Houses from shipping containers: construction options, layout

In our country, they are so accustomed to traditional brick and concrete construction, focusing on SNiPs and GOSTs of the last century, that alternative types of construction are not even considered when choosing materials for the construction of houses. Shipping container houses are very popular in the USA and Europe. For them, this is a fairly standard design, which is much cheaper than capital construction. Moreover, such houses are in no way inferior in reliability to concrete ones.

House of shipping containers inside

Advantages of container houses

Mistrust also arises from the fact that such experimental construction appeared about twenty years ago. But the experience of construction and technology has already been developed enough to create such housing for permanent residence.

Pros and cons

Pros:

1. full-fledged housing from containers can be built in 1-3 months;
2. a simplified version of the foundation will save money - columnar, screw, floor slabs;
3. installation of containers in any position: side by side, on top of each other, at an angle, perpendicular;
4. the possibility of building on a relief of any shape;
5. choice of your own layout with almost no restrictions;
6. DIY construction without the involvement of specialized organizations;
7. the ability to use it as mobile House, that is, transfer to a new site;
   

   Transportation of a house from a container

8. the tightness of the container provides protection against rodent penetration;
9. seismic resistance: can be installed in areas with high seismological activity without the cost of reinforcement;
10. using a container as an extension to a house made of other materials;
11. expandable: additional modules can be added later;
12. installation production at any time of the year;
13. the originality of the structure.

Minuses:

1. construction of rooms of standard height no more than 2.4 m;
2. additional costs for lifting equipment for assembly;
3. the cost of installing high-quality ventilation and thermal insulation;
4. the need for anti-corrosion protection of metal.

Dimensions of shipping containers

In sea transportation, several options for ISO containers are used, differing in size:

• 20 feet;
• 40;
• 45;
• refrigerators.

45 feet are rare and a refrigerator is too specific and expensive. The most common and popular are 20 and 40 feet. In the English system of measures, a foot is approximately 30 cm. Hence, we get 6 and 12 meters, respectively.

Sizes of popular containers suitable for construction

The actual size inside a 20-foot module is slightly smaller and is 5.898 x 2.350, and 40 is 12.093 x 2.330 x 2.372 m. Hence the internal area of ​​an empty module will be 13.8 and 28.2 m² respectively.

For the construction of a full-fledged house with an area of ​​60-120 m², you need to use multiple containers. Modules can be arranged in 2–3 floors in a limited construction area. The containers are strong enough to build houses with multiple floors. Smaller units can be used as mobile workshops, cabins, temporary structures, country houses, etc.

Device

The metal structure is welded from beams with longitudinal and transverse load-bearing elements. The side cladding and roof are made of corrugated steel sheets 1.5-2 mm thick.

Appearance and structure of the sea container

The floor is made of 2 longitudinal beams connected by cross beams to strengthen the structure. When covering the floor, metal, waterproof fiberboard, plywood can be used.

For lifting and fastening during transportation, the products are equipped with corner fittings and holes for a forklift truck.

The name "marine" speaks for itself, the body must be sealed. The doors are equipped with rubber bands to ensure tightness.

Houses made of shipping containers

Such construction is called in another way "semi-finished". The building got this name because ready-made blocks with walls, ceiling and floor are used for construction, which do not need to be erected separately.

A 20-foot container house will be too small, but it can be converted into a small workshop or a country house. A 40-foot container is roughly the size of a studio apartment or studio apartment. If you need to create a full-fledged home, you need to use several containers connected to each other. That is, you get a modular house.

Small container house 20 feet

Metal containers have the shape of a regular parallelepiped. To play with the shape, some designers install the modules at an angle to each other, or combine them with different sizes.

What can be built

Due to their size and strength, various buildings can be created from containers:

• An apartment - for the residents of our country, this project seems still strange, but it is gaining popularity.
• A workshop is a great option for small production.
• Country house - if you use it only in the summer, then no special insulation is required.
• Shop - for a small business, this is a suitable option. And over time, you can move the store to a new, more profitable location.
  

  

  There is enough room in the workshop

  

  Representative office

  

  Small mobile store

• The flower pavilion is another type of mobile business.
• Garden house - for storing tools and other accessories for the garden and vegetable garden.
• Barn - can be used for keeping livestock, or as a home storage.

Projects and layout

Many people think that a container house will be very narrow and have a standard layout - this is far from the case. Several containers connected together will help to push the boundaries of space, between which you need to remove interfering partitions. It can also be a multi-storey building with a spiral staircase.

The project of the house is drawn taking into account the dimensions of the selected module of 20 or 40 feet or a set of several modules. The structure should be designed taking into account the supply of communications and focusing on general standards.

Before starting the construction of a house from sea containers, it is necessary to issue permits if the construction is capital. If you plan to put the house into operation through the BTI, you must comply with the current standards. In this case, it is worth hiring a professional design organization.

