Using shipping containers as a home

Deagol

I do a lot of work in the North Sea on Oil / Gas rigs and a lot of them have auxillary cabins made from 20' / 40' containers.

They are heavily insulated I presume as they are warm and I've not seen evidence of damp in any of them.

I can't think of a more hostile environment than that in these Islands

ir555

obviously bad workmanship in the above example but a bit extreme to write them off completely because of one bad experience in Taiwan... suggest you stay in a mobile home in Dec/ Jan and you wont belong changing mind to a properly insulated container..

perfect example of how they can be used along with good workmanship of on the of the episodes of Grand Designs this season and 100's of other websites with good examples.

D

reprazant

In fairness, I've stayed in terrible flats/houses that were covered in mould and had drafts everywhere. I haven't really written off all flats/houses because of it.

the_syco

If this goes well, it could open up some harder to reach places, as you could make and furnish the container with all the standard fittings, place it wherever, and then connect up the power and facilities there. Depending on cost of moving, they could be temporary houses for lifeguards (one example of seasonal work) on beaches, that could be removed during the off-season?

gctest50

few bits here :

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ContainerHomeInfo/Shipping-Container-Homes-Book-6.pdf

red_bairn

SuperS54 wrote:

Stayed in a guesthouse/B&B recently in Taiwan which was created from shipping containers for the most part, nice idea, terrible in reality. The first "room" we had had black mold all over the false ceiling and walls, moved. Second room had been recently redecorated however you could see from the silicon around the windows and in the bathroom that there had been a heavy mold issue there to. On these containers one long and one short side had been almost entirely removed and replaced with glass. Ventilation was a big issue, after taking a shower the bathroom door had to be kept firmly closed with the (seemingly adequately sized) fan on full blast. Couldn't use the air-conditioning in the first room as the vibrations from the unit caused the whole container to "thrum". Second night it rained, not extremely heavily, but enough that the noise on the roof was annoying. If in the position where I had to choose between a container and a mobile home/caravan I'd be in the latter like a shot.

You wouldn't have aircon in Ireland...so that can be ticked off and you can put cladding on the outside and layer grass/garden on top so you wouldn't hear the rain as bad as your Taiwanese accommodation.

I'm sure you could make plenty of changes just like an normal home. The example you gave above probably doesn't replicate the scenario that would be for somebody willing to throw tens of thousands into creating a decent home from it.

enricoh

someone mentioned 6-10 k for a container plus vat - are you for real? i bought a 40' last year for e1500 delivered to my door. in quite good nick. i got a high roof one 10', an 8' would be claustrophobic enough
the guy could get the container spray foam insulated in the roof of inside- no condensation.
i say u could make it homely for under 20k if u were anyway handy.
good luck

Tirnanog79

Has anyone any info on how one would go about planning for a container build.
I half 1/2 an acre of land.
Ive been renting for 8 years with my young family and have had no spare money to save for a brick house.
But i could afford a container house.
3 containers for about €10grand welded and cut to suit.
Windows, doors, insulation for about €20 to €35grand.
The rest DIY. Probably €20 to €30grand.
Total €50 to €75grand.
What realistic barriers will i come apon ?

Markcheese

There's stuff on the examiners web site about one made in Ireland - kind of a demo - it was timber clad and had external insulation - very stylish but pricey -

Tirnanog79

Thanks for the reply Markcheese.
I have read a fair bit about them. Im just stumped for info regarding Planning permission.
Has a container house a better chance if its an eco house i wonder ?
There seems to be no info anywhere regarding planning laws and containers that i can find.

Gumbo

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

Has anyone any info on how one would go about planning for a container build.
I half 1/2 an acre of land.
Ive been renting for 8 years with my young family and have had no spare money to save for a brick house.
But i could afford a container house.
3 containers for about €10grand welded and cut to suit.
Windows, doors, insulation for about €20 to €35grand.
The rest DIY. Probably €20 to €30grand.
Total €50 to €75grand.
What realistic barriers will i come apon ?

It might be cheaper to build a smaller home. How would you meet Buikding Regulations for a new home? How will you meet minimum room sizes as per the current planning and development regulations.

Pinkycharm

It was on Grand Designs Australia a while ago on TV. Take a look, they made a fantastic house using 20 of them I think!

on_my_oe

Not much help for planning, but here are some ideas

http://earthcube.co.nz/gallery-plans-of-earthcube/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/your-property/10645115/Container-homes-no-low-cost-solution

runawaybishop

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Markcheese.
I have read a fair bit about them. Im just stumped for info regarding Planning permission.
Has a container house a better chance if its an eco house i wonder ?
There seems to be no info anywhere regarding planning laws and containers that i can find.

Containers have to meet standard planning laws. You will not find anything that relates directly to them.

50-75k will build you a house, any reason you want to re purpose something that needs significant work?

