torches and welding.
If the idea was to find a low cost building material, it might fill the bill, but probably not after all the needed work was done. And unless you were close to a large source of these things, the cost of trucking them and using a crane to move them around might eat into the savings pretty fast.
If you wanted a unique building go for it.
Still needs a foundation, and pretty much everything would have to be specialized such as plumbing, electrical, interior finish, etc.
Harry I cant believe those containers cost that much do they?
But if so then your suggestion of an old travel trailer should be a better option since you would have most of the things like bathroom, tables, fridge etc etc to start with. Oh and windows. Who wants to cut out windows from solid steel sides? How many areas would permit one to erect one of these?
We had a thread going here on just this subject about 6 months ago if one felt like doing a search.
Some tornado prone areas are making container shelters with earth berms on each side of them for residents to escape damaging wind.
Minimum price will never fall below scrap price for the metal.
There are places without building codes, so they are legal sometimes.
The way a lot of the oldtimers made tornado shelters was to bury a car/van/bus. Kinda clever when you think about it.
I think its neat. travel trailers contain all sorts of stuff I wouldn't want to be exposed to permanently(formaldehyde anyone?). It doesn't take much to cut a few holes and insulate. howevr, this would never be even close to allowed here, even as a SHED.
Then again, a brand new "mobile home" doesn't cost much either....
Used containers are a couple of thousand, depending on scrap costs and the condition. The costs start building up if you want insulation, decent floors and walls, etc. In most cases, the idea is more of a novelty than a sensible solution. A used travel trailer can be had for a similar amount, complete with bathroom, kitchen, heater, windows, and AC.
Travel trailer is different from this type of container home. I want something inexpensive as well as it shows my "character." I have done a deeper research in the past a few days. Actually, to build one like this, it can cost as much as $180/ft. A 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 1/2 feet tall container could be expensive to build. But some sell it for $8000 to $12,000/each(40' container, but it looks unattractive).
Well, it is still my "dream home." The advantages of this type of housing is you can add as many container together and you can also increase the size of this type of house whenever you feel like it.
Last edited by fortune-tellers; 03-30-2009 at 02:15 AM..
I think its neat. travel trailers contain all sorts of stuff I wouldn't want to be exposed to permanently(formaldehyde anyone?). It doesn't take much to cut a few holes and insulate. howevr, this would never be even close to allowed here, even as a SHED.
Then again, a brand new "mobile home" doesn't cost much either....
A brand new mobile home is not the same as the shipping containers. The shipping containers can be piled up like you see in the container port. Mobile home cannot be piled up at all...So if you wanna to increase the size of this type of housing, it is achievable if you use the shipping containers. Mobile home is very limited.
Last edited by fortune-tellers; 03-30-2009 at 02:21 AM..
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