What does your dream house look like?

Different people have different dream houses erected in the corner of their hearts, either for the fun of it; or with the hope that they will get it done someday. However, if you belong to the category of folks who don’t even have any, not even a small toy dream house- you can consider container houses; because in actual sense, they are quite realizable.
Container houses are the right description of their names. They are houses made from steel shipping containers, and they are Cool! The beautiful catcher to this is that hundreds of small container apartments can make a giant container building. You can check out our selection of container houses-which sums up to about a hundred-and fashion out the design of your own dream house. Let’s go!

Container guest house: check this house out. With a lot of demarcated apartment, it stands out. The color combination can inspire you

Now, this is massive! Don’t let your mind wander too far, because this is still a house made from shipping containers. Unbelievable right! You can dream big, you can dream wild

Staring at this house works for me. I can literally imagine myself walking down the passages on a breezy night-I know you see yourself there too. You can adapt this and make it a reality.

 

Small house

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This is an extraordinary small house I certainly would wish to spend some planned vacation in. the glass doors perfectly match the delicately placed roof. It is small but it looks like fun!

Small modern house

Something cozy, yet modern and Chic! Thinking up something inspirational is not stressful, you just have to take a look at this small modern house and get inspired

This house looks like all shades of awesomeness. Even if it came looking green and white all over, it still would be amazing. I have this checked on my list already. I hope you do so too.

This kind of “orange” says a lot about a perfect combination. Though it looks so simple on the outside, its interior looks too good to be true.

The fact this house accommodates a mini-coffee bar and restaurant thrills me so much. You can do so much with so little. Check the image below.

Knowing this house is large enough to contain so many people makes is simply creative. Evidently different from the “bricks and concrete”, it is an innovative dimension in housing

You can ship your container houses from wherever you want; you just have to take the necessary precautions to make sure they are exactly what you want.

Essential tips to know before building a shipping container home

Container houses are quite sensational and inspirational; they make wonderful homes. Though building container houses seem like a very stress-free process, there are essential tips to consider before you commence building any container house of your choice. These tips apply regardless of the kind of container house you have in mind; a multi-story or large square footage home. Once you get things right, you would build a sustainable and beautiful container house.
Make sure you have proper visual feedback of the container house you wish to buy. The images below say a lot about beauty; however, before you make your purchase of any container house, it is advisable you create time to go inspect it. If it seems impossible a task to perform, due to its location; you can request pictures for proper inspection. Some containers might have dents and rust issues; this is why inspection is an important task to perform before laying out some bucks form your purse.

Have a plan to insulate the house.

Without insulation, you will have to bear the brunt of the temperature variation that would occur. You might experience extreme heat during the day and extreme cold at night. You can be creative about the insulating idea, just make sure a competent contractor handles the job well. You should also note that the roof of your house will have to be heavily insulated to provide the needed protection.

Know what is obtainable in your town/city.
There are building restriction codes peculiar to individual towns and cities. You have to be familiar with what obtains in your city so you don’t go spending so much on a container house-only to discover that it is not an acceptable mode of construction in your area. It is definitely good to be inspired, but you have to educate yourself about the state building codes.

Protect yourself and your family.

Container houses have peculiarities. Some of them have heavy pesticides on their wood floorings to deter rats and other destructive rodents from gaining access. The paints often used in painting these container houses too contain chemicals. This is why you have to insulate the flooring and get rid of other harmful chemicals. You could also consider installing foam insulation on the interior compartment of your container to make it safe and habitable.

Do not modify the containers.

You have to install what you ordered for. When you try to cut out extra windows and carve out other door spaces to make sure it suits the bouts of inspiration flooding your mind, you are affecting the structural integrity of your container. This can also cause your container to deteriorate. Order for what you love, plan to modify what you order for.

Check out these inspirational container houses below:

More about the essential tips to know before building a shipping container

Know the details about the type of container you want.

These shipping containers displayed below are different, each with its uniqueness. If you want to go to a traditional container, you have to know that they are mostly eight-feet tall. It is so different from the high cube containers which add an extra foot in height. Heavy insulation works for some containers, while light insulation works for others. You have to find out what works for the caliber of container(s) that inspires you.

