The ukranian refugee containers are not repurposed shipping containers. They are specifically made for this purpose. They were used in europe also as vaccination and covid test centers. You just lay them somewhere on the parking lot and voila you have a covid center. That said, they are accually affordable because from day one they are made for their purpose intead of renovated and adjusted which makes the shipping container houses less affordable.
Yes, at 7:30 and 7:35 you can clearly see they are not typical containers - the frame and corrugations are different. The point is not repurposing shipping containers here, the point is to have a sturdy living space that can be transported by a truck, so shipping container dimensions are perfect.
Yep. If you look at big construction sites where workers live on site, they use these special housing containers too. They come with doors and windows and the walls are already insulated. Real shipping containers can double as storage space or activity space easily but not livable unless heavily modified.
I thought it was generally accepted that shipping containers are really only effective as the frame of a house or room. You aren’t just dumping one in a backyard and moving into it without major modifications.
Exactly, wth.. Of course it has to be modified and that is where the fun starts for most designers but some people genuinely just need a place to live and do not care about luxury. Regardless of the comments, it is a less expensive option that can get expensive depending on the materials involved. Let's also discuss the fact that some places have strict building codes that do not allow their installation or builds.
I could give you the full rundown, but the bottom line is basically this: In comparing the cost of shipping container house, to an equal regularly build house. You can subtract the cost of the shipping container. This is only true when building a single container shaped house. Once you add more containers, the difference gets larger. As working around the limitations of the containers is more costly then with a purpose build dwelling.
I dont think anyone expected to buy a used container for 4k and not have to do a bunch more work.. even if you end up paying 15k for everything, that's a LOT cheaper than a house. Even with how small it is, it's a functional home they own, and for a lot of people that's amazing.
The thing is your not paying just 15k extra. And even if you are, that’s because you’re only paying material cost and doing the work yourself, which in that case, you’re probably better off building the same thing traditionally yourself for the same cost if not cheaper and more simply.
@@Loosetweezers Kinda depends on what you want. I've seen a tiny house design which used a 20 foot container and completely retained the shipping capability (i.e. had no holes cut into it). If "I still want to be abled to move this without specialised means" is a priority to you and you are willing to accept the tradeoffs, then a container would be the solution. If you want a conventional, but just downsized house, then you are probably better off having one built for you.
@@rockyblacksmith with no holes cut in it, you would be sleeping in a metal coffin with no airflow every single day, potentially dying from lack of oxygen depending on how watertight and airtight you make it.
As architecture professional, I would say that *anything* that gets converted from non-habitation into habitation will take a lot of extra work - hence will then be classified as “overrated” when ubiquitously hyped by the senselessness of mass media.
You're not looking at it from an economical point of view, just an engineering one. Even if it has a lot of extra work put in, is that working going to cost more funds than just building or buying a full house? As someone who lives in San Diego, and has to move up to Seattle for work, it is straight up cheaper for me to buy a plot of land and have a prefab built on it both here and where I am going. Even large shipping container prefabs that cost upwards of 200k still came way under the average asking price of roughly 700k in Seattle. It isn't my personal ideal, but it is much more economical for my family, few places rent five bedrooms. This doesn't even include pet restrictions.
Its best where governments are no rich and require to provide housing for poor people These so called cons are over stated by people living in rich countries and have ample choices.
@@mchannel1365 buildig out of prefab concrete or even wood is cheaper than manually building permanant containers as the guy said it wasnt cheap have you ever wondered why noone built permanant container sotial housing?
@@burgerpommes2001 well the idea is to build out of used shipping container, tha's why they are relatively cheap. You can't get enough cheap used shipping containers for large scale project.
As somebody who currently lives in a studio apartment, they are NOT that bad, especially if you put 4 X 40 Footers side by side, cut out the walls reinforce and put an interior. Most people in these comments are clearly just SPOILED... LOL
My wife and I stayed in that exact unit in April! It was a lot of fun and the bathroom is even nicer than he described (the heated floors and big shower was so incredibly nice). The town of Warrenton, while small, was fun with a brewery, distillery, and a few restaurants within walking distance from the unit. I would certainly recommend staying there!
Over here in the UK, people live in caravans that are practically the same thing, rectangular shaped small metal homes near the coast with utilities piped in such as gas, electricity, water. People have lived in caravans for generations. Such ask the gypsy community. And I can't understand why they keep on talking about the modular aspect. Nobody's interested in making their containers modular. Everything should be contained within the compounds of the shipping container, neat, compact and practical.
As a mechanical engineering undergraduate. It’s not really that impractical. They really aren’t that problematic just because you need to reinforce it if it’s modified. Literally every structure needs specific reinforcements when it’s changed due to the change in force application. Spending 4K per shipping container and a 2k welder you could get a lot done compared to standard housing costs. Architects aren’t engineers, so don’t rely on them so much for engineering specific questions. Usually architects are more into the form than function of a structure, while they still keep function in mind it’s not as pedantic as engineering analysis.
Have fun including the cost/labor for insulation so you don't have condensation destroying your drywall. Ports and lines for utilities like water and electrical, both of which need to be insulated especially in colder climates(lol to hot water at that point). And who ever heard of a giant metal box being WiFi or Cell Signal friendly. These things require far more than just "make sure it doesn't crumble". They are -very- problematic for them to be livable beyond being just an AirBNB. I highly doubt that "Spending 4K per shipping container and a 2k welder" would get anywhere close to what you are imagining.
"Usually architects are more into the form than function of a structure" I disagree. Depending on the approach of the design, some architects may prioritize function of a structure while still maintaining the esthetics. deconstructivism architecture style tends more into the form. But in the other side, industrial architecture style tends more to prioritize function over form while still maintaining the esthetics So it highly depends on what approach do you use
I've done some guerilla home building and done the math for people who love container homes. I think the practicality all depends on container price and climate. My main issue is that it will need framing,insulation,and vapor layer so the container that should replace framing and siding in theory, kindof just replaces the sheetmetal you might put on the outside. When one- time-use containers are under 3k to get onsite,I've seen them work well as quick spartan rural sheds where wood is free and you don't mind wet walls. I've seen them work well for rich people in the tropics. If you're going to stack them or heavily modify though, just do the math as if the steel container is an equal amount of roofing sheetmetal. If it's cheaper and you like the shape, why not?
@@McLamborghini hahahaha! The money saved from buying lumber, fasteners and sheeting, displaces that cost actually, and mold is far less likely to form in them as well. With a welder and a few metal working tools, it's cheaper than the number of carpenters tools you need to build a traditional home. The drawback is they're rectangular boxes, for the design oriented people.
I would've liked to see the per unit area price comparison between building a shipping container house and a traditional one. I'm not convinced by this video that it's more expensive, just that it's less inexpensive than people who haven't done enough research thought.
Agreed. Included in that, I’d like to see the cost of the land factored in as well because that’s where a major chunk of housing costs comes into play anyway.
One person out there said they spent around 50,000 on their shipping container home, and it was only 1 container. At the time, the t could have spent around 80,000, and have a regular 3 story home Also at the time they were having a TON of trouble getting a loan to do such a thing. This was like 7 years ago though (maybe a little less), so I'm not sure how shipping container home conversions prices have changed, and how loans and such have changed since then, but... Yeah I'm pretty sure the video that they mentioned in this, about how shipping container homes are a scam, mentions the cost.
It seems like the best comparison for cost to a single container home would be like a single wide “mobile” home. If the price is similar it seems like we’re just reinventing the wheel here. Like sure you container is stackable when you get it but is it still shippable after you’ve cut all those holes? Or is it just as stuck as a mobile home that’s settled into it’s foundation? Plus you don’t have a liveable house when your container is delivered like with a mobile home.
I agree. I just did some napkin math using some numbers from the video (I estimated foundation and finishing costs) and I'm looking at about $125 per square foot for a shipping container. Where I live, in lower middle class southern Louisiana, housing prices for new construction can easily exceed 200 per square foot. Existing structures are just as bad. With current housing prices, containers don't seem like such a bad idea.
The real comparison is the cost per sq. metre, not only compared to traditional housebuilding but also to modern prefabricated / factory build homes. Prefabs are really the way to go as you can literally churn them out on a production line, load the sections onto a flatbed then bolt together on-site - all the insulation and even most of the finishing is already done. The only site prep is the foundation slab and utility lines (which a container needs anyway). In reality the savings from any "unconventional" build style are minimal as, in Europe at least, land is not only the largest single cost, but usually the majority of the total cost of construction. Until you address the issues of land ownership and management, any "game changing" construction method is just window dressing. Even in somewhere as decidedly not land scarce as Australia, the cost of land is a shockingly high proportion of construction costs.
Every house needs "reinforcements, a foundation, plumbing, & electric". If these are considered drawbacks then every modern house ever built is considered a "drawback".
a house is built with those things in mind. you dont build a house and that start punching holes for doors, windows, plumbing and electric. and you dont reinforce. All those things are already there when you build it.
@@azztopia I mean this in the most non-condescending way ,but how is building anything today affordable or efficient? The cost of materials and availability of crews(good ones that is) is non-existent everywhere you turn. I agree shipping containers aren’t getting better but what is the alternative? Overpaying for the traditional method?
@@azztopia, where? How much per m2? Container stuff is aimed at DIY people who are ready to spent their free hours on the build, and then it makes sense. When it is kind of done by developers or as a show off "I'm green upcycling millionaire", it just does not makes any sense. Obviously a DIYer should understand all the downsides, which are quite a lot.
@@jefsel881 That's an assumption, not a guarantee. People thinking their house will go up in value with no ceiling are hilarious. They can't explain how, but they inexplicably expect their house to continue to increase in value lol
I lived in one for a good few years back in the Netherlands and honestly it was great. The insulation was top tier, it had a heat pump, and it was extremely affordable. If I'd had to live by myself again, I'd happily move back into one
I doubt your story as true. Maybe you think it is. But...it probably wasn't a shipping container it was probably a small house. it's something completely different. Small houses are purposely made for living in it. They are not remade containers. I don't think that you are lying...but you are not telling the truth. Maybe reading some books or watching NL TV can help. I think over there they also have educational programs.
A quick search will bring up multiple examples of containers being used successfully for housing at scale around the world. Student housing in Amsterdam for example, with details you can dig into including costs and environmental impact reports. Americans just have trouble conceiving of the world as it exists outside their borders
Turning an intermodal container into housing is impractical, but building emergency housing in the footprint of a container is a good idea. Makes transport and deployment much easier and cheaper.
Those are called CLUs and that is a bit of different thing. CLUs were never shipping containers but are built to the same size and strengths. They are great for oil field and expeditionary uses, they are also super cheap. There are even office version that are pretty good. The key thing is that no conversion was done just building to a size and strength.
@@walidfakhfakh3660 You can contribute by offering what you believe to be more correct information, preferably with directions to where we can learn more.
It’s not impractical at all. A fully serviced single dwelling unit can be built into a 40’ hi cube container in two weeks for less than a half of the price for a cheap single bedroom (traditional build) unit.
@@jamesdaniel2126 You're talking about a building being built with a particular structure in mind. That's not the same as having an existing structure and trying to create something from it. A shipping container designed for shipping is impractical for obvious reasons as stated in the video and isn't a good house without significant effort. What you're talking about a home designed to be portable into a container and re-assembled quickly from that container and that is something completely different and is usually designed from the ground up.
Don’t do it, you’ll be sorry when you’re pulling metal shavings out of your hair and clothes. I built mine myself with modules and a insulated concrete form foundation. It’s a great feeling when the crane drops the modules in place and you get to work inside protected from the elements that very day.
@@IntesoFFS I'm a DIY who has done everything that is needed here. An experienced fabricator. After looking into this I walked away. It's not a matter of overcoming the obstacles. It's being practical and spending money wisely. Plus factor in resale. Custom homes end up with unforeseen problems and this is a doozy.
We used them for storage units/moveable warehouses/workshops. They had little modification, maybe a vent. They worked very well. I can see how turning one into a living unit would require much much more work.
A shipping container as a shed/storage would make some sense. In terms of temperature/climate, I doubt it would be that different to what you get in a typical outdoor self storage unit.
I bought a container to remodel into a compact home for the farm (during the 2020 break XD), turns out its loud when it rains, bakes everythin in it during summer and not really easy to modify! (without compromising the structure and Stackability) So i eneded up using it as a storage shed.
@viiont eooiy building low cost housing can be done with pre-made concrete blocks. it's not woke, but that's how entire Eastern Europe was rebuilt after the great war.
@@thinkoutsidethecontainer Containers need an overhead shelter, either a tree or manmade. Insulating them reduces the internal size a lot. I made an AirBNB one, and I was riddled with complaints about the noise. I built an awning over it, and an external climbing ivy trellis on the prevailing weather side.
Also of note NEVER bury a shipping container, I know it seems logical, root cellar or tornado bunker or what ever, but the soil is to heavy on the sides that are not intended to be load bearing, and by the time you maybe reinforced and water sealed and what ever enough, you've built a whole other building in or around the container anyways, skip the container and just build that building!!!
Actually there are several points on containers that are load bearing… hense why they stack them with cars etc inside. It’s just a matter of getting the correct type of container and not over doing things in the build.
