What is a container home?

I wanted to take a few minutes today to explain to those out there who might not understand what type of home we are going to be building. I also want to give credit to a few sites that I have been watching like a hawk for the last year. These sites have helped to give me the confidence that I can do what they have done. I just want to put my own little spin on my version though. I am sure that coupled with the architect Candid Rogers' design, we should create quite the amazing abode in Dale, TX.

First we have to explain the type of home we plan on building. We are going to use very non-traditional building materials. The plan is to create a home based off the 40' ISBU shipping containers. Here is the wikipedia link. = = > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_container

At this time we are in the plans of determining how many of the containers we are going to need. It could be as few as 2, but possibly 3 or 4. We have a friend who built their house from 9. They are very much like legos, totally stackable. This makes for a very efficient and inexpensive building process. So with that said, lets move on to some examples. We will outline 3 today.

THE CORDELL HOUSE - HOUSTON, TX
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The first and most influential for a true ideal living space has to be the Cordell House in Houston. This house used 3 twenty foot containers and then used somewhat traditional building supplies to finish out the house. Visit the site and see other photos to understand what they built.

THE 8747 HOUSE - ILLINOIS
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This house is totally different from Cordell. This 8747 House was built entirely out of the shipping containers and using pier footings to build on a sloped area that runs along a river. With an excellent use of space they build an amazing house that highly exceeds anyone's expectation of what can be achieved with shipping containers alone. Visit the site to see the pics and build blog.


THE ARKHAUS - PENNSYLVANIA
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The ArkHaus is composed of 2 separate containers that are 20' in length. They have been framed out and outfitted with the basics. This setup is an off-grid setup. That is what is so awesome about Trevor and Jen's build. I am very anxious to have a sweet place to live, but also very excited about living off-grid and generating my own energy. This is the only container home that I have seen that is driving towards self-sustainability. That is just awesome, and commendable. They are doing such a great job working with what they have, and avoiding the pitfalls of traditional homes, debt.


I believe that a combination of these container homes, comfort, space, green building techniques, cost savings, energy efficiency, & many other facets, will help us to live the life we dream of in the near future. Please feel free to comment or contact us anytime.

Comments

  1. Hi there JeepingeTowah! This is Jen from ArkHaus. Thanks for the awesome support! We strongly believe that becoming as self reliant as possible provides the greatest means of survival. Keep checking back for updates! We are planning on moving up to Maine in the next year to nestle our container home amongst the Pine trees, and expand with two more containers (possibly even 40's!). Keep up the great blog! *cheers!*

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  2. Hi i think you'll find that the cordell house used 3 40' and 1 20' container

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  3. If you are considering modular or prefab home, building with recycled shipping containers is worth taking a look at. There are many considerations that have contributed to the appeal of building with intermodal shipping containers - availability, standardization, the recycled/green factor, economy and speed of construction, their durability, and even their "elegance/grace".

    Good resource is the Residential Shipping Container Primer website. A SHOWCASE OF SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES AND BUILDINGDS, AND A DO IT YOURSELF (DIY) REFERENCE FOR CONVERTING RECYCLED INTERMODAL CARGO SHIPPING CONTAINERS INTO BUILDINGS AND ARCHITECTURE.

    Lots of great example buildings, details, facts, and links to other articles. They have something new that you can setup your own project wiki to get help with your project if you are considering a design build project.

    www.ResidentialShippingContainerPrimer.com

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  4. You have done a good job in showing the diversity of the types of homes that can be made from shipping containers. Modern prefab homes are the wave of the future, as far as new home construction is concerned.

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  5. For a good website that has postings of shipping container projects all around the world to spark ideas, visit www.facebook.com/newcocube

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