Don’t forget the electrical and plumbing aspect.

Unless you plan to give your container a jungle-like setting, you have to set things in place for electrical fitting. You can’t just do guesswork and cut hoes into the container at any point which looks right; you have to know where the electric wires ought to pass. You also have to know where the plumbing lines enter and leave your home. Inadequate information about these areas will result in health hazards. It might even cost you more holes in your container in the long run.

Welding.

Of course the parts of the container have to be welded together to increase the square footage, however, if you are cool with the “small home” picture display, you might want to model the concept. However, it is advisable to cut down on the welding activities and make do with moderately fitted containers; because welding costs quite a lot though it is essential to reinforce the structural integrity of the house.

Prepare for the wind

The wind is that visitor that will always seek to gain access into your house. if you wield your container house on the path of the wind, you might experience so much noise when the weather becomes windy. This is because the weight of the wind will pull on the interior walls of your house and generate noise. You should ensure that your house is placed in a protective area; an area behind the windbreak to prevent this form of disturbance.

Be prepared to spend some extra bucks

Container houses require some extra aesthetic touches in the right place to make them look beautiful. The costs of this effect do not end at shipping and wielding. Finishing up the installation of the container involves extra cost on the exterior and interior. You have to be willing to spend some extra bucks to achieve this.

Be inspired by taking a look at these container houses

While budgeting for your container house

The budget says a lot when it comes to container houses. Though these houses are not essential for the rich, the size of your pocket will determine to a large extent the kind of container houses you might opt for. It would do more harm than good to go for a house that you are not financially capable of finding. even if you have saved up quite a huge amount to get your dream container house, there are tactful ways to go about spending; to ensure that you do not blow all you have away upon purchase of that dream house.

Take a peek at these tips.

Prepare to track your expenses

Money can develop its own magical wings and fly away before our very eyes. This is why we have to be very intentional about how we want to spend when working on projects. The vibe to get things perfected might cause us the spending to go overboard. You have to make a reasonable budget and try as much as possible to stick to it while shipping the essential parts of your container. Keep a good track record of all possible spending and review it as the project progresses. This step will keep you from impulsive spending.

Plan more than you think you need to.

This also reflects why you have to be intentional with every form of research before carrying out this planned project. Improper planning and budgeting can cause you to overspend. It is much safer to budget more than would be required. Miscellaneous occurrences could present itself as an element of surprise. Find out what it would cost to ship and install various elements of the home.

Make smart choices.

In getting any project done, you have to be smart and very decisive. However, you have to stick to the balance. Refuse to be stingy with things you cannot change. Make sure you do not sacrifice safety or compliance for some bucks; in the end, you won’t appear smart at all. Choice the right kind of paintings, install health friendly containers; be smart and precise about your choices.

Be properly oriented about low-maintenance and stick with it.

Sticking with building elements which require low-maintenance is a smart decision to make, in as much as the procedure entails health friendly and legal approaches. Stick with low-maintenance all the way from the actual cost of maintenance to the cleaning and installation.

Go for new containers.

Some old containers might appear durable and cheaper, but it is safer to go for new containers though they might be a little bit more expensive than the new ones. The old containers might throw you into a lot of spending with the passage of time. You might have to fix window panels, door hinges or fixes numerous holes. If your budget cannot effectively accommodate the cost of new containers, you might consider going for a “middle option”, which factors in containers’ that have been used only once. These calibers of containers are cheaper than the new ones and more durable than the really old ones.

Concerning stacking

You have to understand what stacking entails. There are details to watch out for, to ensure that the stacking process turns out successful. Once the details are neglected, stacking the parts of the container together will pose a lot of problem for you.

What you need to know is listed out below

Inspect the containers

You will be doing a lot of inspection. This is to ensure that everything turns out right. You have to inspect the containers of quality. You have to verify that the bottom of our containers is structurally sound. You might not have to do so much inspection on new containers or the containers which have been used only once. However, if your choice was an old container, it will require that you pay keen attention to every necessary detail; to ensure it is good shape.

Stack rightly

Originally, containers were made to be stacked on ships and so they have rules guiding their installation. You have to stack containers with similar sizes on top of one another. Careful observation will open you up to the fact that “corner posts sit just a little lower than the bottom of the container”. Improper stacking will cause some elements of the containers to fall out of the roof. If your container lacks the essential features for proper stacking, you will have to make provisions for supports. You can “build in supports” for them.