Next, an estimate is drawn up, taking into account all the necessary building materials. Based on the weight, the required foundation is calculated.

How to build a house from containers with your own hands

With the finished project, we start construction. You just need to take into account the sequence of installation operations, which practically do not differ from the usual construction of housing.

Alteration of a container for housing takes place in several stages. First of all, this is the installation of containers in the desired position and fastening them to each other. Then comes the installation of the necessary partitions, as well as the addition of the necessary structures in order to create a layout according to the preliminary plan.

Construction stages:

1. Erection of a suitable foundation - after a miscalculation and selection of a type, the foundation is arranged according to known standards.
2. Installation and reinforcement of containers - special lifting equipment is used for these purposes.
3. Anti-corrosion treatment - to ensure the durability of the building. It is necessary to pre-treat all metal with special anti-corrosion compounds.
4. Insulation of walls and roofs - metal containers must be insulated. To do this, use mineral wool, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene.
5. Lining of communications - in addition to the device for power supply, water supply, sewerage and heating, a special role should be given to the device of good ventilation.
6. Exterior and interior decoration is the final stage that gives the house its final look.

Home decoration

When choosing a finish, you do not need to follow any special rules. The choice of material depends only on the preference of the customer. All materials available for construction are used for finishing the container outside and inside. Beautiful container houses exist despite the opinions of skeptics. The main thing is to competently approach the design and choice of high-quality finishing materials.

Layout

12 meter house the area is comparable to a studio apartment. When planning, you can focus on finished projects. There is a combined bathroom, a living room connected to the kitchen. There is enough space in such a block to divide the space into zones for work and rest.

Small shipping container poorly suited for use as a full-fledged housing - make a comfortable layout for 12 m² pretty hard. Mirrors can be used to visually expand the space. Such buildings are usually used as seasonal housing or as additional modules to the main building.

Modular house

Houses made of block containers can be capital or collapsible for ease of transportation. The advantage of modular houses is the possibility of replacing a separate block of the house, which is impossible in a traditional building.

Modular house from two containers of different sizes - 20 and 40 feet

The most standard version of a modular house is a one-story building with a connection of several modules. A more creative option is a multi-storey building with an indoor or outdoor staircase. Installing stairs outside the building helps to save usable space and use it for the necessary rooms.

The 2-container house can be completed with a veranda or terrace. To do this, they need to be positioned perpendicularly and an open terrace should be erected in the resulting corner space. Or install containers in parallel at a certain distance, and between them place a covered veranda on an additional wooden deck connecting the blocks to each other.

Foundation for container

As already mentioned, the construction of container houses does not require the installation of a special type of foundation. The choice depends only on whether the building will be capital or mobile. The calculation takes into account the relief of the site and the type of soil. Additionally, you need to take into account the number of storeys of the future house, as well as the weight of all modules used.

You need to understand that metal containers are very durable and will not sag in only one place, unlike concrete or brick. Therefore, when installing such housing, there are enough cheap types of foundations, such as columnar or screw. The use of more solid foundations is necessary only if the building is heavy enough, for example, when assembling modules in 2 floors.

Production of finished housing

The production of housing from containers is also established here.Specialized firms have appeared that, according to pre-developed projects, manufacture them at enterprises, and then deliver them to customers at the installation site.

The advantage of such houses is that they are inexpensive and do not need to waste time on construction. The downside is the standard layout, as well as the set of materials from which the building is made, without a choice.

The cost

The cost of such housing (even taking into account the finishing) is 30% less than the price of a ready-made classic building. On average, building a house with an area of ​​55 m² will cost from 800 thousand rubles. It should be borne in mind that the total cost of such housing is influenced by such factors as:

• the cost of the land plot on which the finished building will be installed;
• costs of design and obtaining permits in the case of capital construction;
• number of storeys and total area;
• transport and lifting work;
• hiring specialists if it is impossible to carry out work independently;
• communications costs;
• purchase of building materials.

In addition, the cost is influenced by the fact whether the purchased containers for construction will be new or used, which will be cheaper. If the installation site is far from the port where the shipping containers are located, the distance can increase shipping costs. It will not be possible to save on thermal insulation materials, since such a house, with year-round use, requires high-quality insulation. Decorating can also significantly increase the budget - this is the most expensive item in the estimated cost of any home.

Reviews, video

Despite numerous discussions of skeptics about the unsuitability of containers for full-fledged living, the owners of such houses speak well of their finished dwellings. Such budget housing does not cost a large family, but it can provide a separate room for each of its inhabitants. Those who cannot afford a full-fledged house made of brick or concrete say good about cottages made of shipping containers. This option is much more profitable and convenient compared to a small cramped apartment.