Tirnanog79

runawaybishop wrote: »

50-75k will build you a house, any reason you want to re purpose something that needs significant work?

50-75k will get you a small house.
Im looking for a cheap large eco house.

runawaybishop

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

50-75k will get you a small house.
Im looking for a cheap large eco house.

Nothing eco about containers or cheap really. The quality will be far inferior.

Gumbo

runawaybishop wrote: »

Containers have to meet standard planning laws. You will not find anything that relates directly to them.

50-75k will build you a house, any reason you want to re purpose something that needs significant work?

75k will build a 50-60 Sq. M house. That's not big enough for a 2 bed apartment anymore, never mind a house with minimum room and storage standards.

Although I do agree that shipping containers will not work either.

runawaybishop

kceire wrote: »

75k will build a 50-60 Sq. M house. That's not big enough for a 2 bed apartment anymore, never mind a house with minimum room and storage standards.

Although I do agree that shipping containers will not work either.

75k will get you a lot more than that, but it is dependant on where you build.

Gumbo

runawaybishop wrote: »

75k will get you a lot more than that, but it is dependant on where you build.

Current build prices now range from €1000 Sq. M at a very very very basic builder finished to €1500 Sq. M for a half decent finish.

Allowing for planning permissions, the new Building Contral Lawa and appointing an Assigned Certifiers and then the fact that a me house has to achieve an A3 or better BER rating along with renewables. The Part L compliance (insulation, air change rate, air tighness and renewable technologies) portion will run you about 20-30k alone!!!

I'm sorry, but no house 2 bed or more can be built for 75k.

runawaybishop

kceire wrote: »

Current build prices now range from €1000 Sq. M at a very very very basic builder finished to €1500 Sq. M for a half decent finish.

Allowing for planning permissions, the new Building Contral Lawa and appointing an Assigned Certifiers and then the fact that a me house has to achieve an A3 or better BER rating along with renewables. The Part L compliance (insulation, air change rate, air tighness and renewable technologies) portion will run you about 20-30k alone!!!

I'm sorry, but no house 2 bed or more can be built for 75k.

We will just have to disagree, my experience is of drastically different prices to yours, though i did a lot of the work myself.

Gumbo

runawaybishop wrote: »

We will just have to disagree, my experience is of drastically different prices to yours, though i did a lot of the work myself.

Exactly. You can't do that anymore under SI9 of 2014 which changed the Building Control Act. The Assigned Certifier now has to take on the role and guarantee all aspects of the build.

When did you build?

runawaybishop

kceire wrote: »

Exactly. You can't do that anymore under SI9 of 2014 which changed the Building Control Act. The Assigned Certifier now has to take on the role and guarantee all aspects of the build.

When did you build?

09, you can still source a lot of materials yourself for a reasonable price. I was quoted 4.5k just to supply hrv for example and picked up a better unit for 1.5k.

Gumbo

runawaybishop wrote: »

09, you can still source a lot of materials yourself for a reasonable price. I was quoted 4.5k just to supply hrv for example and picked up a better unit for 1.5k.

Once they are traceable and CE marked then you can source them yourself. But a lot of things that you could do in 09 can't be done nowadays. The CPR regulations changed in 2013 or kicked in should I say, the newer Part L a year or so before that and then the new building control act and SI9 in March 2014.

I urge anybody that says they can build a house for 75 k to do it as there would be a lot of profit in it.

Not being a smart arse, and glad you got in and sorted before all the changes, but I deal with this everyday so see the new requirements that must be met.

runawaybishop

kceire wrote: »

Once they are traceable and CE marked then you can source them yourself. But a lot of things that you could do in 09 can't be done nowadays. The CPR regulations changed in 2013 or kicked in should I say, the newer Part L a year or so before that and then the new building control act and SI9 in March 2014.

I urge anybody that says they can build a house for 75 k to do it as there would be a lot of profit in it.

Not being a smart arse, and glad you got in and sorted before all the changes, but I deal with this everyday so see the new requirements that must be met.

Fair enough, seems like you'd get a lot more for your cash in a rural location though. You'd definetly pick up a house larger than 50 msq for 75k where i live.

Mr. Incognito

This is the English architect that did one on grand designs.

Came out amazingly well. http://www.pb-architects.com/completed-photos/

Tirnanog79

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

This is the English architect that did one on grand designs.

Came out amazingly well.

Fine house alright.

It cost him around 133k i believe.
Containers, cut and welded was 10k
His bath was 16k
Kitchen was 34k
And the rest 73k


Seems to be alot of haters of container houses about. Cmon lads where is yer fun and excitment gone.
My choice is to build a small standard ugly house and pay it off til i die.
Or a large one off custom house that i will own when im 65.

Which would you choose ?

runawaybishop

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

Fine house alright.

