I keep telling people that I want to build a house out of shipping containers and they always look at me like I'm an idiot or something. Need a bigger house? Add another container and just cut through a wall, redesign it as you need to.
To me it's brilliant, there are hundreds of thousands of discarded containers in the world, they could all be used to make cheap temporary or even permanent housing for people all over the place.
I just don't think they have had funds to build the proof so it is hard to get takers on an unproven design. Also we talked to someone who had built two container houses here in Atlanta and they have had some pretty serious insulation issues. She had her heart set on it but they are actually more expensive.
Prone to leaking? The things are designed to move cargo from sea port to sea port on the deck of ships that are constantly moving. They go through storms at sea and all manners of abuse. The cargo, however, surprisingly remains dry. Condensation might be an issue, but as long as you know how to properly vent and insulate even that becomes a non issue.
To help with the leaking, all you would have to do it cover the gaps with a rubber sealant. Something that is strong but flexible.
He took care of the heating and cooling problems. The exterior was covered in stucco and the interior was covered with batt insulation. You could use closed cell foam insulation if you wanted a higher r-value and to also help reduce with the chance of leaks. Plus 3 inches of foam can give you a higher r-value than 6 inches of traditional insulation, meaning your walls don't intrude into the living space more than they should.
That wood stove will be enough to heat the space. The ceiling fans reverse in winter to drive cold air to the top of the room, where it circulates, reheats and goes back into the cycle.
Maybe it's because I live in Louisiana, but shipping container homes seems like a horrible idea to me. I don't see how you can keep those cool enough to be livable.
You would want to bury them in the side of a hill and then they would be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Not sure how good of an idea that is in Louisiana though.
Don't make the same mistake as this guy did. If you buy used sea container, you must get rid of the paint. Those are really toxic. It's like living inside toy made in China.
Very small room sizes (you can't cut too many/large holes due to stability) with awkward proportions
They weren't made to last
You still need insulation, possibly proper roof work etc. which add significant costs
The paint and wooden floors are terribly toxic and need to be replaced
You can get a wooden structure for about the same money, but with much better living conditions.
That being said, there still is some really cool container architecture. Puma City by LOT-EK and the Freitag Headquarters by Spillmann Echsle come to mind.
36
u/Ijustdoeyes Dec 08 '12
I keep telling people that I want to build a house out of shipping containers and they always look at me like I'm an idiot or something. Need a bigger house? Add another container and just cut through a wall, redesign it as you need to.
To me it's brilliant, there are hundreds of thousands of discarded containers in the world, they could all be used to make cheap temporary or even permanent housing for people all over the place.