Forget about bricks and mortar, container homes are one of today’s most unusual, but popular, home building trends. Building and living in shipping containers is a fairly new idea, but it’s taking the property world by storm.
This new, but rapidly growing, development first became popular in Europe, as many people were looking for affordable, durable and transportable home solutions. With Australian
housing affordability declining, quality property becoming less available than ever, and more Australians looking for low-maintenance housing solutions, container homes could quickly become a significant alternative housing trend here, too.
What are container homes?
As the name implies, these homes are made of refitted and customised storage containers. These modular homes are fairly simple and quick to assemble. Despite their humble and fairly basic structure, container buildings can be customised into a variety of shapes, sizes and designs and their uses include: homes, apartments, granny flats, shops, offices and hotels.
Sea container homes can be customised to fit a variety of preferences and shapes. Most can be built up to three storeys high; this makes them ideal solutions for oddly shaped blocks of land or higher density areas.
What are the advantages of shipping container homes?
The thought of building a sea container home may seem strange at first, but once you know the benefits, you’ll soon realise why container homes are becoming so popular:
- Affordable homes - this is probably the main reason that some Australians are choosing container homes when they build their own home. A typical suburban, family home costs hundreds of thousands – even millions - of dollars, but a container home can cost as little as $30,000.
- Strong and sturdy - the containers that are used in these homes are designed and manufactured to be able to withstand the harsh and ever-changing weather conditions that they face while at sea. They are durable, fireproof, water-resistant and weatherproof.
- Sustainable - the construction process of building a container home makes a significantly smaller impact on the environment than that of conventional building processes. These kit homes also have a smaller carbon footprint and can be customised to aid in reducing water and energy usage.
- Fast and easy - the whole procedure of building a container home is much faster and simpler than that of building a traditional home. It can be as quick as a couple of months to build and prepare a shipping container home for living.
- Customised and personalised - shipping container home plans and designs are modern, trendy and fresh approaches to housing. By choosing to build a container home, you not only stand out from the crowd, you can customise your new home to suit your exact tastes and preferences.
What are the disadvantages of shipping container homes?
- New, unfamiliar trend - to many Australians, the idea of building a shipping container home is still new, and many architects and builders would not yet be experienced in building these homes.
- Temperature control - shipping containers are made of steel or aluminium, which don’t retain temperatures well. The builders will have to make a special effort to install extra features like insulation to help control the temperature of the home. This may come at an extra cost.
- Harmful vapours - shipping containers are not primarily used for long-term housing and some may have been sprayed with paint, solvents and insecticides before they were first used. These vapours can be dangerous and harmful to humans. Ask your builder to use only unused, new containers to avoid this or keep the previous life of your used container in mind when cleaning it.
- Construction space - even though a container home can be designed to take up very little space, the construction, movement and placement of the various containers can take up more space than a conventional building process would.
Where can container homes be built?
Container homes are fantastic and affordable architectural solutions to building restrictions like oddly shaped land or limited space. Keep your location in mind, as they work especially well in areas with mild or temperate weather.
However, these modular homes may require special building permits depending on where you want to build and what the municipal requirements and restrictions are. Your building contractor should be able to provide advice on any possible location restrictions and also assist in lodging a building approval application.
Popular trends in shipping container home plans
One of the most exciting aspects of building a storage container home is that you can customise it with your personal style and the latest trends. Below are four of our favourites:
- Clean and simple lines
In an effort to complement the industrial look of the containers, many are opting to decorate their container homes with sleek, clean colours and finishes.
- Weekend getaway shack
Do you own a little piece of undeveloped land by the sea or mountains? A low-maintenance container home is ideal for creating a simple and affordable home away from home for getaways.
- Eco-friendly homes
This is an ever-popular trend in a growing effort to live sustainable lives. Designers are creating homes with environmentally friendly insulation, solar panels, rooftop gardens and water collection systems.
- Container guesthouses
Do you love having guests over, but don’t have enough space to accommodate them? Homeowners with large backyards should consider building smaller, affordable, container homes on their properties to create more living areas. These are often used as guesthouses or granny flats.