@@georgef1176 so a level of expertise that someone needing to build cheap is unlikely to have the money to pay someone for.... So the idea that these could be safely used by a relatively wide margin of the population for safe housing is still.... Nope, because you need an engineer at the very least to identify and design so that your space is safe....
@@victoriajankowski1197 it's a process, you need drawings, architectural, structural, electric, plumb and HVAC to to whole package. Once you get the permits, you can build. If it's on your own property for ",you" you can do it yourself (only the construction part). You need to have inspections and pass,, a plumber, electrician and HVAC person. Do a ton of research and have fun.
I lived in a container for 3 months because of renovations. I liked it, it has enough space and honestly, if this was permanent I could decodate it nicely. If there is no alternative for me in the future, I would absolutely choose this as a place to stay.
I'm sorry for chasing you out of my shipping container that day I found you living in it. I thought you were a big, ratperson. I know human ratpeople don't exist. It was just a panic response. I feel so guilty about whacking you with a broom. Fortunately I didn't panic with my baseball bat, crowbar, or mini sledge hammer nearby. Otherwise, I would be sending "get well soon, " comments to you in the hospital. You seem like a decent person, and again, I apologize for that experience. =D
Did you live in an actual SHIPPING container, or a prefab container home? People seem to confuse these two, as the latter are factory manufactured for long-term living. They are never used for shipping, but look the same.
You know what’s wild, and people basically never mention this, is that homes like these are considered ADUs. In other words they are an accessory dwelling unit. In order to have one you can’t just buy a plot of land and dump one on there, you have to buy a primary residence. The guy renting these out bought a trashed out house and land just to he could legally put those there. The big misconception for people trying to save a buck is that they can just buy some land and do that, which is really not the case.
What I don't understand is why he won't just fixup the original house. Try to make back money renting out the house also. I am thinking he got a real good deal on the land and house. But wasted all his money on the tiny house and those two container homes.
@@nerdsalsocomeinchocolate2740 Not so much. The ROI on tiny homes and container houses and the like is super high. If you can charge 1k+ a month on a building that cost between 30-70k to put there, you are doing well for yourself. Then take into account that he can double or triple up on a single property depending on the state's and counties zoning laws. It's a no brainer. That house looks completely shot, maybe even a demolition and rebuild type situation, but he leaves it up because it allows him to have the ADUs. A demo situation would cost well over 100 grand, not really worth it. Plus with the house in that condition and the land of not the highest value, he could have feasibly paid less than 30 grand for the entire property. Trust me, none of these things are by accident, this guy knows what he was doing.
There's couple on TH-cam documenting the whole building process of their container house. They did it themselves and it's not that bad actually. I forget what the channel called, but i think using keyword "couple-diy-container house" will do the job.
There's actually a container-townhouse near where I work. I just contemplate making a tiny house out of either one 40' or 2 20' containers. This is a port city, I can probably get the whole house built for under $40,000. I want to build hurricane/flood/tornado/ heatwave resistant. Otoh, I might just get an RV. That way, if there's flooding, I can evacuate my d@mn house.
its easy to call it overrated impractical garbage when you come from money or have support/big income, but to a lot of normal average people who are usually amazingly humble, they can modify these containers the way they want and make them very comfortable
The thing about modular buildings is also: Nakagin Capsule Tower was built with that idea in mind. The plan was to take the individual boxes out and replace them for renovation when necessary, or if someone wanted a different module. That never happened, because you would have had to disassemble the entire tower. Permanently modular buildings just don't work, modular construction is only good for quickly planning standardised housing that can be adjusted to the locality.
That building was torn down earlier this year, as it fallen into disrepair. As you said, it was far harder to replace capsules than was first planned, so they were never replaced. After 50 years it wasn't economical to replace or repair the building.
@@shigekax so your teacher was a hoax? True Rolf. Modular inclines that you can change things out. And that vid shows that it's not just me. as soon as it's in place it can't be changed. And as all pieces are the same at the beginning there isn't anything modular about it. That would mean it's prepared before it's put into place on a greater scale.
@@stemill1569 Modular does not specifically imply that you can change things out. At least in my opinion. It implies standardised sizes/dimensions so that replacements may be easier to source perhaps, but not that changing things would be easier than with a non-modular system. The word which I would use is hot-swappable. Taken from the tech space, it usually refers to things like hard drives or other components that can be removed and replaced without turning off the computer. When talking in terms of construction or architecture, it could mean that a "module" can be replaced without needing to remove other modules first.
Another common problem is with condensation and mold because of the metal. I can really recommend actuallx watching Belinda Carr's videos on this as they include much more factors and get to the point much quicker.
Tiny houses have a potential, but the problem with a shipping container is that it adds nothing to the project. You can build a shed / cabin / box of that size out of wood or bricks, and it would be better, possibly even cheaper. That's not what makes houses expensive, it's all the other stuff, like electricity, plumbing, insulation, foundation, labor, land... So, what's the point of making your walls out of sheet metal that gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter? Just to pay for more expensive insulation? To constantly worry about condensation / mold, because of the temperature differences?
What actually makes houses expensive is demand and artificial scarcity building a house is relatively cheap buying a house good luck if you came from poverty.
The point isn’t making a house it’s about taking an existing structure and modulating it. America unlike other countries imports more than exports especially before covid there was surplus of shipping containers. To solve for insulation you can make the bottom half water tight and partially bury it. Ground temp stays roughly 55 degrees, during winter and summer. While brick houses have to be built brick by brick and wood houses/sheds are cheaper than brick they are more prone to being compromised in a storm with strong wind flying debris etc. As for condensation it’s about preventing outside humidity from making contact with inner walls which can be achieved with spray foam insulation, and having positive pressure which keeps the outside air out.
@The Roober you look at house prices just outside of major cities, and ask yourself does it really cost that much for building materials. My sister bought a home 2 years ago for 300,000 and it’s now valued at 550,000 it’s just a 3 bed room 2 bathroom with a small kitchen and living room.
I believe a big appeal is that as the container is functionally designed to be moved, if you maintain that structural robustness you don’t have to move home… your home moves with you.
Yeah right. But anything will fit that superficial demand, If you have the money and time. Most people interested in theses steel boxes doesn't have such! That's why it's important listening to experienced and educated people before wasting money, time and personal health... Any timber construction is most likely better for the same amount of money! Regards from a professional smith, rebuilding and living in these boxes since seven years!
Anything can be quite nice in the right hands, but it will cost you more $$$. Just don't fall into the trap of believing in a magic pill that it will be cheaper and better than a regular house because it won't.
The problem with a lot of these "affordable" solutions such as shipping containers and 3D printed houses is the only thing they really address from normal house construction is a portion of the framing step, which in the grand scheme of things is not even that expensive when it comes to house construction. (Edited for clarity)
@@ronnymcdonald2543 10 bucks a sq foot. For a 1000 sqfoot house it only costs 10k. The foundation costs more than that. The finishing costs more than that. The electrical costs more than that. etc etc etc. It's a significant cost bt hardly a make or break expense in the grand scheme of things. 10k for framing or 15k for three used containers + thousands for modifications... cost is not the advantage of containers. The advantage of containers is mobility if you need something like a construction office.
@@pavelzrzavy6934 There is a lot of value in the financial freedom and the skills gained when building it yourself though. I spent 15k self-building a 25sqm timber frame building and have lived in it continuously for a bit over 2 years. Would happily do it again every time. The point about the framing is absolutely true though; my direct experience from building that was: cladding > electricians > paid help > windows and doors > PIR insulation > framing, sheathing, flooring ("all other timber") > carpets + laminate flooring > the vast amount of screws, nails, metalwork, tape, barriers, spray foam etc > roof > regs/ paperwork > foundations > plasterboard
After seeing the modular pre-built homes in Japan, I thought a shipping container would be a cheap alternative. As the architect said in the video, the corrugation of the skin is part of the container's structural strength. Cut into it for doors or windows, you loose that. The Japanese custom-built containerized home won't have that problem.
Its best where governments are no rich and require to provide housing in large numbers These so called cons are over stated by people living in rich countries and have ample choices.
incorrect, sir. The way a shipping container is made, the only real way to create a "concerning" bend point would be to BEND the actual steel. The Corrugation is NOT compromised if you add two simple reinforcement beam along the cuts. One vertical, one lateral. You create a thick enough brace that no bend can exist. The best advice i can give you is "Don't listen to someone who has a stake in the outcome of the video's impact" In other words: Don't listen to the person who loses money when someone invests in other means. That architect will say ANYTHING to increase the negative view of container homes. You think Pepsi is out there promoting Coke?
@@comdrive3865 please explain to me how rv's, motorhomes, and camper trailers work. Tell me more about how food trucks have 0 support for the massive window they open, which usually has heavy equipment attached right to the side, and does not crumble. Tell me more about how sheet metal works. Please. This should be a gooder. Are you using the picture in the thumbnail as reference, forgetting the video you just saw that had 0 weight on top of the container? Whats crushing it?
@@pappin1961 Blablabla,, where do your fantastic independent kids live, and how much weather and changing seasons have they experienced? Your hippie independent obsessions are ridiculous.. Shipping containers are not made to fulfill your antisocial obsessions but shipping dead goods safe and efficiently across the globe. Regards from a Scandinavian with personal knowledge 🍻
@@pappin1961 bet these guys all own investment properties, if you have the capital to buy/mortgage land (as land has less barriers of entry) and crane in a container you absolutely should over renting even if it means doing some hands on work yourself, renting only leads to giving someone else equity for yet another investment property and nothing for yourself other than rental history to qualify for, you guessed it, more rentals
These are still cheaper than regular houses? I don’t think most people think you can just move into a shipping container without doing any modification, and if they do, they simply haven’t done any research. This argument did not prove its point.
Exactly. Everything connected with steel is way more expensive, demanding and dangerous. The result is merciless, failure are not easy or cheap straightened out, while wooden constructions and related materials are way easier handled..
in my country (Poland) it is slightly more expensive to do container house than normal small house. Mostly because labor for that kind of work costs more - there isn't many people who are experts in that field, so they have higher prices. Also: even with insulation it is hard/expensive to properly heat in the winter/cool down in summer (so it is extra cost of ac - which you wouldn't have with good building in "normal" way) and moisture is a problem
Indeed, and those trailers often go cheap. They're much more rugged than typical mobile homes. (Nice to see someone else with real life experience in these threads!)
I lived in one for years as a student. It was a true luxury compared to sharing an apartment. A nice spacious studio with your own kitchen and bathroom. It was really well insulated and I never had any problems with noise or temperature. There were over 300 in the complex and all stacked, so I'm sure that really reduced the cost. Sure, it might not be efficient to build them individually and make modular family homes out of them. But when it's hard to build permanent low-cost housing, it's really great. I honestly believe they should be built by the tens of thousands on vacant lots and that they could go a long way to addressing the homelessness crisis and provide cheap and decent housing to students and single low-income workers. The complex was demolished to make way for gentrified luxury apartments that I could never afford if anyone's wondering 😔
Was it madr from repurposed regular shipping containers, or modular habitats made in the format of shipping containers? The latter makes sense, the former is just an expensive gimmick for people who try to make believe that they are solving something.
In architecture school they told us that they were going to be the future of housing, I agree with this video, although they are not a completely bad idea, they are nonetheless very overrated. UPDATE: again, I mean that it's very underrated when considered as "the future of housing", other than that the view on them can be very subjective and can be differently useful/viable to different people.
The idea for temporary housing for people in need is wonderful, especially if they are kept well. But yeah, the idea that they permanent solutions to housing is absurd.
@@Mrwizard-ck7oe1970-80 ranch style house with a picket fence 1980-90 one bedroom condo/apartment 90-00 co habitat 00-10 van life 10-20+ a backpack and a tent or hammock you will own nothing and enjoy it
not saying this video is wrong per se in the arguments, but I feel like there are probably use cases and scenarios not being discussed. I don't have any knowledge of this field, but my feeling coming out of this video is that you started with a conclusion and worked toward it.
whta i think too.,. thanks to some like-minded people like you.,. most of the documentaries I've seen nowadays, especially from these channels tend to cancel notions that are still potentially good and then cancel them,.,. I mean, why bro? why is there so much cancelling., I mean you can prove that its bad if you keep on pushing those buttons in just so that you can say that they are indeed bad.,. You can say that it's bad to eat banana blah blah blah or its bad to be humans blah blah blah anything you want if you just build your ground from there.,. this is just wrong... faulty argument.,.
I agree. The video assumed everyone wants modularity and stack-ability when a lot of people just want a tiny home. And I’m not sure how many people really think they are going to plop a 4k container somewhere and just live in it without a build out or a foundation. Seems like a bit of hyperbole.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING?! I dunno, build up, build mid-price apartments instead of MORE luxury condos. Make zoning more friendly to smaller property plots, duplexes, and townhouses? It's not hard 😭
The only way to prevent the massive problem with home prices is to prevent corporations from buying homes. Right now they're snapping up all the homes and turning them into rental homes as well as airbnb style homes. It is so profitable with minimal risk to them. If they want to flip the house they can as well. They have the means to afford the homes even if the homes stay vacant. Because vacant homes don't depress the rental rates.
