Container Homes

Shipping Container homes became a popular way to repurpose unused or surplus containers during the tiny home movement that began to take hold in the mid 2000s.

A shipping container home has some flexibility in where it is best suited. It is a good option for city and suburban areas, especially when you might be considering using more than one shipping container or where shipping containers are abundantly available. Remote sites are not ideal for shipping container homes, as the shipping container needs to be transported as one large module.

depending on the location of the home, a simple single shipping container home can be easily transported but may come at a cost. More elaborate homes with multiple containers would likely need to remain in one site.

Shipping Container homes are appealing from an environmental standpoint because they are recycled, however, transportation, temperature control and the life of the container may negate the reuse of materials. It is important to consider your containers previous use, location and sites climate when weighing the environmental impact of a shipping container home.

Controlling the temperature in hot or suny environments can be difficult with the conduction of heat from the metal of the shipping container, while very cold environments require better insulation of the thin walls and snow could create too much load for the roof to support. A shipping container is best suited for cool to mild climates.

The cost of the container itself can range from $2,000 to $6,000 while the cost of transportation and construction can range from $10,000 to over $100,000.