Shipping Container Home! Expensive or cheap? (roof, heating, insulate, ceiling)
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Many years ago, for lack of a better idea of an occupation, I planned to be an architect. I spent an enlightening year at a premier New York College, before deciding that it didn't fit as a lifework for me. First year students were given various conceptual projects to develop their artistic and creative skills. Container houses remind me of those projects.
There was a fairly strong Bauhaus influence. One professor was Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, wife of Laslo and art historian. Info on the Moly-Nagy influence here: moholy-nagy.org: The Moholy-Nagy Foundation (http://www.moholy-nagy.org/index.html - broken link) A brief description of the Bauhaus here: Bauhaus-the 20th Century Experiment in Holistic Design, encompassing Architecture, Sculpture and the Graphic Arts and Design- Banned by the Third Reich under Nazi Policy (http://www.shoaheducation.com/bauhaus.html - broken link)
The container houses are a play on the Bauhaus style of architecture. Like this:
The use of containers is, as I said before, a novelty that seems very attractive to the lay person. What attracts the eye is not the container, but the use of modular form, often involving cantilevers, similar in effect to what Wright did with "Falling Water."
Such constructions are often eye candy, but have serious technical issues. Those can be all the more aggravating when recycled material is used, especially in a demanding structural role. For instance, "Falling Water" has had issues with the reinforced concrete, Mies Van Der Roh's "Glass House" ended up with no privacy when the area built up, and recently flooded due to artistic determination of the site.
Before ANYONE invests in a container based structure, I highly suggest they grab a comfortable lawn chair and a jug of water, find a container, and sit in it for an afternoon and evening. If you do this, in addition to contemplating your navel, you will feel the proportions of the space and the Gestalt of the whole idea. You may come to realize that steel walls about 8' apart could be very effective prison accommodations. They don't lend themselves to sumptuous living without significant modification.
As for saving money, unless you plan on do the entire project yourself and have the requisite skills and time, you are more likely to spend more on engineering analysis, architect fees, extended permit delays, and construction than a Bauhaus inspired normal structure.
Do I enjoy looking at these container houses, with their professionally lit resume photos? Sure, but part of having real vision is seeing a photo, then imagining the structure in rain, snow, baking sun, and with the paint peeling, lawn grown to weeds, and rust streaks.
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.
Awesome pics Why not go with a Systems Built True Modular Home instead though? It would be much cheaper, more energy efficient and still unique.
In this day & age, we should not worry about the hot container during summer time or freezer like during the winter time. We can buy something like insulation, solar panels, a/c unit and many others to cool down the container in summer and as well as keeping it warm in the winter time. Except the solar panels, most of the construction materials can be brought in a local Home Depot Store. Container home can be expensive if you asked someone to do it for you.
we recently built a large 15 x 40'HC housing unit for Alberta Canada . Was somewhat of a learning curve that's for sure. The benefits of Containers Homes is very clear
Currently we have a few more of these projects underway, will keep you all updated with pictures.
I dont agree , there's many designs out there where they look more desirable aperance wize than a traditional home. The idea itself of using containers does take time to get used to
Well, a couple thousand is pretty cheap for what it is, a box that can hold many, many tons so they're much stronger than most structures. A new one will be more. Relatives put some in their backyard for storage and had one with a door and window put in. People did sleep in there on occasion. They had to sell them for a couple thousand or so, they were brand new when bought.
When people banged on it, it was pretty annoying to anyone inside. There was a company I did business with, that was their outside office, a short container.
The thing I wouldn't like is the rust factor (that you see on old containers), once you get rust it's a pain to deal with.
This style of "box" modern style is more interesting to me.
Rocio Romero, modern design and prefab architecture (http://www.rocioromero.com/LVSeries/index.html - broken link)
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Why not go with a Systems Built True Modular Home instead though? It would be much cheaper, more energy efficient and still unique.