The problem is many use them wrong. My father build himself a house made with them, but he use them for the skeleton of the house, he added insulation, inside and outside walls. You use them to take the place for blocks and bricks.
@@LongWindedUsername Even if they were competitive, that just means you've put roughly the same work and money into making a container livable as just making a normal home. Any savings you got from using the container is wiped out by the conversion. You CAN do it, there's just no point.
@@Bluecho4 I think the idea is using existing materials and reducing overall consumption in construction vs everyone constantly needing new materials for cookie cutter homes that get built in large scale every quarter.
Exactly, that's why it doesn't make sense investing resources in a shipping container for a living place. It's only extra work connected with irritating issues, you don't need, and are forced to deal with in the future.
It's a decent upcycle idea if you happen to have an old shipping container and don't know what to do with it but pinterest got a hold of it and everyone went nuts over the trend but didn't put much thought into past that.
A company I worked for used unmodified shipping containers to store tools in. They are incredibly hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, they accentuate ambient temperature A LOT. We would stand outside rather than be in them. I'm sure modifications would make some difference but steel is inherently excellent at conducting heat.
@@laurencedavey3121 Right... Just saying arguments saying steel containers get too hot, sweaty, etc., are weak arguments if you could build a steel luxury house in Palm Springs...
id rather live in 9:20 or 9:50 or the older house in the background of the video than the shipper container's aka a pre-1920's real artist/architecture home and leave the shipping to moving my hobby/ect. stuff or as a temporary storage shed/shop to work out of and not live out of and the same for all pre-fabricated idea's for similar tastes/resons save modular ideas for automotive uses ect. my 2C
I know right? Could have gotten a Good Used Camping Trailer for Less and Insulated that better and spent $4000 altogether. I live in a 1973 32' Camping Trailer I bought for $1800 and live in Florida in it for 13yrs now... Put Tin the Roof held down by Cement Blocks and have a 12x12 Covered Porch... Got like $2500 into it all together...
@@ravenlorans Awesome! I'm actually rebuilding a 1983 Coachmen travel trailer right now, I'm basically starting from scratch because the existing timber framing was SHOT!
I think they do work for Caribbean islands. Insulation would only be for sound or to insulate against hot weather (in case you decide to paint outside in a dark color) and it’s not mandatory. Apart from that, just make it structurally safe and apply rust-proof paint or coat. Where I live houses are fully made of concrete and concrete blocks with metal rods and mesh. We tackle hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. That’s why I think they are not such a bad solution.
tbh I'd much rather live in a concrete house during a hot summer or a hurricane or flood than a container. Quieter, cooler, more secure. And probably cheaper, really.
I was deployed in the Army, I spent 7 months in a tent, with 13 other people. Showers were about 1/4 mile walk. On my way out, I got to stay at an intermediate base, where they had barracks rooms made from shipping containers. They had 2 bunks in them and their own bathrooms/showers, but I was alone. It was heaven.
When I was in the military, stationed in some remote areas, we used containerized housing to live in. However, these were designed from the ground up for this purpose, as the ability to transport and get up and running quickly was more important than cost. There were seperate units for living quarters, shower units, and restrooms. The sleeping units could be stacked and there were pre-fab stair and walkway units to make second and third story walkways. Good for what we needed, better than a tent, but not anywhere close to what I would call home.
In Asian countries you see the same with "construction housing," where modular places for migrant construction crews who work on a project for a few months would stay. They can range from really primitive to semi-permanent with A/C, Wifi and common spaces. Some even get turned into housing projects after as well.
We had similar containers replacing classrooms when my elementary school was being rebuilt. Pretty sure costs were cut on every corner but it was a pretty bleak and miserable space to occupy for the one school year I spent there, at least after the novelty wore off.
Or just a bad idea right now. Things may adapt. It's impossible to predict but there certainly seems to be a large desire for modular homes. People want to design their own homes and feel like it's using what would be trash (I know most would not be). If you could combine the idea with mobile home design, or a more reliable RV inspiration. Then the ability to stack, connect, etc. I blame Lego :-)
yeah I used to go to arch school and I agree with the woman on the video about the idea of 'house'. I think the main problem here is the physical (shipping box as material), not the modularity idea
I remember looking for a house last year and we saw a shipping container home that was 4 containers stacked on top of each other. It was nice but you could see that there were "choices" made to the layout that made it awkward. And in the end it cost more than a new house of the same size. I was curiously interested in the beginning but the fact that it was in a REALLY bad neighborhood ment I passed on it.
We should also watch "Living Big in a Tiny House" youtube channel and that shows what people have built with shipping containers. For some, home is a luxury and for others home is a necessity.
im a civil engineer. me and my friends have always wanted to start a business of building container homes to make a revolutionary fast and affordable home solution in our region. we finish college, gain some experience in the industry and when we got into the details of building a container houses, we immediately chuck the idea. its actually cheaper to build a brick house of the same size, and take about the same time too..
Instead of a shipping container we need a housing module system. Purpose built. I’ve worked in a shipping container, it was neat. Especially when you blow out the endcaps for windows. When I’ve been to condos made of them, the far better experience is two stacked wide. But they’re neat for temporary things or an mini office. A dedicated, interlocking, standardized and open sourced housing module if adopted (and clad in a way where when people come over or it’s built next to neighbors and it’s just a house like any other) could revolutionize building homes. Never underestimate people’s desire to fit in, while saying they want to stand out.
appartments also typically dont have their own inhouse laundry, and at that point there's virtually no difference to using a coin laundry down the road vs an often coin laundry in your own appt complex, and assuming you bought the land you place your container on (which is way easier to mortgage due to lower cost for just land) you end up with more than just a "rental history"
As someone that has built a few shipping container homes for Airbnb's it can be a great investment if you're willing to do a lot of the work yourself. I really wouldn't say they are affordable if you're going to have to pay someone to do everything for you. We were able to to finish all three of our container homes for around 25k each. That includes, power, water, sewer etc. A lot of times when you look to buy a container home your main utilities aren't even included in the price. However, we done majority of the work ourselves other than the things we actually had to get a licensed tradesmen to pull permits for. In today's market I would say it would cost you close to 80k to finish one completely if you weren't doing any of the work yourself. That's a lot of money for 320sqft.
Tradesmen in the USA are WAAAY over paid! Hey make a living, but too many own ski-doos, season tickets, and a cabin in the mountains, a fancy truck, 2000sf homes, and are under 40 years old.
@@winstonsmiths2449 You are paying for the knowledge and experience of that tradesmen. If you think they are over pay - go and try to work in that field. The problem is not that many people would do this, that's why it is expensive - if more people would have those skills that would be cheaper
@@MaraMara89 Yeah, knew this was coming...over-paid because of...drum roll please...UNIONS! Now there are skilled craftsmen for sure whose work border on artistry, but most are average skills carpenters, etc. Standard house build or repair should not be $90+ an hour! Good, honest, and most often hard work, but IMO, over-paid.
@@winstonsmiths2449 not an American, nor do I live anywhere near the continent, but I feel as if 90 bucks per hour is pretty expected? You guys have medical bills that are, my lord, so overpriced and these tradesmen have a high risk of attaining injuries and the likes to work. But you're right, to the average home owner who just wants a little upgrade, they wouldn't be able to afford it. This all probably comes down to politics and why people in general should get paid more (eg, wait staff at restaurants so they don't have to rely on tips)
You basically have to build an entire house inside the container for it to be up to code. It ends up just limiting your design to the shape of the box. You might as well just build it from scratch for all the good it would do you. The only case where it works is if you simply don’t modify it at all. No windows, no additional doors, just drill a few holes for ventilation, plumbing and electricity.
In denmark we build around 200 shipping container homes (as a test bed) For cheap quick student homes for students that come from all over the country to Copenhagen to study and we have a critical lack of homes from them. The general consensus is that the studens are happy in them at the start but quickly gets annoyed specially in the summer is it MADE from steel and with insulation which in sunlight and summer heat makes a REALLY warm situation.
@@kimsherlock8969 Air conditioning is rare in the Nordic and also flipping expensive to run and not something studens would be able to afford. And even with windows open some of those containers were noted as reaching 35c (95F) In the day times.
@@darth_yoda Thankyou for sharing your information It is sad as so any people have dreams of Container housing as they cant afford to build a home. A bit like trailer living in USA.
@@kimsherlock8969 Yeah and yeah some of them can look really fancy for sure.. But as you said you really DO need air conditions in them to be able to cool down properly since it is a big metal box and metal do get very hot in the sun. They have gotten better at adding Air con to newer constructions but it is stil way under 40% of all newly build housing that have it. And as I said Air con is very expensive to run here in Denmark so not really a viable option when it's ment for students.
When I was on exchange in France, I had a few friends who lived in repurposed container homes. Their units were absolutely horrible. They said that there was basically no soundproofing so they could hear everything and it got very cold in winter. Worst of all, when there were heavy winds, their units would sway in the wind. They moved out as soon as they could and I don't blame them at all.
Sounds like a them problem. I work in forestry, mining, and exploration in northern canada. The nicest camps we've ever had were shipping container buildings. Properly built for the cold, even in -50c weather they stood up and never got cold (they had heating and top notch insulation of course). Honestly absolutely amazing things for temporary (5-10 year) installations.
We have tons of places using container in Indonesia, mostly used as a cafe or hip new restaurant. All you need are proper insulation and air conditioning, when it's hot out it's really hot inside
I wonder if this is more viable for climates where it's less extreme. I know in Canada, a house that wasn't properly insulated could cause MASSIVE harm in Winter, especially during days with freezing rain and wind chill
You mentioned how the structure is weakened when you cut into it....That's true with any structure regardless what the material is. Regardless what type of home you build, your gonna have to put time and money into it period.
I wish this video tackled the possible solutions to overpriced housing, housing shortage and the actual desperation faced by people who are trying to do this or that keep going back to it as a solution. This isn't a trend- it's a desperate attempt at affordable housing because infrastructure failures keep normal people out of finding safe places to sleep at night.
They're deliberately keeping that part out. Just preoccupied with burying the container house to the ground. Something ideological and fishy about this video for sure.
Shipping container houses: far from ideal, probably better than sleeping under a bridges. Newsflash, everyone: plenty of people sleeping under overpasses and bridges in this country.
@@mf-- Those houses are either owned by private parties or their title is in legal limbo. They might as well not exist as far as sheltering the indigent is concerned. And they're not all in the right places either. If they're going to be useful as housing for the poor, they need to be near social services, jobs and accessible transportation.
@@Telencephelon seriously... How comfortably pampered you are with your lifestyle? Despite being born within mid upper class, i take an odd job as construction overseer out of boredom at 18, also helping the worker too. Yes, it's hot but i lost plenty of weight there. it's about getting adjusted to condition, and not complaining.. Not legal? Heh, as long as you buy the land who said it can't be?
Expecting an architect to give a fair and honest opinion on a shipping container house is like asking a hospitality industry worker about Robot/Ai technology working at front desks, and serving meals.. it’s a direct threat to them, they’re never going to give you an objective opinion.
He is incorrect regarding the metal that the sides are made from Corten steel, which is heavy, tough, and made to sustain the environments they move through.
"I don't think I ever met anyone who built something out of shipping containers who said they would do it again." Agreed! I will never do that again for someone unless you paid me a metric ton of money. While the project I did for someone came out great, it was A LOT of work in a steel box that got VERY HOT while I was working inside it.
@@andrewh.4186 I know, my kids have built their own 👌 Paycheck by paycheck. While living in a tent, for a year, hero's , no debt. On 300 acres, growing their own food, work parttime as livingcosts are low anyway, what is the purpose of life, living happy or have a million debt and live in a mansion with a garden of the size of a post stamp. They don't care what others think of it. Happy life .
@@pappin1961 yeah but that's a false dichotomy, between having a small house made out of a steel box you make yourself, vs. a large brand new house in a suburban neighborhood. It's the size that saves the money, and doing the work yourself. Not the the material per se.
I used to build my homes out of these when working in rural Alaska, I'm a welder. I found them easy and affordable, also comfy. Being able to do the welding and other work yourself makes them all of the things they are made out to be
One thing that i hate about these experts is they discard the practice without giving any alternative suggestions. Container house are sustainable and affordable if you use them for utility not vanity. If you've multiple containers stack them in grid section don't try to be experimental. Don't cut out doors and windows from wider sides, instead use the opposite ends which are practically the real doors to access a shipping container. It saves the use of reinforcement.
Agreed. Shipping Container homes do not make sense for every situation BUT they do have a lot of practical and are sometimes the best option for folks.
I had a home designer custom design a shipping container home for me, complete with roof solar panels and charred cedar-wood siding. Additionally, it was going to be on stilts, so I could park my car underneath. It was still $100,000 cheaper to build than any prebuilt house that was on the market in Maryland. Unfortunately, shortly after finishing up the designs, I had to move out of Maryland for a new job and I couldn't go through with the build itself. And yes, these containers are designed to be stack on their corners. --- The thing is, you shouldn't look at a shipping container home as a pre-built house that only needs a little bit of work. If you look at them as a pre-built *steel frame* for a house, then everything becomes a lot more clear.
