How to build a beautifully designed home using shipping containers

Are you planning to buy a house? Are you such a creative person that no houses you’ve already seen is suitable for your taste? So, have you considered of having a container home? You see, with these days’ innovation level, you can even build a home out of container. Yes, the shipping containers that are used for carrying heavy things at ports. But with the help of your creativity and little know-how, you can live inside those containers and still make out the best of it. Mind-blowing home? Sold to you!

Ready, Set...

How to build a beautifully designed home using shipping containers? Easy, we will help you out. First thing first, though. Before beginning to build your dream home, sign for permits to building authority. Also, make a deal with factories or companies who sell containers, and make sure the delivery is well handled. Another thing to make sure is the size and color of the containers, because it may cost more to repaint the containers with the color you want. After that, make a deal too with contractors that will help you to put together your new container home.

Go!

So the permit is registered, the contractor has come, and the beautiful containers are here. Let’s get to work! Plan the foundation, water management, septic tank, electricity and another utilities with your contractors, based on your design for the house. Just like every other house, your container home will need a foundation to stand still and not going anywhere, so make sure it’s well handled. Not only foundation, since containers already have edges, you’ll need to secure the containers to foundation.

After the foundation is built, now it’s time to make some container modifications. Basically, you will make a house from some big rectangle boxes, so you need some modifications—whether it’s to make holes for doors and windows, or some cuts to connect a container with the other. But when you make holes on containers, they will become weak, so you need to discuss this matter with an architect or better, structural engineer. More people to hire, huh?

When the containers are already set to foundation and have some holes, time to install doors, windows, utilities and lights—to make it into a home, not container anymore! After things are already installed, you need to make sure about the heating and cooling system as well, since your home is not made of concrete wall, but steels. This is also another reason on why you’ll need a structural engineer.

Things left to do is applying interior and exterior design, do some inspections with your contractor and structural engineer to make sure everything’s on their place, and finally register your new container home for certificate of occupancy!