I have seen a lot of movement in the area of creating not only houses but many different building types from used shipping containers. I really love this idea and wonder if anyone here lives or works in a container building.

I have thoughts of building one myself for me and my family. Here in Miami we definitely have the necessary resources and I think it would make a pretty unique home if we did it right.

Never worked nor lived in a house built from containers but I have toured a house constructed of 3 of them (1 was cut in half and stacked). Once finished, they aren't much different than the common house of today. They may look a bit different and maybe the container is expressed in some of the details but I thought the home I was in was very nice.

They did use insulated containers used for refrigerated shipping so that really helped cut down the cost for them but I think any container is going to save you time and money if that is the direction you decide to go.

I have seen one of these houses. A friend of mine in San Diego has one. Its pretty nice and sure you can tell its not standard construction but you would be surprised to hear that many people can't figure out on first glance what the house is constructed of. It looks nice. He said he saved a good amount of money and the house is appreciating nicely.

We have quite a few of these projects up in the northwest. Its pretty cool.

emptynester, Would you build on of these for yourself? I have one big concern that down the road, I won't be able to sell the house. I know that the people on this site are all in that mind set to begin with, but I worry that the general public may, for a long time, view this as an undesirable type of house.

If they look and perform similar to standard built homes, I don't see why they would have lower resale value. Why must people look at alternative building technologies as a step down?

Container houses are different in many ways but once finished, perform much like standard built homes. The innovation is in the all-in-one enclosure and structure system that is the shipping container. The true test is how you use the containers and how you "dress them up".

What type of insulation is in the walls of these containers. I wonder if you are really gaining that much in savings if you still have to fur them out and insulate the interior. Does anyone know about that? I was also thinking that there would be a difference between a standard container and one used to ship food and perishables. Wouldn't those already have substantial insulation built in?

I don't know that much about container houses, but I do remember watching a show once where someone used refrigerated containers to build a home. He said something about superior insulation already built into the walls that outperforms most homes on the market today. I guess if you use these containers you would be a step ahead when it comes to insulation.

There's been much talk about using containers for emergency housing in Haiti and other disaster zones. I think its a cool idea, but from my knowledge, it really isn't that feasible as far as cost and ease of construction. Any ideas?

Containers or ISBUs as a viable construction method is a great idea. I say go for it. It is an existing resource that will just sit in ports unless we find a means to use the containers, extending the functional life of the steel and other materials that make up the shipping containers. Its a form of reuse that I think we need to put some focus into.

Posted By skeptic on 17 Jan 2010 11:45 AM
What type of insulation is in the walls of these containers. I wonder if you are really gaining that much in savings if you still have to fur them out and insulate the interior. Does anyone know about that? I was also thinking that there would be a difference between a standard container and one used to ship food and perishables. Wouldn't those already have substantial insulation built in?

There is an innovative insulation choice that has made an impact with container houses. Spray-on ceramic thermal insulation, while more expensive, can provide an r-20 rating at a thickness of around 1/8 to 1/4 inches., The coatings are typically light in color and therefore reflective as well. There are insulated refrigerated containers but they are very very hard to come by.

Posted By hippie on 12 Feb 2010 10:56 PM
There's been much talk about using containers for emergency housing in Haiti and other disaster zones. I think its a cool idea, but from my knowledge, it really isn't that feasible as far as cost and ease of construction. Any ideas?

Probably not the best idea. It isn't a quick construction method and you need to have cranes to install them. I think there are several other options for emergency housing. There is potential there but its a long term investment that means creating these houses far before any disaster happens.

I think the idea of having a ship ready to push off and take temporary housing to disaster zones isn't bad. The ship could have many containers already pre-built and whatever is needed to haul and install them on site. I know it would be expensive, but these container houses would be reusable time and time again.

Posted By chloe on 28 Feb 2010 04:42 PM
I think the idea of having a ship ready to push off and take temporary housing to disaster zones isn't bad. The ship could have many containers already pre-built and whatever is needed to haul and install them on site. I know it would be expensive, but these container houses would be reusable time and time again.

Interesting idea, and I wish someone would put the funding up. I think there is an opportunity to create these units in such a way that they could easily be converted to permanent housing as well. in fact that step would be the only way I could see it being financially feasible.

I think the money is the real sticking point for ISBUs being used as emergency housing. They aren't cheap to assemble and ship so if someone could figure out how to make them convertible, then they would make sense as disaster housing.

I don't think its about conversion though. The cost of construction, the shipping and cost of installation make it less feasible than most other emergency housing options. Even if you could fund initial construction and make them convertible, they still wouldn't make much sense for disaster housing. They just aren't fast enough to get up and running.

Now if you want to talk about them coming in as a long term strategy for housing after a disaster, maybe it could work.

skeptic, couldn't there be an approach that uses containers for short term housing and then use the same containers in a new configuration to provide long term housing and other functions? I don't know if there are issues with containers that just make them too expensive or hard to work with for short term, emergency housing.

lilly,

The investment that you have to put into shipping containers to make them viable dwelling units would only be feasible for permanent structures. I think that container housing and container construction can be successful, but if you don't invest in properly prepping them, then they will get a bad name.

I think that temporary housing with containers is a slippery slope and isn't as cost effective as other strategies that take advantage of local building materials and methods.

If you want to set up small plant pots and seeders around your container then the solutions are readily available for these things .You can also go for eco friendly seeders and recycled mulch.

Runka, but aren't these solutions for any outdoor plantings. I am not sure how they are related to container housing.

lilly,

I also read recently that all aid organizations have rejected all ideas of using containers as emergency housing. They claim that they just aren't feasible for short term emergency housing. They mention cost, lead time and difficulties in transportation to remote site.