Whilst no level of shipping container home structure should be studied lightly, certain periods are more important than others.
These key phases of engineering should be completed carefully. They are capable to make or break your complete build.
Knowing these key levels also allows you to prioritize where you should spend time and budget. There is absolutely no sense in spending almost all of your financial budget on exterior cladding and needing to scale back on key aspects such as insulation and corrosion prevention.
So, in this specific article I will give out the most significant stages of creating a shipping container house
These key phases of engineering should be completed carefully. They are capable to make or break your complete build.
Knowing these key levels also allows you to prioritize where you should spend time and budget. There is absolutely no sense in spending almost all of your financial budget on exterior cladding and needing to scale back on key aspects such as insulation and corrosion prevention.
So, in this specific article I will give out the most significant stages of creating a shipping container house
Installing Insulation
In my experience the insulation of a shipping container home can make or break the
entire build.Get it right and you will have a home that can maintain the correct temperature all year round.
Itwill also be cheaper to run, and reduce your energy bills.However, if you get it wrong your home will not be energy efficient, you?ll lose heat easily and find excessive moisture inside the home. You will also have expensive energy bills as you will need to spend on AC in the summer and heating in the winter.Regardless of the type of insulation you decide to install, you need to make sure it is installed correctly.With spray foam insulation this means ensuring a vapor barrier is created.If you?re using panel insulation this means fitting them with the foil the correct way around.You should also make sure you insulate the correct parts of the shipping container. A lot of people don?t insulate underneath the shipping container, however I would recommend you do.It isn?t just fitting the insulation though; it?s making sure you choose the right type of insulation to use in the first place.The type of insulation you use will depend on the climate you live in and also your budget.For instance, if you live in a cold climate you will want to look at using spray foam insulation. Whereas in a dry, mild climate you could use panel insulation.If you?re looking for more guidance on insulation read this and this.
Choosing Shipping Containers
In my opinion choosing your shipping Container is one of the main periods of your shipment pot home build.Failing to get the correct shipping containers can result in issues such as limited roof height, corrosion and corrosion.
If you are buying new, or one-trip, storage containers then you merely need to give attention to getting the right kind of shipping containers.
The right kind of shipping pot to buy will evidently rely upon your plan and what you would like to build. In most cases though I would recommend building with high cube delivery containers.Thus giving you more ceiling elevation and also provides additional space for insulation to be equipped within the floor. However if you are buying used delivery containers additionally you need to focus on the health of them.When buying used pots you must ensure you inspect them personally and don't count by using an online description of these.When inspecting the storage containers you should pay special focus on any leaks, regions of corrosion and look for any symptoms of wet or mold.We have recently published an in depth checklist inside our complete guide to purchasing shipping containers. You must read that if you are looking for more descriptive information.
Zoning Permits
We wouldn?t be talking about shipping container home construction properly if we didn?t make reference to zoning and building permits.
Clearly this one stage alone can completely make or break a build.Whilst lots of regional planning departments are starting to warm to the idea of shipping container homes, unfortunately there are still those that aren?t familiar with them.
Getting a permit in areas familiar with shipping container homes is far easier than those areas with no previous builds.I would recommend that before you buy land, you should approach your local planning department and see how responsive they are to the idea of a shipping container home build. Better yet, take a look around the local area and look to see if any cargo homes or unorthodox builds have already been built.You don?t want to be this person. Robert Fidler built his home, at the cost of $1.5 million, without a permit and was forced to pull the building down.Make sure you have all the necessary approvals before you start.
Planning Your Build
Whilst planning isn?t the most exciting part of your build it is definitely one of the most important.
Without a well thought out, realistic plan your build is already off to a bad start.
When people decide to build their own home they tend to get excited and want to start building as soon as possible. Whilst the excitement of seeing your shipping containers arrive on-site is unrivaled, I would suggest that you take your time.
It?s well known in construction circles that any mistakes on your plans are 10 times more expensive to fix once you?ve started building.
The cheapest and most effective way is to take your time to plan properly and make sure you catch any potential problems whilst you?re in the planning phase.
Just realized that your bathroom is too small on your design? It?s much easier to move a wall on a piece of paper than on an actual house!
When planning your build, some of the key things to think about are: budgeting, design, zoning and your timescale.
If you?re looking for more information, make sure to read our article on how to plan your build.
Setting a Realistic Budget
In my experience the single biggest reason that a shipping container home build fails, is due to a lack of money. The majority of the time this could be avoided if a solid plan and budget had been put in place before the build had started.
As previously mentioned you need a bulletproof plan before you start your build. A huge part of the plan is setting a realistic budget, and then designing your home around this budget.
For instance, if you?re looking to build a large family home but have a small budget, you would want to consider building with used shipping containers to keep the costs low. Make sure to plan and budget for only what you need and later on you can spend money on luxuries.
Whilst this is obvious, it?s very easy to get carried away during the planning phase. Before you know it you?ve committed to spending far too much money.
You should also make sure that you put 20% of your overall budget into a contingency allowance. Even with the best plan, unexpected things can and will occur during your build. You don?t want this to happen if you have no money.
So if your budget is $100,000, you should plan to spend $80,000 and place $20,000 into your contingency fund.
Site Preparation
With self-builders in particular, site preparation is often an overlooked step because it doesn?t feel productive and is something that can be done, as and when it?s needed.
I would recommend that you don?t fall into this trap.
Site preparation involves a lot of boring, but crucial tasks. For instance clearing all the rubbish off your land and leveling the site. Marking out where your foundations will be dug.
It also entails making sure there is suitable access to your land. If you?re building on a new piece of land, chances are there won?t be a drive. So you need to make sure there is access from the nearest road so the containers and other supplies can be delivered.
