Social Media is now on fire with shipping container and mini housing accounts. The popularity keeps growing and growing. These accounts have in the hundreds of thousands of followers. Many of these accounts are actually designers of container homes. If you are sticking your big toe in the container home market, you should consider searching them out or googling shipping container homes on Instagram. You will not be disappointed with the results. Your creative juices with start flowing for sure! So lets touch base on some fundamental questions of jumping into the container home arena.
Do I Need An Architect?
The answer is YES! If you want it done correctly and meet any type of code requirements, you should get your design concept in order. You will need to figure out all the utilities and most of all you may have to submit a plan to the local city planning department.
Where Do I Put It?
Finding the location can be a challenge in some cases. There are some ordinances that prohibit container homes. Make sure this is one of your early to do things on your checklist. One of the best features of a container home is you do not really need a full foundation. Re-enforced footer around the foot print of your design is all that is needed if your containers are the base of the design. Your architect will figure that out for you.
Things I Need To Know
Here are some quick hitter items you need to know:
- Once you find your containers to meet your design, make sure they are stripped and decontaminated. Especially the flooring.
- Always use the best insulation and frame out the inside of the container. They are steel and conduct heat and cold.
- There is a shelf life on a container based upon the weather environment it is subject to. 25 years is the average. External maintenance is key to the longevity of your home.
- You don’t have to do a 100% container built home. Hybrid homes are popular as well. Mixing standard home design with a container or two integrated can be an option.
Bottom Line
If you are interested in building a shipping container home, there are many resources out there. Social Media can be your best resource to build your project.
Social Media can provide you with folks that design, build and supply container homes. You can start building relationships with them on social media platforms and get many of your questions answered or even hire them to design and build your dream shipping container home.
