There is an abundance of shipping containers all over the world, sitting in ports and junk yards after they have been decommissioned from commercial sea-travel. These shipping containers need to be reused or recycled and converting them into your next home could be the perfect fit. Shipping containers can be constructed quickly, are eco friendly, relatively cheap and look amazing. We are often asked why build a shipping container home, so today?s article builds on 6 Awesome Reasons Why You Should Have a Shipping Container Home.
1. Best Cost
Because there are so many shipping containers and the demand for them is relatively low, buying one is much cheaper than traditional building materials such as brick, steel, and wood.
Since shipping containers are already structured, extremely durable and have flooring fitted, you as a home builder get to save cash on things like flooring, walls and roofing. All you would need to add with the walls and flooring is proper insulation and your new home is ready to go.
A 40 foot used shipping container starts at $1,800 USD and with two shipping containers of that size and an added hallway can get you a 1,000 square foot home for less than $5000 USD! The low cost of a used shipping container also allows you to build a bigger home than you would otherwise be able to.
Your dollar can go up to three times further, depending on where you are making your home and how much of the construction you do yourself.
1. Best Cost
Because there are so many shipping containers and the demand for them is relatively low, buying one is much cheaper than traditional building materials such as brick, steel, and wood.
Since shipping containers are already structured, extremely durable and have flooring fitted, you as a home builder get to save cash on things like flooring, walls and roofing. All you would need to add with the walls and flooring is proper insulation and your new home is ready to go.
A 40 foot used shipping container starts at $1,800 USD and with two shipping containers of that size and an added hallway can get you a 1,000 square foot home for less than $5000 USD! The low cost of a used shipping container also allows you to build a bigger home than you would otherwise be able to.
Your dollar can go up to three times further, depending on where you are making your home and how much of the construction you do yourself.
2. Eco Friendly Materials
With so many shipping containers stocking up in ship yards, junk yards, and ports, there is a plethora of containers for you to buy and turn into your next home.
Recycling them to make your dream home will help clean our environment, keep your costs low, and your conscious clear with your eco friendly building materials. To ensure you are being as eco friendly as possible with your shipping container home, you can use other recyclable materials and build your home in a way that allows natural sunlight to fuel your home.
Shipping containers can easily be remodeled, cut, or have items added to them to make them better for the environment and take advantage of the weather around them. For example, many shipping container homes made in areas with plenty of sunlight, like Costa Rica or California, have solar panels installed on their roofs to make use of solar power. With global warming and the high carbon foot print we all make, making an environmentally conscious home with shipping containers could be the answer to saving the environment around you.
Want to make your shipping container home more eco friendly? Read 15 Ways To Make Your Shipping Container Home More Eco-Friendly.
3. The speed of Construction
A traditional home usually takes a minimum of 4 months to build, whilst a shipping container home can be built in under one month! To ensure you are building your shipping container home as quick as possible, have all of your permits and licenses from the government ready, do as much research as possible in regards to the work involved and how you want your home to look. Also if you can, buy your shipping container locally or as close as possible to cut down shipping time.
With so many options on how to build your shipping container home, it is important you have ideas and research to back up what you prefer or how you want your new home to be constructed.
The speedy construction involved with shipping container homes means you are displaced for a short period of time which is great because we all know sleeping at a friend?s or family?s place whilst your home is being built can be very stressful.
4. Off-grid living
If you are looking to live ?off-grid? (for those of you unfamiliar with this term, it means to live without being connected to electricity) then shipping container homes can support this.
Last month we interviewed Brenda Kelly, who has built her own tiny shipping container home, and she mentioned just how easy it is to make a shipping container home off-grid. She has fitted her home with solar panels and a grey water recycling system.
Living off-grid you will also save a considerable amount of money due to your lower energy costs. You will also reduce you carbon footprint and be more self-reliant!
5. Flexibility
The boxy style and the material shipping containers are made form, allow for flexibility when building your perfect home.
Because the cortex steel they are built with is strong and sturdy it gives you the option to stack up to eight containers high- although we don?t think you will be wanting an eight story skyscraper (though it has been done)!
In addition to stacking them vertically you can lay them down side by side and build out horizontally too. The internal container walls are easy to remove, making it easy to build a door or arch to connect multiple containers together.
This convenience is great for homebuilders because it allows them to use containers to build the exact home that they need. The other great thing about the flexibility of shipping containers is that you can decorate them in any which way you like. Quite a few shipping container homes are given a cabin feeling by cladding the outside of the containers with wood.
6. Extremely Tough
Shipping containers are made to ship cargo and delicate items across the ocean, most of the times their trips are as far as China to the United States of America.
With that long distance in mind they are made specifically to be durable and extremely tough so the high winds, swirling water, and rough weather does not damage the items inside the container.
Considering they are made for harsh conditions and withstand extreme weather, they are more than tough enough to sit on land and be your shelter. They are tough enough to withstand 100 miles per hour wind, for those of you living in hurricane or stormy areas.
If you want to read more: Are Shipping Container Homes Hurricane Proof?
They are tougher than many other eco friendly building materials such as earth bags. This gives you the peace of mind, that the home you have put time and money into will endure and keep you safe in extreme weather conditions.
7. They look cool
And finally, in addition to being economical, eco friendly and easy to build, shipping container homes look amazing!
If you are new to shipping container homes and need any persuasion, check out these 17 incredible shipping container homes.
Believe us when we say that your new home will draw interest and attention