It's a pre-built steel frame for a house which has a wooden floor that is a) treated with insecticide and b) soaked with God knows what as it goes across the oceans for [x] years. No one should live inside these things.
@@davepennington3573 You can't possibly think that the wood in the floor of these things are permanent and can't easily be replaced. Also, the insecticide treated wood is very good if you char it and use it for exterior siding. (because the insecticide and the char repels bugs)
@@Xnkta It was four shipping containers. Two welded together, side-by-side... with two more stacked the same way on top. They were to be on stilts so I could have the space underneath be a two-car carport. 1280 sq. ft. and using 'hi-boy' containers for extra headroom.
I've built things out of shipping containers and would absolutely do so again. But you have to understand those strengths and limitations and design accordingly. Admittedly, many movies don't understand those trade-offs. No different than tiny homes, van life etc
If shipping containers were more cost effective, practical, or efficient then you wouldn't be able to get one because everyone in the home construction industry would be buying them up and using them. They aren't. Shipping containers can be cost effect and useful for storage.
I'm a student in The Netherlands and I live in a container home for 2 years now. In Holland there are tons of container homes, mostly build for students, as starter homes. I love my container home.
Which is the obvious application for container homes-stacked, enclosed, compact temporary housing for students, travelers, etc. Why are Americans just making individual town houses?
@@mk_rexx If he lived for 2 years in it i assume he can even live 50 if he wanted to. Thats the point. cheap housing, not only for students and travelers.
You came to the conclusion that it's "impractical to live in them" yet your piece didn't really explore or justify that idea, most of it was related to cost. There are companies making these to live in which have already considered the problems addressed here and they work out much more affordable.
If I recall, Carr even mentions the aspect of potential dangers regarding what the containers were previously carrying. There may be toxic residues that are not trivial or feasible to get rid off.
Not even gonna talk about the fire risk. Normal house, you got time to get out. Container home, turns into an oven before anyones got time to save you.
They exist but most of those people are skilled welder/fabricators like Andrew Camarrata who enjoy industrial space. If curious and you have the space I recommend doing what I did and buying a one-trip grade 40' High Cube (the height makes considerable difference, standard height containers ventilate poorly while HCs have room for overhead storage hung from the ceiling tiedown hooks which easily support thousands of pounds). Make a workshop out of that and you'll learn enough to fab a house if you want one.
I've seen some beautiful shipping container homes. All depends on the person. If you want something unique that looks cool to you instead of traditional housing. Go for it.
I actually do know someone who has a fabulous shipping container home in Alaska out in the middle of nowhere. They didn’t expect it to be mobile or cheap though. Theirs is unbelievable
The Alaskan use case is a valid one as containers are typhoon-rated and easy to transport by Landoll or flatbed to site. The tincancabin site shows a good example though he could have used three 40' High Cubes to greater advantage.
Interesting video. As a Facilities director for Hilton Hotels in the UK, I am very supportive of the shipping containers modular builds. We have dozens throughout the UK, with locations such as Hamilton in Scotland with a 118 bedroom Hotel, comprising of 128 shipping containers (Disabled rooms & gym areas use double containers) Each of of our rooms have a 90 minute fire protection rating and A++ energy ratings with the tripple glazed windows Personally greatly support modular construction. Build costs for the owners area greatly reduced, build speed is 3 times quicker and the product for the guest is 5 stars for quality & safety standards
I lived in a container home for almost a uear. It wasn't a shipping container, but one of those big, insulated, refrigerated shipping truck containers for, like, produce shipping and stuff. It was converted into a studio and it was honestly perfect for me.
Feel like this video failed to go into the detail necessary to make the claims they did. How expensive is it actually compared to alternative options? What’s the upkeep cost compared to traditional homes? How long do they last? Are there parts of the world where this makes more/less sense because of differing supply and labor costs? What’s the environmental impact compared to traditional methods? What would happen to these containers if not used in this way? I don’t expect answers to everything in a 10 minute video but surely more could be covered instead of talking about graham crackers
From my experience of building a 1,800 square feet container house for $68,000 compared to a quoted traditional price of 225,000! it's cheaper to build with container house than traditional house if the square footage is under 5,500 Sqft if it's more than that then it's best to build traditional because time and labor will cost more than traditional house! 😅 Total I spent on my house is $68,000 with six containers and labor price at 1,125 dollars for 9 hours framing and insulation and drywall and electric! My contractor got done with the whole house in four months and it's a two story house! 5 acre lot cost me $88,000 for everything total it cost me $156,000! There's no where to find brand new construction house for $156k especially on five acres! 😅 😁
@@loacc3672 Indeed, and they would rather have a house made of wood or bricks that gets trampled easily by tornados and typhoons? There is no point criticizing trailer houses if they are not compared to traditional houses (in terms of pros and cons in price, convenience, etc.)
I have a house built between two 20 foot containers that uses the strength of the container to support the two walls and roof. I raised the support point for each container to get high roof for the central living area. It is okay but still needs insulation. What I want to say is that the wooden floors of shipping containers are all treated with very toxic materials to stop mold, rot, and bugs. These toxic materials are dangerous for people if you live inside them. I use mine as storage and mechanical areas because it is off-grid property.
Problem: need a cost effective efficiency apartment for 2 people in a rural environment doing as much construction ourselves. Plus it's on leased land. Solution 1 conventional: concrete foundation involves hiring contractor. Costs $$$. Timing. Not mobil. Shifts, cracks (Texas gumbo). Hard to get a contractor to show for a 200sq ft job. That's going to be $6000. Plumbing set, etc ... Solution 2 - 20' shipping container: level 4 points with concrete pads. 1 use (new) container delivered and set on pads with 24" clearance. $4600. I can go to work immediately myself. Remainder of costs aren't cheaper per se but having the container keeps me from scope creep, upsell. All 12vdc/solar with inverter. Yes I can cut and install 2 windows myself. Leaving end door. Adding a conventional patio door just inside. I've built stick houses before. Decide to terminate lease? Call the truck and for $500 I can move it within 200 miles. Start stacking them? Hanging them over edges? Naw ... That's just artistic coolness, not efficient or cheap. Yes, I also love to build and create. I stay up late designing convertible/double use furniture. Oh, I will be taking advantage of the structural strength and building a deck on top.designed to be easily removed in sections when required. Yes it will require inspection and maintenance but guess what? All homes do. Oh ground shifts? 12k# house jack and shim it. (same as pier and beam) My BOM to build a stick frame/concrete slab was nearly triple the container cost. Plus it will not be mobile. For us. This works. Plus I like unique.
@@patrikwihlke4170 How many container structures have YOU personally built? Cutting the floors out renders using containers pointless as framing is not expensive with standard steel studs. Replacing that much structure is absurdly expensive for no gain. The floors can easily be sealed with a variety of flooring products like industrial epoxies then flooring of choice applied over them. I don' t seal my shops but those are aggressively ventilated because I weld there. (Containers make very nice welding booths.)
Having lived for several years in simple houses in Ethiopia, the incredible noise of rainfall on the steel roofs is still part of my memories. I wonder how sleeping in a shipping container during a thunderstorm must feel like...?
The one he's in? loud. In a container that's genuinely been built to be a home and not a novelty cashgrab? The same as any other home with a tin roof, as it will have thicker walls and insulation.
Would love to have seen the other side of the debate. In this video its basically just 2 architects that have the same vision and it becomes quite one-sided. If you compare this to a house, yes you'll prob pay more per m2 but still end up spending less because youre only building a 30 m2 house (when using 1 container) in that sense i dont think it is more expensive than a normal tiny house or chalet of sorts. Those need the same engineering requirements.
I recently have watched video about polish project with two containers turned into small airbnb places and cost to do them is slightly higher than "normal" small house in my country. Also: they are impractical - it is hard to heat/cold down that place, because even with insulation it isn't that great and moisture is a big problem. Maybe engineering is similar but for example in Poland there are a lot of builders of traditional homes and not that many working with metal - so cost of labor can be much more higher
The main advantage of a shipping container home is that you can drop in the containers and weld/seal them to be waterproof as the first building task you do, then live inside them while you build the rest of the home from the inside out. You can’t live in a standard home while it’s under construction as they are typically not even weather/waterproof until 50% of the build is complete. I’ve seen this shipping container advantage first hand and a friend of mine built a 10 shipping container home, over 3 years while living inside of it. First they did foundations for 4 x 40 foot containers, sealed in, and moved in within 2 months. They then spent the next year fitting out those containers while living in them, saving 2 years of rent payments. They then added another 6 x 20 foot shipping containers to the 4 already in place, and had them waterproofed in a 2 week period, while still living in the 4 containers they built earlier. The ability the get out of the rent trap and live inside the waterproofed containers while under construction for years was a huge advantage for them, saving $60k of rent, being onsite all the time and not having to waste time in travel, and to be able to supervise all trades all the time because they were always there was substantial. This is the PRIMARY benefit of building with shipping containers, not cost savings in materials (eg. they still had to build a sloping roof on the waterproofed containers to comply with the building code) or modularity, rather the ability to live inside them while completing the first fix, second fix, all the trades work and the compliance inspections, provided you’re prepared to live in an unfinished construction environment for the times it takes to complete.
Thanks James for your out of the box brain...bc...people love to complain and nick pick...when we have housing set up to keep some people out...people have lived in airplanes, and boats,domes, caves, and tents...Ive seen some housing built by wood...when are we going to stop cutting TREES down for these cheap fire prone houses? Most people are hoarders!!! they dont need the space...I think I detest traditional housing.
I built my 1,800 square ft container house in four months it's a two story house three bed room two baths. It cost me $68k to finish the house on a slab foundation. Land cost me $86,000 for five acres all total I spent $156 thousand. You won't find no new construction house for $156k especially on five acres.
@@ZackWolfMusic Sounds like you are a bit younger than the retired couple I know who took 3 years. 4 months is exceptional and so is your budget of $156k land included!
@@jginfographics Yup, house was finished in September 2021! I know a channel on youtube called pacific pines ranch they been building their container house since 2019! And still live in it while working on it, their deign is much more complex than mine but it's a cool layout.
Shipping container $4000 plus conversion. LArge shed $8000 plus conversion. Fun fact: A large shed comes with windows, doors and require less to pass inspection.
Wrong...they require the same inspections, foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, final and all the little ones in between. Required for human habitation.
You need to add anywhere from 3-5k to the price of your shed however, if you want something the size of a shipping container. But other than that, I agree with you the idea that it's a better idea to get a prebuilt shed.
I'm a former GC - I renovated a number of old houses, added additions, popped tops. When I heard about the shipping container idea, I started watching TH-cam videos of people turning shipping containers into homes, because I thought it sounded cool. I realized immediately that there was little that was quick or easy or cheap about turning a shipping container into a livable space. It's more like a renovation project than a new build - and there's a lot of aggravation and added costs when doing a renovation vs a new build. If you think of building a shipping container home as comparable to building an ADU in someone's back yard (either building or using an existing garage/shed), it seems pretty clear to me that, if everything is equal, it's probably quicker and cheaper and easier to just build something using traditional construction. The only phases of the construction process where I can see containers saving some money is on roofing materials, siding and exterior paint (if you don't paint it or cover the container with a roof - and in most applications, I'd think you'd want to do both), otherwise each stage of construction seems to be equal in cost to traditional construction methods or more expensive.
Yes, I built a small bathroom as an addition to someones detached office, it was a huge pain to integrate. Would have been twice as fast, better, and cheaper to build a standalone structure. The entry was to the outside anyway.
Its still A LOT cheaper than regular house. Besides that some of these cons are not an issue in real life. Stacking: It is still strong enough to stack it for home use, if not... simple strengthening in certain points is not a problem. Modular: It is modular enough to be creative with it. Mobile: It doesnt have to be mobile. Cheap: It is a lot cheaper than regular house, even with additional costs to make it viable for living.
We have had container shopping malls in New Zealand as a short-term (5 years) solution after the earthquake. It worked very well as it gives shop owners cheap locations for their business. Because they were designed as temporary buildings, they didn't need to have foundations. Some of them have insulation, but they weren't needed.
If a place experiences earthquake wouldn't the people want to work/ live in places with stronger foundations....I remember when earthquake hit Nepal majority of the damaged cause was due to most houses having weaker foundations as a result of less detailed building codes
@@palakagarwal8559 As they said, these were temporary buildings, so having a foundation probably isn’t as important. Especially when you consider that it’s a metal box so it’s already fairly sturdy by itself as long as it’s properly reinforced around doors and windows etc. I actually saw a number of these buildings when I visited Christchurch New Zealand. The city had been devastated by a big earthquake a few years before and there were a lot of temporary container buildings - and also a church made out of wood and cardboard which was actually quite fascinating.
People just want somewhere to live. Specifically people like me who have never owned a house. These shipping container homes are more appealing than the overpriced houses that are on sell now. Btw Permanent insulation is not the only way to insulate a metal container. I work for an insulation company and we offer an alternative to foam and Fiberglass.. it’s more affordable and effective. It’s called celbar k13 spray on. Check us out. We are in Houston tx. The company name is Payless Insulation and don’t forget to ask for me.
