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That last idea will last, with metal siding be mostly maintenance free, and be comfortable. Not to mention easier to recoup invested funds if you want to sell. 24x40 is not very big, so be sure to check out ICF and SIPS construction, too. The costs won't be bad on a small house. What has already been said about passive solar is spot on and bears consideration as well.
I've been doing a lot of research for the past few years and am pretty set on building a shipping container home.
I have 40 acres in rural northern NV all flat land so plenty of room and buffer zone. It is not heavily wooded so fire is not a big danger but always a concern in the west. The other concern is security.
The advantages of a shipping container house (and shop/garage/barn) is because they are all metal fire danger is minimized.
They are self supporting so the only foundation needed is 4 piers 24" square (one on each corner).
No need for spending extra money on roofing.
Low exterior maintenance.
High level of security. I plan on using the door and window cut outs as metal shutters which will be secured from the inside. The only way in when I'm not home would be the main entry door. This would also help mitigate fire danger.
The down side is they can be a bit ugly although I have seen many done up in different styles that look quite nice.
They will require good insulation but that would hold true for any type of construction.
I may also bury one to use as a bunker.
Just wondering if anyone here has built a shipping container home and what are your thoughts?
They are great for storage, BUT-----don't spend too much on the dwelling. It won't have any resale value.
No one's mentioned, so I will, pre-fab and modular housing. Pick your floor plan, place an order,
get the foundation and utility hookups in, unload and connect up the pieces, do the interior finishing
and VIOLA! Youse got a house for your specific needs.
Just a thought because housing here in Chicago, Illinois is priced waaay out of sight for most. I live in
a northside neighborhood and Some guy with uhh contacts is making a bundle out of demos and
building One-point-five million (yes, Virginia, that's 1,500,000!) dollar ugly, no-character, cookie-cutter homes all around me. Makes sense since Real Estate taxes are Chicago's answer to funding government red tape.
Seems to me to be nothing but vertical insanity: power goes out and you're on the 35th floor... you DEFinally have problems, especially if you're physically disabled or elderly. Anyone got suggestions or
know where pre-fabs & modulars are a) legal, b) encouraged and c) maybe even subsidized?
OP, if you want to get some ideas on creating a shipping container house, download a couple of past episodes of "Texas Flip and Move" on the DIY channel. Several of the house moving/flipping people have redone shipping containers into very attractive domiciles. At least it would give you a "visual" and some ideas on soundproofing and insulation, as well as how to cut out windows and where to put certain rooms.
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