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Shipping container homes are basically home structures that are made by a combination of shipping containers. The container is modified with walls, doors, and other features to give transform it into a comfortable living space.
✓ Shipping containers are mostly made up of corten steel (tensile strength of 68-78 KSI) which is commonly known as weathering steel.
✓ Shipping containers home may take single or multiple shipping containers. Tiny homes used for business purposes like Airbnb, coffee shops, small restaurants, etc all use single shipping containers.
✓ Tiny homes, commercial business purpose buildings, small restaurants, coffee shops, rural hospitals, etc. are the areas where shipping container homes are used. Today we can see shipping containers in every scope.
✓ The Qatar world cup 2022 stadium named stadium 974 was also built from shipping containers which can be portable as needed by disintegrating its part.
A. Scope of Shipping Container Home
i. For Building Business Houses:
Today shipping container homes have become a source of assets for thousands of people. Today people build shipping containers home and rent them and earn millions of dollars every year
ii. For Animal Rearing:
Today in the cold climatic region, shipping container homes for animals has become so common that today every animal is sheltered in a shipping container home. It is because the shipping containers home can be easily heated and cooled down if it is properly insulated.
iii. For Public services:
Today many governments in the world have found shipping container buildings to be one of the best means of development. Today many public toilets, hospitals, healthcare, post office, etc are increasingly built from shipping containers.
iv. For Personal living:
Today people build shipping container homes on a very low budget at their desired places.
v. for emergency services:
Today many governments in the world build shipping container structures and use them in emergency cases. In Qatar, thousands of accommodation places were built from shipping containers during world cup 2022.
B. Build Process Of A Shipping Container Into A Comfortable Living Home
Step 1
The very first step in building the shipping container home is building the base where the container is to be placed.
✓ There are various ways of building the foundation for container homes. Some are as follows:
i. Concrete Slab Foundation:
This is the most accepted form of foundation for container homes. The concrete slab is placed in placed upon the base where the container is to be placed.
ii. Piling Foundation:
Here piles are driven into the ground. piles are basically the assembly of things. Here, a pile of bricks is mostly used.
iii. Steam Wall Foundation:
Here we build the walls around the perimeter of the home and the space between walls is filled with concrete materials or other things.
iv. Grade Level Foundation:
Here the shipping container is directly placed upon the ground by making the area plain.
Step 2
✓ Now the main steps begin here. here we have to give the shape to the container which is to be used as walls. Some of the steps involved in this process are as follows:
i. Cutting The Shipping Containers:
This is the most widely accepted method of installing doors and windows in shipping container homes. The desired structure is marked and then cut with a plasma cutter or other cutting materials. Then the cut area is framed with wood or steel and the doors and windows are installed
ii. Using Pre-Fabricated Panels:
Today many companies in the world offer prefabricated panel services where windows and doors are already installed.
While building a shipping container home by cutting the container, we should be very careful because this may affect the strength and other things of the container. So it is best to go with a professional.
Step 3
✓ Now the next step is the most important step in building a shipping container home. The step is insulating the container.
✓ As the shipping container is made up of steel, we should insulate its walls, floors, and ceiling to make it habitual. Different insulating materials can be used for making it temperature-proof as well as soundproof.
Step 4
✓ After that, we have to modify the shipping container. in this step, we go on adding bathroom features, kitchen features along with other features.
Now, it’s the time of painting the home and decorating it. Here the final decoration is given to the container.
C. Energy and Sanitation in Shipping Containers Homes
Energy and sanitation are the main challenges to the shipping container home. Some of the practical ways are mentioned below;
✓ The sanitation and energy can be easily maintained as in normal homes if the shipping container homes are fixed and they are not with the purpose of movement in the future.
✓ If the shipping container home is built far from the living habitat then it is best to go with solar energy.
✓ If the shipping container home is built for short period and will be moved in the future then we should be very conscious about power and sanitation. For sanitation, we can use the disposal toilet. For electricity, solar energy will be favorable.
D. Advantages Of Shipping Container Homes
i. Cost-Efficient
The main advantage of a shipping container home is it is highly cost-efficient. The cost of building a normal shipping container home lies below 10000$ which makes it highly affordable.
ii. Portable
The materials for building shipping container homes are highly portable. They even can be disintegrated as per our needs. So due to this reason, we see the houses in exotic regions are shipping containers home.
iii. Durability
The shipping container home is highly durable. The expected life of a shipping container home is 25 years which is the same of a concrete house
iv. Self Buildable
We all have a dream of building our house by ourselves. The building process involved in shipping containers home is just integrating the walls. So the shipping container home provides you with a very beautiful opportunity to make your dream into reality.
v. Timebound
It takes very less time to build a shipping container home. The shipping container hospital in china during covid was just built in 24 hours which was 10 stories building.
vi. Weatherproof
The shipping containers’ homes are can survive in very harsh conditions. They can survive in extremely hot, cold, and rainy all kinds climates.
vii. Energy Efficient
Shipping container homes are mostly operated with solar energy. Also, shipping container homes take very less energy to heat as well as cool if insulation is done properly.
E. The Negative Side of Shipping Container Homes
Having a number of benefits, it also has a number of cons too. some of the negative sides of shipping container homes are as follows:
i. Limited Size and Layout Options:
As shipping containers home are of limited size. it will hard to transform it into an open home. It is also very hard to give the desired layout as interfering with it may affect its structural strength
ii. Structural Limitation:
shipping containers are designed to be strong and durable. they are not designed for the home purpose due to which we may not find the shipping home of our desired structure.
iii. Limited Resale Value:
As in normal cases, the normal house gets appreciated with time, and the shipping containers home gets depreciated heavily.
iv. Noise and Thermal Problems:
This is the most common problem seen in a shipping container home. It is very important to choose the right insulating material if not noise and a thermal problem arises
v. Appearance:
The appearance of the shipping container homes is not appealing. Most people do not like the external structure of the shipping container home
vi. Cost:
Although the cost to set up the shipping containers may be low the cost to design the interior may go may higher than the normal homes
F. 10 Stunning Designs of Popular Shipping Container Homes