The shipping container featured in the video has 30 Airbnb reviews rated 5 stars. It was built for short-stays and reviews have been uniformly positive. One guest: "One of coolest places I have ever stayed! It was so nice, clean, and had everything you could want all inside a shipping container! Also the heated bathroom floor was a dream!"
The only practical use I see shipping container having as a structure as sheds or storage units. This being because you don't have to worry about many of the adaptations that a permanent living space would require, at most wiring in electrics for lighting and outlets if your using it as a workshop. This is quite commonly done in the UK, particularly by schools and youth groups.
Although when they stack them, they don't tend to have holes cut in the side... And yes, they are strong....when they don't have holes cut in the side. Cutting a hole in a shipping container without bracing and support is asking for trouble
from what I understand, only the four corners are designed to take the massive loads from containers stacked above them. the walls between the four corners are comparatively weak, as they are not designed to have any external load applied beyond those required for inspecting and repairing the containers.
I have been passionate about this idea for years. IMO I think the main problem is that people want a solution that is affordable, but looks luxurious. People have to understand that they have to make sacrifices and not try to turn a container house into a mansion; that's where the money drains away, when they abandon practicality to try to recreate totally impractical (from a financial point of view) projects they see on the internet. For example; in the selection of materials. Or when they want to install huge, made-to-measure windows, instead of putting two standard windows together, the kind you buy in the shop, already assembled, at a much lower price... I think you can find a sweet spot where the initial concept works and is affordable, but you can't get carried away trying to imitate vanity concepts that were done by people who had plenty of money to make a normal house in the first place.
You are right, I myself want to build a container house and sometimes I forget because it is something fast and cheap so I start fantasizing about buying 3 containers and using structural beams and other things but the point is that I am poor if I were not poor I could build the house that I want without the need for any container
It's expensive because it's untraditional. Imagine a company that specializes at turning shipping containers into living apartments. Essentially you only need a couple of things: 1. Build a foundation: pre-made reusable mold for masonry and fitting without welding 2. Run electricity and sewage: a universal map that all units use for wiring and plumbing 3. Insulation: can even find a manufacturer to make panels of insulation 4. Interior design: keep it simple to cut cost. I'm sure people wouldn't mind if it's cheap enough. 5. Exterior coating: make contracts with some paint company might reduce cost 6. Opening reinforcement: Manufacture and design pre-made reinforcement bar for different lengths.
@@jtonxbox1433 Not necessarily. Unless you want to stack vertically, otherwise heavy reinforcement will not be necessary for any of the walls. But even then, you can sacrifice design aesthetic for structural integrity, so that the only opening you will need to reinforce will be for the window, if the clients are okay with using the original doors as the entrance (with little modification on the locking mechanism). Other than that, I doubt drilling a couple of small holes for electric wires, water pipes, even a small vent and plumbing hose will do any significant structural damage. But again in the end, once everything is standardized and in mass production, the cost should be reduced.
I considered doing something like this, I'm in love with small houses ... but the building code (I live in Denmark) would make it a pain in the a**. Making a small simple wooden house would take the same amount of work and probably be cheaper 😅
"Once you offset them, the structure is no longer strong enough to support". *proceeds to show pictures of perfectly stable structures stacked in an offset pattern".
@@lucky889s9 That's why in areas where there are chances of earthquakes there are regulations that need to be followed and a structural engineer would give you safe options that meet those regulations that you can use that will withstand your average quake.
How many container shops or homes have YOU constructed? It's fair to say they're over-rated by anyone lacking extended personal experience modifying and using them. I quite like my shop containers but I weld and fab so they're easy for me.
Thanks for watching! Have you stayed in container home? Let us know in the comments below 👇
No it looks awful
The video is dizzying and feels over edited
Please pin the comment below this comment!
no, I cant even imagine what horrible chemicals or even radioactive materials that have been transported within the shipping container I might stay in
Did you the Vox team read the top comment about the containers used for Ukrainians?
The ukranian refugee containers are not repurposed shipping containers. They are specifically made for this purpose. They were used in europe also as vaccination and covid test centers. You just lay them somewhere on the parking lot and voila you have a covid center. That said, they are accually affordable because from day one they are made for their purpose intead of renovated and adjusted which makes the shipping container houses less affordable.
Yes, at 7:30 and 7:35 you can clearly see they are not typical containers - the frame and corrugations are different.
The point is not repurposing shipping containers here, the point is to have a sturdy living space that can be transported by a truck, so shipping container dimensions are perfect.
Yep. If you look at big construction sites where workers live on site, they use these special housing containers too. They come with doors and windows and the walls are already insulated. Real shipping containers can double as storage space or activity space easily but not livable unless heavily modified.
This needs to be pinned!
Shh. Vox only reports on the narratives they want to portray
He clearly said “I went to Getty images “
What a lazy reporter
And what’s up with him and Gram Crackers??
Irrelevant🤦🏻♂️
I thought it was generally accepted that shipping containers are really only effective as the frame of a house or room. You aren’t just dumping one in a backyard and moving into it without major modifications.
Right? Every living space has to be modified something
Right... He really took it to an extreme. These things are used all over the world for housing, offices, storage, etc.
Exactly, wth.. Of course it has to be modified and that is where the fun starts for most designers but some people genuinely just need a place to live and do not care about luxury. Regardless of the comments, it is a less expensive option that can get expensive depending on the materials involved. Let's also discuss the fact that some places have strict building codes that do not allow their installation or builds.
@@calilovemusic2816 Thank you, Sir... Exactly
They’re just stretching cause they have no real reason to hate
It would have been interesting / useful to see some price comparisons to other methods of building small homes.
true
Vox isn’t big on numbers dude.
Plenty of info if you watch various tiny home videos.
I could give you the full rundown, but the bottom line is basically this:
In comparing the cost of shipping container house, to an equal regularly build house. You can subtract the cost of the shipping container.
This is only true when building a single container shaped house.
Once you add more containers, the difference gets larger. As working around the limitations of the containers is more costly then with a purpose build dwelling.
@@sigi9669 are you saying that
normal house cost- shipping container with livable additions made = normal house cost - roughly 4k?
I dont think anyone expected to buy a used container for 4k and not have to do a bunch more work.. even if you end up paying 15k for everything, that's a LOT cheaper than a house. Even with how small it is, it's a functional home they own, and for a lot of people that's amazing.
The thing is your not paying just 15k extra. And even if you are, that’s because you’re only paying material cost and doing the work yourself, which in that case, you’re probably better off building the same thing traditionally yourself for the same cost if not cheaper and more simply.
They hate that people are happy with less!!
@@Loosetweezers Kinda depends on what you want. I've seen a tiny house design which used a 20 foot container and completely retained the shipping capability (i.e. had no holes cut into it). If "I still want to be abled to move this without specialised means" is a priority to you and you are willing to accept the tradeoffs, then a container would be the solution.
If you want a conventional, but just downsized house, then you are probably better off having one built for you.
Don't forget the cost of running power, water and plumbing underneath the home
@@rockyblacksmith with no holes cut in it, you would be sleeping in a metal coffin with no airflow every single day, potentially dying from lack of oxygen depending on how watertight and airtight you make it.
As architecture professional, I would say that *anything* that gets converted from non-habitation into habitation will take a lot of extra work - hence will then be classified as “overrated” when ubiquitously hyped by the senselessness of mass media.
please go on! do you have any other examples for this? I'm an ongoing architecture student and I'm very interested in the topic.
@@murphyslaw5324 Bus homes. Concrete Water Pipe homes. A-frame homes.
@@murphyslaw5324 learn hindu temple building science
@@manavshah8335 I'll look into it! what makes it so special to you?
You're not looking at it from an economical point of view, just an engineering one.
Even if it has a lot of extra work put in, is that working going to cost more funds than just building or buying a full house? As someone who lives in San Diego, and has to move up to Seattle for work, it is straight up cheaper for me to buy a plot of land and have a prefab built on it both here and where I am going.
Even large shipping container prefabs that cost upwards of 200k still came way under the average asking price of roughly 700k in Seattle. It isn't my personal ideal, but it is much more economical for my family, few places rent five bedrooms. This doesn't even include pet restrictions.
I'll admit, after living in a studio apartment, these shipping container houses don't look so bad!
Its best where governments are no rich and require to provide housing for poor people
These so called cons are over stated by people living in rich countries and have ample choices.
@@mchannel1365 buildig out of prefab concrete or even wood is cheaper than manually building permanant containers
as the guy said it wasnt cheap
have you ever wondered why noone built permanant container sotial housing?
@@burgerpommes2001 well the idea is to build out of used shipping container, tha's why they are relatively cheap. You can't get enough cheap used shipping containers for large scale project.
@@Rig0r_M0rtis did you watch the video?
they said it is a lot of manual work to kut windows and doors out of this and reinforce them
As somebody who currently lives in a studio apartment, they are NOT that bad, especially if you put 4 X 40 Footers side by side, cut out the walls reinforce and put an interior. Most people in these comments are clearly just SPOILED... LOL
My wife and I stayed in that exact unit in April! It was a lot of fun and the bathroom is even nicer than he described (the heated floors and big shower was so incredibly nice). The town of Warrenton, while small, was fun with a brewery, distillery, and a few restaurants within walking distance from the unit. I would certainly recommend staying there!
And the haunted house wasn't a turn off?
@@veritorossi *maybe - if youre a 10yr old..
What's the story on that abandoned house?
Over here in the UK, people live in caravans that are practically the same thing, rectangular shaped small metal homes near the coast with utilities piped in such as gas, electricity, water. People have lived in caravans for generations. Such ask the gypsy community.
And I can't understand why they keep on talking about the modular aspect. Nobody's interested in making their containers modular. Everything should be contained within the compounds of the shipping container, neat, compact and practical.
@@RNCHFND buddy probably wanted to tear it down but ran outta funds
As a mechanical engineering undergraduate. It’s not really that impractical. They really aren’t that problematic just because you need to reinforce it if it’s modified. Literally every structure needs specific reinforcements when it’s changed due to the change in force application. Spending 4K per shipping container and a 2k welder you could get a lot done compared to standard housing costs. Architects aren’t engineers, so don’t rely on them so much for engineering specific questions. Usually architects are more into the form than function of a structure, while they still keep function in mind it’s not as pedantic as engineering analysis.
Have fun including the cost/labor for insulation so you don't have condensation destroying your drywall. Ports and lines for utilities like water and electrical, both of which need to be insulated especially in colder climates(lol to hot water at that point). And who ever heard of a giant metal box being WiFi or Cell Signal friendly. These things require far more than just "make sure it doesn't crumble". They are -very- problematic for them to be livable beyond being just an AirBNB.
I highly doubt that "Spending 4K per shipping container and a 2k welder" would get anywhere close to what you are imagining.
"Usually architects are more into the form than function of a structure"
I disagree. Depending on the approach of the design, some architects may prioritize function of a structure while still maintaining the esthetics.
deconstructivism architecture style tends more into the form. But in the other side, industrial architecture style tends more to prioritize function over form while still maintaining the esthetics
So it highly depends on what approach do you use
Lol you don’t own an actual home, do you? I think you overrate your undergraduate knowledge.
I've done some guerilla home building and done the math for people who love container homes. I think the practicality all depends on container price and climate. My main issue is that it will need framing,insulation,and vapor layer so the container that should replace framing and siding in theory, kindof just replaces the sheetmetal you might put on the outside.
When one- time-use containers are under 3k to get onsite,I've seen them work well as quick spartan rural sheds where wood is free and you don't mind wet walls. I've seen them work well for rich people in the tropics. If you're going to stack them or heavily modify though, just do the math as if the steel container is an equal amount of roofing sheetmetal. If it's cheaper and you like the shape, why not?
@@McLamborghini hahahaha! The money saved from buying lumber, fasteners and sheeting, displaces that cost actually, and mold is far less likely to form in them as well. With a welder and a few metal working tools, it's cheaper than the number of carpenters tools you need to build a traditional home. The drawback is they're rectangular boxes, for the design oriented people.
I would've liked to see the per unit area price comparison between building a shipping container house and a traditional one. I'm not convinced by this video that it's more expensive, just that it's less inexpensive than people who haven't done enough research thought.
Agreed. Included in that, I’d like to see the cost of the land factored in as well because that’s where a major chunk of housing costs comes into play anyway.
One person out there said they spent around 50,000 on their shipping container home, and it was only 1 container.
At the time, the t could have spent around 80,000, and have a regular 3 story home
Also at the time they were having a TON of trouble getting a loan to do such a thing.
This was like 7 years ago though (maybe a little less), so I'm not sure how shipping container home conversions prices have changed, and how loans and such have changed since then, but... Yeah
I'm pretty sure the video that they mentioned in this, about how shipping container homes are a scam, mentions the cost.
It seems like the best comparison for cost to a single container home would be like a single wide “mobile” home. If the price is similar it seems like we’re just reinventing the wheel here. Like sure you container is stackable when you get it but is it still shippable after you’ve cut all those holes? Or is it just as stuck as a mobile home that’s settled into it’s foundation? Plus you don’t have a liveable house when your container is delivered like with a mobile home.
