Modern Ideas On How To Refurbish Shipping Containers To Make A House

When you think of shipping containers, you automatically vision dirty and grey storage units sitting in dock areas across the world, and in all honesty, there is no glamour in that. They are predominantly used to store and transport items and products across the world, but did you know there are more uses for a container of such a size? If you are struggling to buy a house because of the exponential growth of house prices, why not live in a shipping container? I know that doesn’t sound very attractive, but you will change your mind when you see our best ways how to refurbish shipping containers for living.

Because of the prices in the housing markets, people are looking for alternatives for a cheaper way of owning a house that doesn’t spend a lifetime or two to pay off the mortgage. So please see how you can create your new house from a shipping container.

Planning From The Start

As with everything in life, prior planning is always the best way to go. Vision your idea, know what you want to create and aim toward your goal. Obviously taking into account the location of your intended home and the all-year-round climate is a good place to start when designing your container home, because if you live in a cold country or have bad winters, it heavily impacts the insulation factors of your home.

You will need to know the specifications of a shipping container because they come in all shapes and sizes. You also have to remember that these containers can also be interlinked, so the options on how big or conceptual you want to make your container home is essential at the planning stage.

When you have decided on the style and size of your container, draw out some real plans, a blueprint for your design so you know where you are and where you’re going. Think about the layout, where you will have the electric cables, how many doors and windows you want and all the things you need to create your perfect home and also the insulation factors.

Are you going to get the steelwork done off-site or are you going to do it for yourself? Many factors have to be considered at the planning stage, and if you don’t start as you mean to go on, it will be a complete disaster, believe me. You don’t want to waste your valuable time and money on a dream that is doomed from the beginning.

Prepare properly or prepare to fail is the expression that fits best when learning how to refurbish shipping containers to make a house.

Modifying Your Shipping Container

When you think about it, shipping containers make a perfect base for a house. The corrugated panels on the roof, sides and backs, and the floor, frame, rails, purlins and front doors all form together to make the solid structural skin. The frame is extremely strong, and more than adequate to carry floor loads. If you do cut holes into the frame, remember that it weakens the entire cabin.

A large factor in how to refurbish shipping containers is you will still need to perform steel cutting and lots of welding if you want to turn them into a house. Normally, we don’t use much steel construction in a home because of the expense. Try and get all the welding and reinforcing off-site or do it yourself if you can, which will massively cut down on the costs.

Either way, knowing how to refurbish shipping containers externally is just as important, even more so, than refurbishing the interior.

Interior Design And Refurbishing

Remember, a shipping container is no more than a large metal box. To make it a home, you need to concentrate your time on the little details; all the things that will make it a real home. Installing windows, flashing, skylights and exterior doors is the way to go. Measure and cut the windows and doors into the container, ensuring they are framed with a steel section. Using hollow rectangle sections like a Stainless Channel is the best way, although using an L-section is also possible.

This is when you will need to install the framing, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, and insulation, and get the interior ready for your fixtures and fittings. Spray Supertherm Insulative coating on both sides of the container walls, which is a high-performance ceramic coating with four parts, carrying an R-19 value, adhering to the surface of the container. Then install A 1/2-inch plywood floor over a -inch plywood sub-floor. You also have to think about the metal hat channels for wiring, which will be running along the wall and beams.

When it comes to decorating your container home, customize it for your own specific needs, because doing it right the first time cuts down on the stress and trouble associated with how refurbishing shipping containers to make a home you can not only be proud of but is also homey and practical. Everyone’s doing it, so why can’t you? Create your dream home from a shipping container and move into a brave new world.