There is a hot new trend: shipping container homes. Basically, you modify and re-purpose used shipping containers and stick them together to build a house!
rchitects, designers and builders have actually found a way to transform big boxes of steel into beautiful and fully-functional homes.
With proper planning, you can endeavor to design and build a luxurious house for half the price of a “normal” house. 🙂 Let’s talk a bit about the costs of building a shipping container house.
Base cost to build per container:
There are two standard sizes for shipping containers: 20 x 8 x 8 ft. covering a surface of 160 sq. ft. and 40 x 8 x 8 with a surface of 320 sq. ft. A used 20-footer costs anywhere between $1,400 and $2,800, whereas a 40-footer costs $3,500 – $4,500.
You will also have to pay for labor (about $50-$150 per hour) and for the modifications needed to make the container livable. Expect to pay at least $10,000 for labor, more likely $15,000 per container.
There are some prefabricated shipping container houses sold for as little as $15,000. A big and luxurious house made of shipping containers can cost significantly more than $250,000, but it’s still only a half the price for a high-end home of a similar size.
Via Digital Trends
With a surface of 2,000 sq. ft., this house combines the industrial design on the outside with a walnut finish on the inside. The floors are made of concrete and the dual-pane aluminum windows provide natural light all year round.
The house has 5 separate decks to enjoy the sun while eating outside, tanning or simply standing still to enjoy the view. You would probably have to pay about $150,000-$200,000 (estimated) for a metal container house this big.
Compared to the $300K required to build a normal house with the same dimensions, we think metal containers sound quite attractive at this point, especially if the value of unique design and sustainability are taken into account. 😉
The costs to build this 1,000 sq. ft. house rise up to $75,000 – $125,000 (estimated). They used 2 x 40 ft. containers and added large windows to make the house look very spacious. This will help get your mind off the fact that it’s made of metal containers.
Although you can’t tell from this picture, the house is located near a city of two million people, San Jose, Costa Rica. This is a great way to build the house of your dreams without burying yourself in debt.
Any young married couple who bought a house agrees their life became a lot more difficult after getting a loan of $300K+, so why would you do the same when there is a more affordable way? You have to be open minded though about the whole shipping containers idea.
This house is basically made of two pieces separated by a small yard where you can install a patio and furniture. If you have pets and/or children this space is very useful.
You will always be able to keep an eye on your kids just by glancing out the window. This design basically features two separate house, a situation perfect for a recently married couple who want to stay close to their parents.
The floors are made of concrete and fir while the large panels made of glass are found on every side of the constructions. The entire property measures 1,920 sq. ft., the main building being made of 6 shipping containers.
The owners wanted to direct attention away from the fact that the walls are made of metal and hid them behind drywalls, so that the construction looks like any other house. If you don’t see the exterior, you can never tell that the house is made of shipping containers.
