Shipping Container Cost,shipping container house floor plans
The most sensible place to start is with the actual shipping containers.
Now, the price will vary a lot depending on the condition and type of containers that you want. Let me share with you the prices for some of the most commonly used containers.
20' Shipping Container New: $3,000
20' Shipping Container Used: $2,100
20' High Cube Shipping Container New: $3,200
20' High Cube Shipping Container Used: $2,200
40' Shipping Container New: $5,600
40' Shipping Container Used: $2,850
40' High Cube Shipping Container New: $5,800
40' High Cube Shipping Container Used: $2,950
I written about this in much more depth, but I?ll repeat it here. My personal preference is to use high cube containers because they provide you with an extra foot of ceiling height.
In terms of purchasing new or used containers this really is a personal choice. With new containers you have the advantage of knowing they are in perfect condition- however you pay a premium for them.
Whereas with used containers you save money, but run the risk of buying some banged up old containers meaning they could be expensive to repair.
Container Home Design
Make sure you read my shipping container inspection checklist to avoid buying beat up containers.
As you can see on the pricing list, used 40' high cube containers offer the best value for money.
I would try to buy these.
Unfortunately though, they can be quite hard to find so you might need to spend some time tracking them down.
Don?t try to purchase the containers if they are too far away because the transportation costs will be extortionate.
Insulation Costs
Whilst it?s tempting to try and cut corners with the insulation and save money, this is one of the few places I?d say don?t!
If you get the insulation stage wrong then your home just isn?t going to be comfortable to live in.
It will be too hot during the summer and too cold during the winter.
Not ideal.
When it comes to insulation there are three options: spray foam, panel or blanket. I will discuss them from a pricing perspective here, but be sure to read my in depth insulation article for more guidance.
Let?s first look at spray foam insulation.
If you?ve read my blog for any length of time you will know that I generally like to recommend this type of insulation.
Why?
Container Home Design Idea
Because it is the only one which provides a seamless vapor barrier. This helps prevent problems such as mold and damp.
Not only this, but it is also the thinnest option at around 2? thick.
Cost Est: $1.75 to $3 per sq. ft.
Next, let?s look at panel insulation.
Panel insulation is slightly thicker than spray foam insulation at around 3? thick.
However the main advantage of panel insulation is that it is the easiest insulation option to install.
The drawback is that it requires wooden battens to be fitted to the container first. This obviously reduces the amount of internal space in the containers.
Cost Est: $0.75 to $1.45 per sq. ft.
Finally, let?s look at blanket insulation.
Blanket insulation is the cheapest type of insulation. And, just like panel insulation you need some form of wooden battens to fit the blanket insulation to.
The most popular blanket insulation is fiberglass and mineral wool- you need to make sure you are wearing gloves when fitting it.
Cost Est: $0.30 per sq. ft.
Foundation Costs
Next we are going to look at the cost breakdown of laying the foundation for your shipping containers.
Again, like with the insulation, you have three main choices for the foundation: pier, strip (trench) and slab.
Our focus here is less on the construction techniques and more on the benefits and cost of each approach. You can find my article on foundation construction techniques here and here.
How much does it cost to build a shipping container home
So first, a pier foundation.
A pier foundation is made up of multiple concrete blocks. It is by far the quickest and cheapest foundation type.
It is also very DIY friendly as it requires no specialist equipment.
As shown in the photo, a concrete pier is placed under each corner of the shipping container. These concrete piers generally measure 50cm X 50cm X 50cm. This can vary though depending on the number of piers used.
Cost Est: $550 (for a 40' container).
Now onto the strip (trench) foundation.
A strip foundation involves laying a small strip of concrete around the perimeter of your containers. The strip is typically 2 foot wide and 4 foot deep.
Though, the depth is heavily dependent on your local freeze depths.
You would generally use a strip foundation when the ground is too soft for pier foundations
As you can imagine though, a strip foundation is more expensive than a pier foundation for two reasons: more excavation and more concrete.
For a 40' container you would generally only need 6 pier foundations, so that?s a total of 3yd? in excavation.
Whereas with a strip foundation, you would need to excavate around the perimeter of the container, so around 28.45yd?.
The same formula applies for the concrete as well.
Cost Est: $5400 (for a 40' container).
Finally, let?s look at slab (raft) foundations.
Slab foundations are the most expensive type of foundation discussed here.
It involves laying a concrete slab underneath the entire container. The slab is generally 10-24? deep.
Whilst this doesn?t sound deep, it?s still a lot of work because you need to excavate all the ground underneath the container. So with a 40' container this would be 31.11 yd? compared to 28.45yd? for a strip foundation and 3yd? in total for concrete piers.
A slab foundation is generally only used when the ground type is too soft to support either a pier or strip foundation.
Cost Est: $5900 (for a 40' container).
External Cladding Cost
The last aspect I want to discuss in this article is external cladding.
My preference for external cladding is to leave the containers bare. I love the industrial look this creates.
It also helps that this is the cheapest option for external cladding. It costs absolutely nothing- well you might want to spend a few hundred dollars giving the containers a new lick of paint.
However in certain areas, zoning restrictions mean you have to clad your containers so they ?blend? in with the other homes in the local area.
The first cladding material we will look at is stucco (render).
Stucco is fine plaster which is used to coat external surfaces- you?ve probably seen many ?stuccoed? homes.
You can apply coarsely mixed stucco directly onto your shipping container.
The advantage of using stucco is that it provides your containers with weather protection. Instead of the rain and frost hitting your steel containers it will instead hit the stucco.
Cost Est: $6-10 per square foot.
Your other choice for external cladding is to use timber.
This helps to provide a more ?natural? finish to your home and can be done extremely cheaply if you use recycled timber.
You would first need to fit vertical battens to the outside of your container and then fix the cladding to these battens. To fit the battens to the container you can use bolts. You can then use nails to fix the cladding to the battens
Western Red Cedar makes a great cladding material, but obviously you have a large variety to choose from.
Cost Est: $2-3 per square foot.