Stacking rightly enhances the structure

The resulting structure has a lot to do with how you have stacked the individual components of your container. The weights of the containers are transferred to the corner posts if they are stacked rightly. This ensures that there are adequate stability and balance for the house. if you decide to creatively tweak your own installation, you might want an underground bunker. It will require that the container be buried-a more different approach. This approach will gently dissipate force between the roof and the walls.

Lock the containers

Stacking is not all; it is just one process which precedes locking. After stacking the elements of the containers together, you will have to ensure that they are adequately locked. This will help you ascertain the ability of the container to withstand stress from environmental variations. Twist locks can be very helpful in locking the parts of the containers together for reinforced stability and durability.

Myths about container homes

You might consider it unbelievable but there are myths which exist concerning container houses. Why some people find them cool and inspiring, some people have been misinformed about them hence they do not want to have anything to do with it.

Here are some myths which exist:

Shipping containers are for people who are actually Rich.

This is actually false. This container housing idea was a measure to provide affordable housing for many folks. Do not be carried away by the looks. You can always work your budget into the kind of container houses which you want. It does not nullify the fact that there are container houses worth quite a fortune; however, it is a scheme to provide affordable houses.

Shipping container houses cannot survive a hurricane

This information is not totally true. It totally depends on how well you stack the individual elements of your container. Some container houses can get blown away when hurricane strikes, however, they still remain intact. If the houses are properly anchored in the ground they can survive pretty much anything.

Frequently asked questions about shipping containers (FAQs)

Here are some possible questions which actually linger on in the minds of many people about containers.

Question: What exactly are container houses?

Answer: Container houses are houses built out of shipping containers. They can be adapted to make offices and other buildings. It depends on how creative you are! The materials used in the construction of the houses can be old or new-this does not really matter. Container houses look like these houses below

Question: How do I build my own container house?

Answer: Building container houses can be a very interesting process. All that is required of you is patience and determination, as well as a working budget. The other essentials of how to go about this process have been dissected into sections on this site. You just need to scroll and have a look.

Question: Are Container houses expensive?

Answer: affordability is a major reason why people opt for container houses. This, however, does not rule out the fact that there are expensive container houses. It all depends on your taste in collaboration with the amount of money that works on your budget. A typical container house can cost less than $80,000. You can also build a container house with a budget as low as $20,000.

Question: How do I insulate my shipping containers?

Answer: As earlier stated, insulation is essential for the functioning of your container house(s). Lack of proper insulation will cause your home to exude so much heat and cold depending on the weather variations. There are different methods of insulating container houses. They are;

Non-traditional insulation- the materials employed here simply has so much of “green” in their constituents. Although the components are eco –friendly, they do not really perform maximally. Examples include-straw bale, and Hempcrete.

Loose fill insulation- this type of insulation incorporates visible chunks of insulating media into the cavity of the walls. Examples include-loose fill fiberglass, cellulose, and Perlite.

Blanket insulation- this kind of insulation is not essentially self-supporting. The materials used to achieve this kind of insulation comprise long fibers compressed into a small space. You can also use Slag wool, Sheep’s wool or cotton.

Expanded foam insulation-this kind of insulation is self-supporting. most times it is manufactured offsite into panels that are properly scaled you can even make them yourself and get them glued to your container houses. This kind of insulation offers the highest functional insulator potential. Examples of materials that can be incorporated to achieve this type of insulation include-Polystyrene foam, Polyurethane foam, and Polyisocyanurate.

Question: Are there diverse building plans?

Answer: There are different packages to harness for different plans. You might want a special plan that covers unique roofing methods and floor installation for different bedroom sizes.

Question: how long can my container house last?

Answer: depending on the state of the container when it was bought, and maintenance, your container house can last over 20 years! If you reinforce your house with materials like wood, you can expect it to last longer than 20 years. It depends on your ability to keep it from rusting rapidly.

Get inspired, dream big and start acting on those dreams? You have the necessary tips which will grant you the needed edge. Get into the action, build that container house soonest!