How to Make the Shipping Container Home Building Process Easier
California architect Peter DeMaria constructed the first two-story shipping container home in the United States in 2006. Since then, the popularity of container houses has skyrocketed. By increasing popularity, it implies that it has progressed from single container homes to multi-container complexes. If you want to build a container home, here are some pointers to help you along the way.
1. Make your container home building plan and design simpler
Of course, the style of your container house is entirely up to you. However, if you want to make the construction process easier, keep the design and process basic.
There are several design options available. If you are not highly experienced in container home construction, keep things simple. You should not have to be concerned if it falls short of your expectations because container houses are simply upgradeable. As a result, start small and build your design skills as you gain expertise.
2. Remove as little as possible from the container
It can be more effective if the design of your container home just required a few cuts. This is since each cut in your container costs more time, and money, and complicates the construction. The walls of the container are stronger than the roof. As a result, if your design requires cuts for openings such as doors or windows, further reinforcing may be required.
3. Acquire containers from a single manufacturer or supplier
Because the quality of the containers varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, it is advisable to buy from a single source. If the quality and size of containers change amongst containers, it may reduce the convenience of employing containers to create modular buildings.
Reduce the amount of welding required as much as possible.
This option is mostly intended to save money. Welding may be costly and time-consuming. As a result, choose a design that requires less welding.
4. Stick to a finished design
As previously said, having more cuts implies spending more money and time. Each cut has a cost but cutting away a piece of a shipping container has a large cost and time to rebuild it. As a result, ensure that you will not have to go back one step in the design process and alter it afterward. Look through a variety of basic designs to choose one that meets your demands and pleases you, and then stay with it.
5. Prefabricated Shipping container home option
Prefabricated container homes are one of the most straightforward solutions. This saves you the time and effort of going through the building process.
Tips to manage your budget
Plan extra, at least 20% more than your existing budget
You may be in trouble if you have a fixed budget and all of the money is only allocated for projected costs. Do not overlook the risks that may arise throughout the construction process. At the planning stage of your container house, always do a risk assessment. Set aside at least 20% of your total budget. This will ensure that you can gladly confront the unexpected expense.
Keep a detailed record of your spending
Even if you budgeted your expenses and an unexpected setback, it is not enough. You should also keep track of every dollar you spend on your shipping container home project.
Use your money wisely.
Make smart financial decisions to save even more money on your container house project. Consider the long-term consequences of one-time saves and excesses. However, make certain that you are not sacrificing safety or legal compliance in order to save money.
Spend less money on upkeep
It is incredibly cost beneficial to use construction materials that take less work to maintain your container house.
Other factors to consider while building a shipping container home:
The quality of the container used to create your container house is critical. While purchasing new containers might be pricey, attempt to obtain a less used container. Because you are repurposing a discarded container, this will also be sustainable. Furthermore, thoroughly research aspects such as container stacking strength. This is to guarantee that your house is strong and long-lasting enough to live in. Most importantly, trust yourself and the construction process of your container house to ensure a great final result.