I agree. I just did some napkin math using some numbers from the video (I estimated foundation and finishing costs) and I'm looking at about $125 per square foot for a shipping container. Where I live, in lower middle class southern Louisiana, housing prices for new construction can easily exceed 200 per square foot. Existing structures are just as bad. With current housing prices, containers don't seem like such a bad idea.
The real comparison is the cost per sq. metre, not only compared to traditional housebuilding but also to modern prefabricated / factory build homes. Prefabs are really the way to go as you can literally churn them out on a production line, load the sections onto a flatbed then bolt together on-site - all the insulation and even most of the finishing is already done. The only site prep is the foundation slab and utility lines (which a container needs anyway).
In reality the savings from any "unconventional" build style are minimal as, in Europe at least, land is not only the largest single cost, but usually the majority of the total cost of construction. Until you address the issues of land ownership and management, any "game changing" construction method is just window dressing. Even in somewhere as decidedly not land scarce as Australia, the cost of land is a shockingly high proportion of construction costs.
Every house needs "reinforcements, a foundation, plumbing, & electric".
If these are considered drawbacks then every modern house ever built is considered a "drawback".
Yes, but unlike container houses, every modern house ever built does not pretend it does not need those things.
@schwarzerritter5724 how can an inanimate object pretend to do anything?
a house is built with those things in mind. you dont build a house and that start punching holes for doors, windows, plumbing and electric. and you dont reinforce. All those things are already there when you build it.
this is just a scam like the motor homes where you need to pay for the land and finally is way more than the trailer.
Not 100% of houses in the US have indoor plumping re: some housing in Mississippi
Shipping containers as homes are just a reaction to the slow building of affordable homes. So people look for alternatives.
Affordable housing is getting better and better, but shipping containers arrent it
@@azztopia I mean this in the most non-condescending way ,but how is building anything today affordable or efficient? The cost of materials and availability of crews(good ones that is) is non-existent everywhere you turn. I agree shipping containers aren’t getting better but what is the alternative? Overpaying for the traditional method?
@@azztopia, where? How much per m2? Container stuff is aimed at DIY people who are ready to spent their free hours on the build, and then it makes sense. When it is kind of done by developers or as a show off "I'm green upcycling millionaire", it just does not makes any sense. Obviously a DIYer should understand all the downsides, which are quite a lot.
@@maxpool162 you haven't researched much have you, tons of resources out there.
@@azztopia you misspelled “worse and worse”.
Putting 400 grand into a house and then paying mortgage for years after isnt as easy as it seems either right?
At least you'd have an appreciating asset. In five years it's worth 500k.
@@jefsel881 Till the "bubble" pops.
@@jefsel881Isn't that just because the purchasing power of the currency is depreciating?
@@AwesomeHairo That's inflation. Price appreciation an inflation are not the same thing.
@@jefsel881 That's an assumption, not a guarantee. People thinking their house will go up in value with no ceiling are hilarious. They can't explain how, but they inexplicably expect their house to continue to increase in value lol
I lived in one for a good few years back in the Netherlands and honestly it was great. The insulation was top tier, it had a heat pump, and it was extremely affordable. If I'd had to live by myself again, I'd happily move back into one
Was it a repurposed one you made? Or you were renting?
I doubt your story as true. Maybe you think it is. But...it probably wasn't a shipping container it was probably a small house.
it's something completely different.
Small houses are purposely made for living in it. They are not remade containers.
I don't think that you are lying...but you are not telling the truth.
Maybe reading some books or watching NL TV can help. I think over there they also have educational programs.
This is vague and unconvincing
@@stemill1569, Why would it not be true? What bases do you have for this assertion?
A quick search will bring up multiple examples of containers being used successfully for housing at scale around the world. Student housing in Amsterdam for example, with details you can dig into including costs and environmental impact reports. Americans just have trouble conceiving of the world as it exists outside their borders
Turning an intermodal container into housing is impractical, but building emergency housing in the footprint of a container is a good idea. Makes transport and deployment much easier and cheaper.
Those are called CLUs and that is a bit of different thing. CLUs were never shipping containers but are built to the same size and strengths. They are great for oil field and expeditionary uses, they are also super cheap.
There are even office version that are pretty good.
The key thing is that no conversion was done just building to a size and strength.
GOC
@@walidfakhfakh3660 You can contribute by offering what you believe to be more correct information, preferably with directions to where we can learn more.
It’s not impractical at all. A fully serviced single dwelling unit can be built into a 40’ hi cube container in two weeks for less than a half of the price for a cheap single bedroom (traditional build) unit.
@@jamesdaniel2126 You're talking about a building being built with a particular structure in mind. That's not the same as having an existing structure and trying to create something from it. A shipping container designed for shipping is impractical for obvious reasons as stated in the video and isn't a good house without significant effort. What you're talking about a home designed to be portable into a container and re-assembled quickly from that container and that is something completely different and is usually designed from the ground up.
i really like how the owner of the airbnb admits that shipping containers take a lot of money to turn into a “home”
In fairness, most container home rentals go way higher than some traditional housing. He's made his money back and then some.
The "homes" in the video were never intended as permanent living space. They are short-term Airbnb rentals and are extremely successful, as such.
It's all just up front costs if he's using it as rental space for land he already is utilizing and living on.
i mean ... compared to what? i would guess building an anctual home is far more expensive
So does a house
This video just proved everything I already knew and was ready for I’m absolutely all in for shipping container home
Then which climate are you going to live in?
Thats one of the most important issues, despite ignored by most DIY heroes
@@OmmerSyssel Motivated worker or "diy heroes" will overcome issues with solutions.
@@OmmerSyssel I use it in Finland at winter and it works great!
Don’t do it, you’ll be sorry when you’re pulling metal shavings out of your hair and clothes. I built mine myself with modules and a insulated concrete form foundation. It’s a great feeling when the crane drops the modules in place and you get to work inside protected from the elements that very day.
@@IntesoFFS I'm a DIY who has done everything that is needed here. An experienced fabricator. After looking into this I walked away. It's not a matter of overcoming the obstacles. It's being practical and spending money wisely. Plus factor in resale. Custom homes end up with unforeseen problems and this is a doozy.
We used them for storage units/moveable warehouses/workshops. They had little modification, maybe a vent. They worked very well. I can see how turning one into a living unit would require much much more work.
Temporary / short storage is OK, but not long term. The temperature and moistures will speed up the deterioration. 🤔🤔
@@juliewynn2093 The devil is in the details!
@@kathym6603 no
@@juliewynn2093 no
A shipping container as a shed/storage would make some sense. In terms of temperature/climate, I doubt it would be that different to what you get in a typical outdoor self storage unit.
I bought a container to remodel into a compact home for the farm (during the 2020 break XD), turns out its loud when it rains, bakes everythin in it during summer and not really easy to modify! (without compromising the structure and Stackability) So i eneded up using it as a storage shed.
As a shed, how do you like it? My dad is considering getting one to use as a shed as well.
Always thought that. Gotta be expensive to add plumbing,electric etc.
@viiont eooiy building low cost housing can be done with pre-made concrete blocks. it's not woke, but that's how entire Eastern Europe was rebuilt after the great war.
did you insulate it? You're gonna bake in any housing material structure in a hot climate without insulation lol
@@thinkoutsidethecontainer Containers need an overhead shelter, either a tree or manmade. Insulating them reduces the internal size a lot. I made an AirBNB one, and I was riddled with complaints about the noise. I built an awning over it, and an external climbing ivy trellis on the prevailing weather side.
Also of note NEVER bury a shipping container, I know it seems logical, root cellar or tornado bunker or what ever, but the soil is to heavy on the sides that are not intended to be load bearing, and by the time you maybe reinforced and water sealed and what ever enough, you've built a whole other building in or around the container anyways, skip the container and just build that building!!!
Actually there are several points on containers that are load bearing… hense why they stack them with cars etc inside. It’s just a matter of getting the correct type of container and not over doing things in the build.
@@georgef1176 so a level of expertise that someone needing to build cheap is unlikely to have the money to pay someone for.... So the idea that these could be safely used by a relatively wide margin of the population for safe housing is still.... Nope, because you need an engineer at the very least to identify and design so that your space is safe....
steel pipes are cheaper and perfect for the job...
Actually they make very good bunkers. Do some research.
@@victoriajankowski1197 it's a process, you need drawings, architectural, structural, electric, plumb and HVAC to to whole package. Once you get the permits, you can build. If it's on your own property for ",you" you can do it yourself (only the construction part). You need to have inspections and pass,, a plumber, electrician and HVAC person. Do a ton of research and have fun.
I lived in a container for 3 months because of renovations. I liked it, it has enough space and honestly, if this was permanent I could decodate it nicely. If there is no alternative for me in the future, I would absolutely choose this as a place to stay.
but that's only if you have no other choice left.
I'm sorry for chasing you out of my shipping container that day I found you living in it. I thought you were a big, ratperson. I know human ratpeople don't exist. It was just a panic response.
I feel so guilty about whacking you with a broom. Fortunately I didn't panic with my baseball bat, crowbar, or mini sledge hammer nearby. Otherwise, I would be sending "get well soon, " comments to you in the hospital.
You seem like a decent person, and again, I apologize for that experience. =D
Did you live in an actual SHIPPING container, or a prefab container home? People seem to confuse these two, as the latter are factory manufactured for long-term living. They are never used for shipping, but look the same.
You know what’s wild, and people basically never mention this, is that homes like these are considered ADUs. In other words they are an accessory dwelling unit. In order to have one you can’t just buy a plot of land and dump one on there, you have to buy a primary residence. The guy renting these out bought a trashed out house and land just to he could legally put those there. The big misconception for people trying to save a buck is that they can just buy some land and do that, which is really not the case.
What I don't understand is why he won't just fixup the original house. Try to make back money renting out the house also. I am thinking he got a real good deal on the land and house. But wasted all his money on the tiny house and those two container homes.
THIS is the most important reason why it's not affordable. Something most people don't think about.
Even more info Vox should have fact checked. Thank you for adding it.
but what if you tow it to your car like people do with trailer houses ?
@@nerdsalsocomeinchocolate2740 Not so much. The ROI on tiny homes and container houses and the like is super high. If you can charge 1k+ a month on a building that cost between 30-70k to put there, you are doing well for yourself. Then take into account that he can double or triple up on a single property depending on the state's and counties zoning laws. It's a no brainer. That house looks completely shot, maybe even a demolition and rebuild type situation, but he leaves it up because it allows him to have the ADUs. A demo situation would cost well over 100 grand, not really worth it. Plus with the house in that condition and the land of not the highest value, he could have feasibly paid less than 30 grand for the entire property. Trust me, none of these things are by accident, this guy knows what he was doing.
I thought the title would be “underrated” lol, cause I never saw anyone actually living in them
Makes sense
I didn't even knew these existed
There's couple on TH-cam documenting the whole building process of their container house. They did it themselves and it's not that bad actually. I forget what the channel called, but i think using keyword "couple-diy-container house" will do the job.
Lol same 😂
There's actually a container-townhouse near where I work.
I just contemplate making a tiny house out of either one 40' or 2 20' containers. This is a port city, I can probably get the whole house built for under $40,000. I want to build hurricane/flood/tornado/ heatwave resistant.
Otoh, I might just get an RV. That way, if there's flooding, I can evacuate my d@mn house.
Why is the shipping container in front of a dilapidated old house? That was never addressed in the video
That old house was on the property when it was purchased. There is a cost to tearing it down.
Container was behind the old house from road !
thats the plot to the horror movie about to unfold 😆
@@alanmonrovia sounds like a scam lol
The owner probably earns money for the house renovation with renting out already renovated containers
its easy to call it overrated impractical garbage when you come from money or have support/big income, but to a lot of normal average people who are usually amazingly humble, they can modify these containers the way they want and make them very comfortable
The thing about modular buildings is also: Nakagin Capsule Tower was built with that idea in mind. The plan was to take the individual boxes out and replace them for renovation when necessary, or if someone wanted a different module. That never happened, because you would have had to disassemble the entire tower. Permanently modular buildings just don't work, modular construction is only good for quickly planning standardised housing that can be adjusted to the locality.
One of my engineering teachers would always say : "modular not modulable"
That building was torn down earlier this year, as it fallen into disrepair. As you said, it was far harder to replace capsules than was first planned, so they were never replaced. After 50 years it wasn't economical to replace or repair the building.
@@shigekax so your teacher was a hoax?
True Rolf. Modular inclines that you can change things out. And that vid shows that it's not just me.
as soon as it's in place it can't be changed. And as all pieces are the same at the beginning there isn't anything modular about it.
That would mean it's prepared before it's put into place on a greater scale.
@@stemill1569 Modular does not specifically imply that you can change things out. At least in my opinion. It implies standardised sizes/dimensions so that replacements may be easier to source perhaps, but not that changing things would be easier than with a non-modular system. The word which I would use is hot-swappable. Taken from the tech space, it usually refers to things like hard drives or other components that can be removed and replaced without turning off the computer. When talking in terms of construction or architecture, it could mean that a "module" can be replaced without needing to remove other modules first.