It cost him around 133k i believe.
Containers, cut and welded was 10k
His bath was 16k
Kitchen was 34k
And the rest 73k

It looks like a small house for 180k euro - its one bedroomed, though it is finished quite nicely.

Are you yourself an architect like that guy was, with many contacts in industry that will help keep the cost of your build down? What do you think the fees would have been for that build if the architects fees were included? How much do you think the site was worth, he got it for free, have you one also?

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

Seems to be alot of haters of container houses about. Cmon lads where is yer fun and excitment gone.
My choice is to build a small standard ugly house and pay it off til i die.
Or a large one off custom house that i will own when im 65.

Which would you choose ?

I'd probably choose the attractive, decent sized standard build tbh. Containers need significant work to get them up to standard. They are not designed as habitats and will need stripping as they probably contain harmful materials and chemicals (ignoring whatever junk they were shipping thats stuck to the walls). They are essentially big radiators that will be freezing in winter so will need a lot of insulation and have no thermal mass. The metal will need to be recoated regularly as the end of life containers you purchase will rust pretty fast if not taken care of. As this is not a common building method you'll be looking at paying a lot for experienced contractors or finding your way through with inexperienced people, which will typically cost your more as mistakes are made.

Containers could work well somewhere with a milder climate as a means of providing cheap temporary accommodation, but retro fitting them into a well finished house suitable for our climate is just more trouble than its worth.

RORY O CONNOR

kceire wrote: »

Exactly. You can't do that anymore under SI9 of 2014 which changed the Building Control Act. The Assigned Certifier now has to take on the role and guarantee all aspects of the build.

When did you build?

There seems to be a misconception that the AC is putting a guarantee all aspects of the build.

The principle role of the AC is the certify that the build is in compliance with the building regulations. Any warranty on the works inferred or otherwise is on the head of the builder who has built the thing.

If an AC is expected to put a warranty on the works then every little problem with the house after the build is finished falls on the shoulders of the AC to get fixed-be sensible-no one in their right mind would agree to this.

Tirnanog79

runawaybishop wrote: »

It looks like a small house for 180k euro - its one bedroomed, though it is finished quite nicely.

Are you yourself an architect like that guy was, with many contacts in industry that will help keep the cost of your build down? What do you think the fees would have been for that build if the architects fees were included? How much do you think the site was worth, he got it for free, have you one also?



I'd probably choose the attractive, decent sized standard build tbh. Containers need significant work to get them up to standard. They are not designed as habitats and will need stripping as they probably contain harmful materials and chemicals (ignoring whatever junk they were shipping thats stuck to the walls). They are essentially big radiators that will be freezing in winter so will need a lot of insulation and have no thermal mass. The metal will need to be recoated regularly as the end of life containers you purchase will rust pretty fast if not taken care of. As this is not a common building method you'll be looking at paying a lot for experienced contractors or finding your way through with inexperienced people, which will typically cost your more as mistakes are made.

Containers could work well somewhere with a milder climate as a means of providing cheap temporary accommodation, but retro fitting them into a well finished house suitable for our climate is just more trouble than its worth.

I have land and my friend is an architect.

"attractive, decent sized standard build tbh" for €75k ? Really ?

The metal used in containers is rust proof COR-TEN and has a very long life to them.
If you insulate the container from the outside no condensation will happen on the inside due to no metal touching the cold air.

runawaybishop

Tirnanog79 wrote: »

I have land and my friend is an architect.

"attractive, decent sized standard build tbh" for €75k ? Really ?

The metal used in containers is rust proof COR-TEN and has a very long life to them.
If you insulate the container from the outside no condensation will happen on the inside due to no metal touching the cold air.

I was comparing a house built for 180k with that container you liked that was built for 180k. You'd build a fine house for that price. You'd also build or buy a decent house for 75k, which is what you asked about isn't it?

Shipping containers aren't usually let go in their prime, they are normally approaching end of life. Even if there were not they will require sandblasting to remove all materials as they are usually coated with preservatives that are hazardous so you'll need to recoate them. Corten does rust though.

Weathering steel is not rustproof in itself. If water is allowed to accumulate in pockets, those areas will experience higher corrosion rates, so provision for drainage must be made. Weathering steel is sensitive to humid subtropical climates. In such environments, it is possible that the protective patina may not stabilize but instead continue to corrode. For example, the former Omni Coliseum, built in 1972 in Atlanta, never stopped rusting, and eventually large holes appeared in the structure. This was a major factor in the decision to demolish it just 25 years after construction. The same thing can happen in environments laden with sea salt. Hawaii's Aloha Stadium, built in 1975, is one example of this.[12] Weathering steel's normal surface weathering can also lead to rust stains on nearby surfaces.

If you insulate the container from the outside you still have no thermal mass within the heat envelope.