Most people have the same first reaction to the concept... "You want to live in a shipping container? A metal box?"
This begs the question: Why shipping containers? The answer: Using shipping containers provides a steel framing system that is cost-effective, stronger than code requirements, eco-friendly, quick to build, and provides an amazing amount of flexibility in terms of design and floorplans. You are limited only by your budget and imagination.
COST-EFFECTIVE
The first reason to use re-fabricated shipping container is money. You can't build or buy a stronger or more affordable housing frame. Additional cost savings come from not having to deal with a framing crew and possible delays.
Due to the U.S. trade imbalance, there is a surplus of worthy shipping containers in and around nearly every American port. There is a huge supply of these things that isn't going anywhere. Prices should actually fall as this innovative building method becomes more widely adopted.
The finished home is highly energy efficient yielding significant cost savings over the life of the home.
STRENGTH & DURABILITY
ISO shipping containers have been developed and refined over decades. They are strong enough to stack over 9 stories high, and built to withstand the worst from heavy dock machinery and treacherous ocean voyages. In almost every way, a shipping container house is stronger than a stick built home; steel is stronger than wood. Steel is also resistant to mold, termites and fire.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Using shipping containers for housing is good for the Earth. These containers already exist, so why not make use of them? Why not keep them from becoming rusting metal mountains in our port neighborhoods? Why build a house of wood, when you can build a stronger house of steel and spend less doing it?
SPEED
A house framed with re-fabricated shipping containers will have a quicker build time than a traditional home, from site prep to move-in. The speed comes from the containers being modified off site while your lot is being prepped and the foundation is put in.
Once the foundation is in and cured, the steel framing system can be delivered and secured to the foundation in as little as one day, depending on the scale of the project. This cuts week, maybe months off the average build. Speed saves time and money.
FLEXIBILITY OF DESIGN
Designing a home around the use of shipping containers is fun. It's almost like being a kid and playing with lego blocks. Again, you're limited only by your imagination and your budget. You can stack them, cut them, bridge them and more...