@@epeets11 thanks goddess, that thing was an eye sore
Another common problem is with condensation and mold because of the metal. I can really recommend actuallx watching Belinda Carr's videos on this as they include much more factors and get to the point much quicker.
Tiny houses have a potential, but the problem with a shipping container is that it adds nothing to the project. You can build a shed / cabin / box of that size out of wood or bricks, and it would be better, possibly even cheaper. That's not what makes houses expensive, it's all the other stuff, like electricity, plumbing, insulation, foundation, labor, land...
So, what's the point of making your walls out of sheet metal that gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter? Just to pay for more expensive insulation? To constantly worry about condensation / mold, because of the temperature differences?
What actually makes houses expensive is demand and artificial scarcity building a house is relatively cheap buying a house good luck if you came from poverty.
@@shadowknightgaming1874 lol tell me you know nothing about what it costs to build a house without telling me.
The point isn’t making a house it’s about taking an existing structure and modulating it. America unlike other countries imports more than exports especially before covid there was surplus of shipping containers. To solve for insulation you can make the bottom half water tight and partially bury it. Ground temp stays roughly 55 degrees, during winter and summer. While brick houses have to be built brick by brick and wood houses/sheds are cheaper than brick they are more prone to being compromised in a storm with strong wind flying debris etc. As for condensation it’s about preventing outside humidity from making contact with inner walls which can be achieved with spray foam insulation, and having positive pressure which keeps the outside air out.
@The Roober you look at house prices just outside of major cities, and ask yourself does it really cost that much for building materials. My sister bought a home 2 years ago for 300,000 and it’s now valued at 550,000 it’s just a 3 bed room 2 bathroom with a small kitchen and living room.
I believe a big appeal is that as the container is functionally designed to be moved, if you maintain that structural robustness you don’t have to move home… your home moves with you.
In the right hands, with a good architect, a shipping container home can be quite nice.
Yeah right. But anything will fit that superficial demand, If you have the money and time.
Most people interested in theses steel boxes doesn't have such! That's why it's important listening to experienced and educated people before wasting money, time and personal health... Any timber construction is most likely better for the same amount of money!
Regards from a professional smith, rebuilding and living in these boxes since seven years!
Anything can be quite nice in the right hands, but it will cost you more $$$.
Just don't fall into the trap of believing in a magic pill that it will be cheaper and better than a regular house because it won't.
@@OmmerSyssel timber prices are far higher than steel and aluminum. For the same price you may have a even smaller space to work with
The problem with a lot of these "affordable" solutions such as shipping containers and 3D printed houses is the only thing they really address from normal house construction is a portion of the framing step, which in the grand scheme of things is not even that expensive when it comes to house construction.
(Edited for clarity)
Yr kidding right ? I'm a qualified builder and framing is very expensive, one of the biggest costs of any build !
@@ronnymcdonald2543 10 bucks a sq foot. For a 1000 sqfoot house it only costs 10k. The foundation costs more than that. The finishing costs more than that. The electrical costs more than that. etc etc etc.
It's a significant cost bt hardly a make or break expense in the grand scheme of things.
10k for framing or 15k for three used containers + thousands for modifications... cost is not the advantage of containers. The advantage of containers is mobility if you need something like a construction office.
Finally some video where is whole true. It is like this Tiny house fashion thing. It is just expensive if you hear what they paid.
@@pavelzrzavy6934 There is a lot of value in the financial freedom and the skills gained when building it yourself though. I spent 15k self-building a 25sqm timber frame building and have lived in it continuously for a bit over 2 years. Would happily do it again every time.
The point about the framing is absolutely true though; my direct experience from building that was: cladding > electricians > paid help > windows and doors > PIR insulation > framing, sheathing, flooring ("all other timber") > carpets + laminate flooring > the vast amount of screws, nails, metalwork, tape, barriers, spray foam etc > roof > regs/ paperwork > foundations > plasterboard
Do you know how much lumber costs these days?
After seeing the modular pre-built homes in Japan, I thought a shipping container would be a cheap alternative. As the architect said in the video, the corrugation of the skin is part of the container's structural strength. Cut into it for doors or windows, you loose that. The Japanese custom-built containerized home won't have that problem.
Its best where governments are no rich and require to provide housing in large numbers
These so called cons are over stated by people living in rich countries and have ample choices.
incorrect, sir.
The way a shipping container is made, the only real way to create a "concerning" bend point would be to BEND the actual steel.
The Corrugation is NOT compromised if you add two simple reinforcement beam along the cuts. One vertical, one lateral. You create a thick enough brace that no bend can exist.
The best advice i can give you is "Don't listen to someone who has a stake in the outcome of the video's impact"
In other words: Don't listen to the person who loses money when someone invests in other means.
That architect will say ANYTHING to increase the negative view of container homes.
You think Pepsi is out there promoting Coke?
@@enigmalfidelity just no.
@@comdrive3865 just a no? No suppprting facts for your argument.
Elaborate, or be the fool.
@@comdrive3865 please explain to me how rv's, motorhomes, and camper trailers work.
Tell me more about how food trucks have 0 support for the massive window they open, which usually has heavy equipment attached right to the side, and does not crumble.
Tell me more about how sheet metal works. Please. This should be a gooder.
Are you using the picture in the thumbnail as reference, forgetting the video you just saw that had 0 weight on top of the container? Whats crushing it?
You have to frame a home so I don’t see why you can’t do that to a shipping container.
You defintely can, my kids did, great home, mortgage free. They don't want you to build your own .
@@pappin1961 Blablabla,, where do your fantastic independent kids live, and how much weather and changing seasons have they experienced?
Your hippie independent obsessions are ridiculous..
Shipping containers are not made to fulfill your antisocial obsessions but shipping dead goods safe and efficiently across the globe.
Regards from a Scandinavian with personal knowledge 🍻
@@pappin1961 bet these guys all own investment properties, if you have the capital to buy/mortgage land (as land has less barriers of entry) and crane in a container you absolutely should over renting even if it means doing some hands on work yourself, renting only leads to giving someone else equity for yet another investment property and nothing for yourself other than rental history to qualify for, you guessed it, more rentals
These are still cheaper than regular houses? I don’t think most people think you can just move into a shipping container without doing any modification, and if they do, they simply haven’t done any research. This argument did not prove its point.
Exactly. Everything connected with steel is way more expensive, demanding and dangerous. The result is merciless, failure are not easy or cheap straightened out, while wooden constructions and related materials are way easier handled..
in my country (Poland) it is slightly more expensive to do container house than normal small house. Mostly because labor for that kind of work costs more - there isn't many people who are experts in that field, so they have higher prices. Also: even with insulation it is hard/expensive to properly heat in the winter/cool down in summer (so it is extra cost of ac - which you wouldn't have with good building in "normal" way) and moisture is a problem
Protip : get mobile offices and convert them instead. They come with insulation and electrics pre installed.
You need planning permission for change of use.
Indeed, and those trailers often go cheap. They're much more rugged than typical mobile homes. (Nice to see someone else with real life experience in these threads!)
I lived in one for years as a student. It was a true luxury compared to sharing an apartment. A nice spacious studio with your own kitchen and bathroom. It was really well insulated and I never had any problems with noise or temperature. There were over 300 in the complex and all stacked, so I'm sure that really reduced the cost. Sure, it might not be efficient to build them individually and make modular family homes out of them. But when it's hard to build permanent low-cost housing, it's really great. I honestly believe they should be built by the tens of thousands on vacant lots and that they could go a long way to addressing the homelessness crisis and provide cheap and decent housing to students and single low-income workers. The complex was demolished to make way for gentrified luxury apartments that I could never afford if anyone's wondering 😔
or, more accurately and egregiously, the parking lot for said luxury apartments.
Brilliant ideas
was this in the amsterdam student housing project or a difrent one?
@@timgoodliffe Yep NDSM Amsterdam. There were several ones across the city but only a few remaining afaik
Was it madr from repurposed regular shipping containers, or modular habitats made in the format of shipping containers? The latter makes sense, the former is just an expensive gimmick for people who try to make believe that they are solving something.
In architecture school they told us that they were going to be the future of housing, I agree with this video, although they are not a completely bad idea, they are nonetheless very overrated.
UPDATE: again, I mean that it's very underrated when considered as "the future of housing", other than that the view on them can be very subjective and can be differently useful/viable to different people.
The idea for temporary housing for people in need is wonderful, especially if they are kept well. But yeah, the idea that they permanent solutions to housing is absurd.
Okay I
sadly architects aren't engineers
As someone attending architecture school. I was told the exact same thing
Overrated has no true meaning. If you have somewhere to lay your head that you can pay off in less than 5 years, sounds like a win in the long run.
There is something skeezy about a landlord who is running an air bnb behind an abandoned house in an overgrown lot and they drive up in a BMW.
you can chose not to buy his service
Supreme court decided laws that make homelessness illegal are 100% constitutional. So soon for many people it will not be a choice
@@Mrwizard-ck7oe1970-80 ranch style house with a picket fence
1980-90 one bedroom condo/apartment
90-00 co habitat
00-10 van life
10-20+ a backpack and a tent or hammock
you will own nothing and enjoy it
not saying this video is wrong per se in the arguments, but I feel like there are probably use cases and scenarios not being discussed. I don't have any knowledge of this field, but my feeling coming out of this video is that you started with a conclusion and worked toward it.
Exactly my feeling as well. The pros weren't well thought out, the cons not convincing.
Vox has a tendency to do just that.
Indeed, he does that.
whta i think too.,. thanks to some like-minded people like you.,. most of the documentaries I've seen nowadays, especially from these channels tend to cancel notions that are still potentially good and then cancel them,.,. I mean, why bro? why is there so much cancelling., I mean you can prove that its bad if you keep on pushing those buttons in just so that you can say that they are indeed bad.,. You can say that it's bad to eat banana blah blah blah or its bad to be humans blah blah blah anything you want if you just build your ground from there.,. this is just wrong... faulty argument.,.
I agree. The video assumed everyone wants modularity and stack-ability when a lot of people just want a tiny home. And I’m not sure how many people really think they are going to plop a 4k container somewhere and just live in it without a build out or a foundation. Seems like a bit of hyperbole.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING?! I dunno, build up, build mid-price apartments instead of MORE luxury condos. Make zoning more friendly to smaller property plots, duplexes, and townhouses? It's not hard 😭
The only way to prevent the massive problem with home prices is to prevent corporations from buying homes. Right now they're snapping up all the homes and turning them into rental homes as well as airbnb style homes. It is so profitable with minimal risk to them. If they want to flip the house they can as well. They have the means to afford the homes even if the homes stay vacant. Because vacant homes don't depress the rental rates.
What’s this? Logic and reason? In the TH-cam comments?!
The problem is many use them wrong. My father build himself a house made with them, but he use them for the skeleton of the house, he added insulation, inside and outside walls. You use them to take the place for blocks and bricks.
And what was the final cost compared to a regular house of the same size?
That's mentioned in the video. The problem is that the final cost of doing all of that isn't competitive with traditional housing.
@@LongWindedUsername Even if they were competitive, that just means you've put roughly the same work and money into making a container livable as just making a normal home. Any savings you got from using the container is wiped out by the conversion. You CAN do it, there's just no point.
@@Bluecho4 I think the idea is using existing materials and reducing overall consumption in construction vs everyone constantly needing new materials for cookie cutter homes that get built in large scale every quarter.
Exactly, that's why it doesn't make sense investing resources in a shipping container for a living place.
It's only extra work connected with irritating issues, you don't need, and are forced to deal with in the future.
It's a decent upcycle idea if you happen to have an old shipping container and don't know what to do with it but pinterest got a hold of it and everyone went nuts over the trend but didn't put much thought into past that.
A company I worked for used unmodified shipping containers to store tools in. They are incredibly hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, they accentuate ambient temperature A LOT. We would stand outside rather than be in them. I'm sure modifications would make some difference but steel is inherently excellent at conducting heat.
When I was a kid, my folks knew a lawyer in Palm Springs who had a STEEL house... So, the steel structure concept is workable
@@JungleYT Maybe, probably be easier and cheaper to use something else though.
@@laurencedavey3121 Right... Just saying arguments saying steel containers get too hot, sweaty, etc., are weak arguments if you could build a steel luxury house in Palm Springs...
Shipping container houses - when you want something like a manufactured home, but don't want the stigma of one.
OH YESSSS.... A shipping container is MUCH classier. 🤣
😂
id rather live in 9:20 or 9:50 or the older house in the background of the video than the shipper container's aka a pre-1920's real artist/architecture home and leave the shipping to moving my hobby/ect. stuff or as a temporary storage shed/shop to work out of and not live out of and the same for all pre-fabricated idea's for similar tastes/resons
save modular ideas for automotive uses ect. my 2C
...and end up with something far worse.
@@macforme with shipping container, you can be WOKE)))))
Because staying in a shipping container behind an abandoned house has always been a dream of mine 😒
@wuoi zuiu that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said
Living the dream lol
Imagine the critters living in that house...
I know right? Could have gotten a Good Used Camping Trailer for Less and Insulated that better and spent $4000 altogether. I live in a 1973 32' Camping Trailer I bought for $1800 and live in Florida in it for 13yrs now... Put Tin the Roof held down by Cement Blocks and have a 12x12 Covered Porch... Got like $2500 into it all together...
