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Old 07-31-2010, 03:48 AM
 
Location: Missouri
50 posts, read 340,692 times
Reputation: 73

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I recently came upon the idea of building a home in the Columbia, Missouri area out of ISBU shipping containers. They are suppose to be fantastic building material: eco-friendly, cheap, very strong and the can be insulated and constructed in almost any way so they won't look like a shipping container. They are also rust free if treated properly and can be coated with a special layer to withstand extreme heat and cold and also very tough against high winds (I read they can easily stand up to 175 MPH winds if they are anchored with pylons). They sound like a good choice but I was wondering how one goes about getting the right permits and such for building this style of a home? Does anyone in Missouri sell these? Would this type of structure be considered like a mobile home? Does anyone have any experience with this type of building material and problems when it comes to something like home inspections? What problems would come up with the city? I have no experience with building a home and I've never bought one before either so any advice would be appreciated.
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Old 07-31-2010, 06:33 AM
 
Location: Knoxville
4,705 posts, read 25,195,312 times
Reputation: 6129
There are several web sites that show these homes, just Google them. They are very unique, but I have a feeling they are not for the inexperienced.
Many Building Departments may not consider them structures, so they may require engineering reports.

While they may be stronger than trailers and modular homes, etc, those are built as homes and are "certified" and given "tags" showing they were built within the appropriate building codes. etc. Shipping containers were made to transport things.

They are most commonly found in areas that are close to shipping lanes, and ports. I worked for a company that bought a bunch of them to store things. I just went down to this big field and picked them out, kind of like a used car lot.
This was in So CA and close to 30 years ago, so things probably have changed.
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Old 07-31-2010, 09:47 AM
 
23,530 posts, read 69,951,025 times
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Sit in the back of an 18 wheeler for eight hours with the door closed on a sunny hot day, and then again when it is below freezing. If you survive, you'll quickly realize that the idea has problems.
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Old 07-31-2010, 10:03 AM
 
Location: CasaMo
15,972 posts, read 9,337,730 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea View Post
Sit in the back of an 18 wheeler for eight hours with the door closed on a sunny hot day, and then again when it is below freezing. If you survive, you'll quickly realize that the idea has problems.
He was saying that they would be insulated, though.
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Old 07-31-2010, 12:43 PM
 
Location: A little suburb of Houston
3,702 posts, read 18,155,517 times
Reputation: 2090
Quote:
Originally Posted by WanderingFlame View Post
I recently came upon the idea of building a home in the Columbia, Missouri area out of ISBU shipping containers. They are suppose to be fantastic building material: eco-friendly, cheap, very strong and the can be insulated and constructed in almost any way so they won't look like a shipping container. They are also rust free if treated properly and can be coated with a special layer to withstand extreme heat and cold and also very tough against high winds (I read they can easily stand up to 175 MPH winds if they are anchored with pylons). They sound like a good choice but I was wondering how one goes about getting the right permits and such for building this style of a home? Does anyone in Missouri sell these? Would this type of structure be considered like a mobile home? Does anyone have any experience with this type of building material and problems when it comes to something like home inspections? What problems would come up with the city? I have no experience with building a home and I've never bought one before either so any advice would be appreciated.
My friend's neighbor is almost finished building one of these. I was skeptical, but it is turning out quite attractive. It is anchored to resist high winds and is only 600 - 800 ft. from Galveston Bay. The neighbor promised a tour when he is done...I'm looking forward to it. From what I understand, the frames on those containers are designed to withstand some pretty strong weights and therefore make good steel framing members for the house. His is two stories + a little and is finished with stone veneer and hardiboard siding on the outside w/ pine floors on the inside from what I've seen so far. It was kind of a mess looking at it when they first started w/ all those boxes sitting around but now its looking up.
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Old 07-31-2010, 02:50 PM
 
Location: Middle America
37,409 posts, read 53,284,073 times
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Somebody was building one in the past year or so in Kansas City's tony Brookside neighborhood...got a lot of press. Not sure the status of it, but I remember it being talked about.

Here's some info from when it was being built:

http://www.kmbc.com/news/18414304/detail.html
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Old 07-31-2010, 05:17 PM
 
Location: Tucson for awhile longer
8,869 posts, read 16,245,577 times
Reputation: 29224
I've seen some of these in magazines and on TV that are really slick. Most are made of more than one container and are placed at creative angles to take advantage of light, etc. I even saw one that had stacked containers with stairways taking you up to the bedroom just like a regular home.

Building permits might be complicated, then again mobile home regs might apply.

Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea View Post
Sit in the back of an 18 wheeler for eight hours with the door closed on a sunny hot day, and then again when it is below freezing. If you survive, you'll quickly realize that the idea has problems.
It's been done a lot -- all over the world. What's put between the resident and the metal shell is dependent on what the weather conditions of the area are.
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Old 08-01-2010, 09:36 AM
 
23,530 posts, read 69,951,025 times
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I'm well aware it has been done many times. For me, the only designs even worth a second glance are the ones where two are joined, especially where they sit side by side and the adjoining walls are removed. Shipping containers are already narrow and claustrophobic, and adding insulation just furthers that impression. If you examine many of the photos of these, you'll note that there is an absolute minimalist approach to furniture, which gives a false impression of space. In reality, once most people add a closet or two of clothes, a sink full of dishes, one or two overstuffed chairs, and more than a half-dozen chotchkies, the interior more resembles a 1950s single-wide trailer with no windows.

People are funny with trying to work with unusual spaces as a living space. Old Pullman cars, cabooses, caves, flying saucer shapes, airplane fuselages, silos, and so on are utilized. They are fine as a novelty or getaway cabin, but highly impractical and annoying for regular life. Even "Falling Water" and Johnson's "Glass House" were found to be challenging places to live, and they were designed as showpieces by famous architects.

Shipping containers are fine for storage or even a shop (if you don't have long boards). For temporary unusual habitation, cardboard boxes are much less expensive.
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Old 08-01-2010, 02:26 PM
 
Location: Columbia, California
6,664 posts, read 30,512,325 times
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We thought of joining two together for a cabin, easily locked and secure when we may be away for a few months.
One idea was to create a home by creating a large space in the center, like circling up the wagons in a wagon train.
I had one as a construction office 20 years ago. Double ended - one side was storage and my office on the other end. Had a sliding door and AC mounted in the wall.
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Old 08-03-2010, 07:25 PM
Status: "Mistress of finance and foods." (set 19 days ago)
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,014 posts, read 63,347,416 times
Reputation: 92529
I've seen some very innovative homes made from these, but I think they were done by designers or architects, and were still very expensive. I agree, they're probably not for amateurs.
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