How to Build Your Own Shipping Container Home
When it comes to building your own shipping container home, there are many things that need to be considered. We imagine you’ve already searched for various other guides online, however many of these guides do not contain the crucial information which you need.
Most people who want to build their own shipping container home struggle because they don’t have the right information, such as how to apply and successfully get a building permit.
Getting a building permit can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. How easy would it be if someone could help you to know how to apply and what information you needed to prepare beforehand? Many people also have ideas about what their shipping container home would look like, but do not have access to proven plans which have been used time and time again to build cost effective shipping container homes.
This is where PrimaVista can help you! We specialize in building shipping container homes and offices, with the knowledge and experience to help you navigate approved & proven building plans, building permits to name a few items. With the Tiny House Movement (THM), small space and affordable living and office spaces are on the forefront of everyone’s minds and shipping container buildings are a brilliant way to build an amazing custom space that is more affordable than a traditional family home or condo.
To help you get acquainted with Shipping Container Home and Office spaces and how we can help you, we have put together some great facts for you!
The Benefits of living in a shipping container home
Over the past several years the popularity of shipping container homes has sky rocketed as more and more people have started to realise the advantages offered by building with shipping containers.
Not only are shipping container homes stunning to look at, they are also extremely cost effective to build far cheaper than building with traditional materials such as bricks and wood. We have seen spacious container homes built for less than $30,000! They are also environmentally friendly, and are being used throughout the world to showcase how building green homes can be both fast and cost effective.
- Discover how to purchase containers for the lowest possible price and receive a crucial pre-purchase inspection checklist.
- Get your on the exact plans used to build container homes for less than $35,000, including a utilities layout guide and foundation plan.
- Learn all there is to know about building permits including what key information you need to prepare before applying.
- Uncover how to properly insulate your container so you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer and avoid huge energy bills.
- Understand which foundation type you will need for your home and how to correctly prepare your site for the delivery of your containers.
- Receive layout and design tips throughout the guide to help you decide exactly what your container home will look like.
- Receive a simple, easy to follow, DIY guide which will make your dream container home a reality.
- Understand how to safely plan and design a dream home fit for your family.
7 Reasons Why You Should Be Living in a Shipping Container Home
There is an abundance of shipping containers all over the world, sitting in ports and junk yards after they have been decommissioned from commercial seatravel. 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 here’s 7 awesome reasons why!
1. 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 u 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 afford. Your budget 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
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.
3. 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. It is easy to make a shipping container home off-grid using solar panels and a water recycling system. Living off-grid you will 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! 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.
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 Canada/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. 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 Are Stylish/ 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 some of the photos we have on our website! Believe us when we say that your new home will draw interest and attention!