@@ravenlorans Awesome! I'm actually rebuilding a 1983 Coachmen travel trailer right now, I'm basically starting from scratch because the existing timber framing was SHOT!
I think they do work for Caribbean islands. Insulation would only be for sound or to insulate against hot weather (in case you decide to paint outside in a dark color) and it’s not mandatory. Apart from that, just make it structurally safe and apply rust-proof paint or coat. Where I live houses are fully made of concrete and concrete blocks with metal rods and mesh. We tackle hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. That’s why I think they are not such a bad solution.
tbh I'd much rather live in a concrete house during a hot summer or a hurricane or flood than a container. Quieter, cooler, more secure.
And probably cheaper, really.
The Caribbean heat though😬
Very similar to living in a house with a tin roof. Very hot in the summer, impractical in hurricane season.
I was deployed in the Army, I spent 7 months in a tent, with 13 other people. Showers were about 1/4 mile walk. On my way out, I got to stay at an intermediate base, where they had barracks rooms made from shipping containers. They had 2 bunks in them and their own bathrooms/showers, but I was alone. It was heaven.
When I was in the military, stationed in some remote areas, we used containerized housing to live in. However, these were designed from the ground up for this purpose, as the ability to transport and get up and running quickly was more important than cost. There were seperate units for living quarters, shower units, and restrooms. The sleeping units could be stacked and there were pre-fab stair and walkway units to make second and third story walkways. Good for what we needed, better than a tent, but not anywhere close to what I would call home.
cool!
Maybe better than taking a mortar in a regular home.
@@JimKeeter Better than living in a tent by far.
In Asian countries you see the same with "construction housing," where modular places for migrant construction crews who work on a project for a few months would stay. They can range from really primitive to semi-permanent with A/C, Wifi and common spaces. Some even get turned into housing projects after as well.
We had similar containers replacing classrooms when my elementary school was being rebuilt. Pretty sure costs were cut on every corner but it was a pretty bleak and miserable space to occupy for the one school year I spent there, at least after the novelty wore off.
I think the idea of module homes isn't terrible. Just using shipping containers as a base is a bad idea.
Or just a bad idea right now. Things may adapt. It's impossible to predict but there certainly seems to be a large desire for modular homes. People want to design their own homes and feel like it's using what would be trash (I know most would not be).
If you could combine the idea with mobile home design, or a more reliable RV inspiration. Then the ability to stack, connect, etc.
I blame Lego :-)
yeah I used to go to arch school and I agree with the woman on the video about the idea of 'house'. I think the main problem here is the physical (shipping box as material), not the modularity idea
No prices mentioned except the cost of plain container. Pointless.
I remember looking for a house last year and we saw a shipping container home that was 4 containers stacked on top of each other. It was nice but you could see that there were "choices" made to the layout that made it awkward. And in the end it cost more than a new house of the same size. I was curiously interested in the beginning but the fact that it was in a REALLY bad neighborhood ment I passed on it.
We should also watch "Living Big in a Tiny House" youtube channel and that shows what people have built with shipping containers. For some, home is a luxury and for others home is a necessity.
im a civil engineer. me and my friends have always wanted to start a business of building container homes to make a revolutionary fast and affordable home solution in our region. we finish college, gain some experience in the industry and when we got into the details of building a container houses, we immediately chuck the idea. its actually cheaper to build a brick house of the same size, and take about the same time too..
luxury container home is an oxymoron, they're just single wide trailers with out the skirt.
The youtube channel Life Uncontained is a perfect example of how much work and money goes into building out a shipping container.
Love that channel! They've featured some pretty cool homes.
Instead of a shipping container we need a housing module system. Purpose built. I’ve worked in a shipping container, it was neat. Especially when you blow out the endcaps for windows. When I’ve been to condos made of them, the far better experience is two stacked wide. But they’re neat for temporary things or an mini office. A dedicated, interlocking, standardized and open sourced housing module if adopted (and clad in a way where when people come over or it’s built next to neighbors and it’s just a house like any other) could revolutionize building homes. Never underestimate people’s desire to fit in, while saying they want to stand out.
I stayed in a shipping container in Flagstaff for a week and loved it. Plenty of room and a nice size shower. The only thing missing was laundry.
In a container home right now and just noticed there's no laundry bc of your comment 😅
@@TreavorUnion You are welcome ;)
appartments also typically dont have their own inhouse laundry, and at that point there's virtually no difference to using a coin laundry down the road vs an often coin laundry in your own appt complex, and assuming you bought the land you place your container on (which is way easier to mortgage due to lower cost for just land) you end up with more than just a "rental history"
As someone that has built a few shipping container homes for Airbnb's it can be a great investment if you're willing to do a lot of the work yourself. I really wouldn't say they are affordable if you're going to have to pay someone to do everything for you. We were able to to finish all three of our container homes for around 25k each. That includes, power, water, sewer etc. A lot of times when you look to buy a container home your main utilities aren't even included in the price. However, we done majority of the work ourselves other than the things we actually had to get a licensed tradesmen to pull permits for. In today's market I would say it would cost you close to 80k to finish one completely if you weren't doing any of the work yourself. That's a lot of money for 320sqft.
but it's a home ... all depends on the situation of the person. You do raise excellent points. have you seen Priscila Azzini designs for containers?
Tradesmen in the USA are WAAAY over paid! Hey make a living, but too many own ski-doos, season tickets, and a cabin in the mountains, a fancy truck, 2000sf homes, and are under 40 years old.
@@winstonsmiths2449 You are paying for the knowledge and experience of that tradesmen. If you think they are over pay - go and try to work in that field. The problem is not that many people would do this, that's why it is expensive - if more people would have those skills that would be cheaper
@@MaraMara89 Yeah, knew this was coming...over-paid because of...drum roll please...UNIONS! Now there are skilled craftsmen for sure whose work border on artistry, but most are average skills carpenters, etc. Standard house build or repair should not be $90+ an hour! Good, honest, and most often hard work, but IMO, over-paid.
@@winstonsmiths2449 not an American, nor do I live anywhere near the continent, but I feel as if 90 bucks per hour is pretty expected? You guys have medical bills that are, my lord, so overpriced and these tradesmen have a high risk of attaining injuries and the likes to work. But you're right, to the average home owner who just wants a little upgrade, they wouldn't be able to afford it. This all probably comes down to politics and why people in general should get paid more (eg, wait staff at restaurants so they don't have to rely on tips)
"I wanted to demonstrate that this is bad so I took two people who think the same thing."
Thanks for teaching nothing.
Was wondering the same thing… it was a very minimalistic video with a lack of actual facts and figures
You basically have to build an entire house inside the container for it to be up to code. It ends up just limiting your design to the shape of the box. You might as well just build it from scratch for all the good it would do you. The only case where it works is if you simply don’t modify it at all. No windows, no additional doors, just drill a few holes for ventilation, plumbing and electricity.
Yes
In denmark we build around 200 shipping container homes (as a test bed) For cheap quick student homes for students that come from all over the country to Copenhagen to study and we have a critical lack of homes from them. The general consensus is that the studens are happy in them at the start but quickly gets annoyed specially in the summer is it MADE from steel and with insulation which in sunlight and summer heat makes a REALLY warm situation.
As in all homes this has a solution called ventilation , Windows that let in air too cool down .
Air conditioning in hot weather or heating in cold.
@@kimsherlock8969 Air conditioning is rare in the Nordic and also flipping expensive to run and not something studens would be able to afford. And even with windows open some of those containers were noted as reaching 35c (95F) In the day times.
@@darth_yoda Thankyou for sharing your information
It is sad as so any people have dreams of Container housing as they cant afford to build a home.
A bit like trailer living in USA.
@@kimsherlock8969 Yeah and yeah some of them can look really fancy for sure.. But as you said you really DO need air conditions in them to be able to cool down properly since it is a big metal box and metal do get very hot in the sun. They have gotten better at adding Air con to newer constructions but it is stil way under 40% of all newly build housing that have it. And as I said Air con is very expensive to run here in Denmark so not really a viable option when it's ment for students.
Nice
Nothing is ever simple to make a home functional and safe .
Thankyou Denmark person
When I was on exchange in France, I had a few friends who lived in repurposed container homes. Their units were absolutely horrible. They said that there was basically no soundproofing so they could hear everything and it got very cold in winter. Worst of all, when there were heavy winds, their units would sway in the wind. They moved out as soon as they could and I don't blame them at all.
Their fault you can always insulate it
@@ubong120 sounds a bit expensive and or tricky
You have several choices,rockwool and also foam,it not that tricky,quicker to build and definitely cheaper than conventional building
@@ubong120 ah sorry I'm not in the know of this stuff
Sounds like a them problem. I work in forestry, mining, and exploration in northern canada. The nicest camps we've ever had were shipping container buildings. Properly built for the cold, even in -50c weather they stood up and never got cold (they had heating and top notch insulation of course).
Honestly absolutely amazing things for temporary (5-10 year) installations.
We have tons of places using container in Indonesia, mostly used as a cafe or hip new restaurant.
All you need are proper insulation and air conditioning, when it's hot out it's really hot inside
I wonder if this is more viable for climates where it's less extreme. I know in Canada, a house that wasn't properly insulated could cause MASSIVE harm in Winter, especially during days with freezing rain and wind chill
We do pretty well with ours insulated in Florida. External temps can get up to 120 but inside it's a cool 75!
@@ContainingLuxury jeez that's impressive
@@ContainingLuxury you guys are doing magic haha..
You mentioned how the structure is weakened when you cut into it....That's true with any structure regardless what the material is.
Regardless what type of home you build, your gonna have to put time and money into it period.
I wish this video tackled the possible solutions to overpriced housing, housing shortage and the actual desperation faced by people who are trying to do this or that keep going back to it as a solution. This isn't a trend- it's a desperate attempt at affordable housing because infrastructure failures keep normal people out of finding safe places to sleep at night.
Zoning reform, property law reform, public housing
Wrong video honestly
but thats not what the video is about?
They're deliberately keeping that part out. Just preoccupied with burying the container house to the ground. Something ideological and fishy about this video for sure.
I wish this video talked game 5 of the nba finals, but that’s not what the video is about
Shipping container houses: far from ideal, probably better than sleeping under a bridges. Newsflash, everyone: plenty of people sleeping under overpasses and bridges in this country.
There are 16 million empty houses in the US and only hundreds of thousands of homeless people. Lack of homes is not the real problem.
@@mf-- Those houses are either owned by private parties or their title is in legal limbo. They might as well not exist as far as sheltering the indigent is concerned.
And they're not all in the right places either. If they're going to be useful as housing for the poor, they need to be near social services, jobs and accessible transportation.
It may not be cheap to build, but if you can build it up quickly on your land and have it be comfortable, that’s a good thing
No you can't. Not legally. And with sun even less so. And with cold even less so. And with....even less so
@@Telencephelon seriously... How comfortably pampered you are with your lifestyle? Despite being born within mid upper class, i take an odd job as construction overseer out of boredom at 18, also helping the worker too. Yes, it's hot but i lost plenty of weight there. it's about getting adjusted to condition, and not complaining..
Not legal? Heh, as long as you buy the land who said it can't be?
Expecting an architect to give a fair and honest opinion on a shipping container house is like asking a hospitality industry worker about Robot/Ai technology working at front desks, and serving meals.. it’s a direct threat to them, they’re never going to give you an objective opinion.
In Britain we are super lucky that our post-WW2 "oh no we need loads of extra houses NOW" builds are actually good houses.
But there's still not enough of them (or the new builds) to make accommodation affordable these days, sadly
He is incorrect regarding the metal that the sides are made from Corten steel, which is heavy, tough, and made to sustain the environments they move through.
Yes. It's a much thicker gauge than say, autobody steel.
"I don't think I ever met anyone who built something out of shipping containers who said they would do it again." Agreed! I will never do that again for someone unless you paid me a metric ton of money. While the project I did for someone came out great, it was A LOT of work in a steel box that got VERY HOT while I was working inside it.
Isolate it
@@pappin1961 a lot of steps in the process before you can have it insulated and climate controlled.
@@andrewh.4186 I know, my kids have built their own 👌
Paycheck by paycheck.
While living in a tent, for a year, hero's , no debt.
On 300 acres, growing their own food, work parttime as livingcosts are low anyway, what is the purpose of life, living happy or have a million debt and live in a mansion with a garden of the size of a post stamp.
They don't care what others think of it.
Happy life .
@@pappin1961 yeah but that's a false dichotomy, between having a small house made out of a steel box you make yourself, vs. a large brand new house in a suburban neighborhood.
It's the size that saves the money, and doing the work yourself. Not the the material per se.
@@andrewh.4186 they used two and in the middle there is space, so its big.
I used to build my homes out of these when working in rural Alaska, I'm a welder. I found them easy and affordable, also comfy. Being able to do the welding and other work yourself makes them all of the things they are made out to be
One thing that i hate about these experts is they discard the practice without giving any alternative suggestions. Container house are sustainable and affordable if you use them for utility not vanity. If you've multiple containers stack them in grid section don't try to be experimental. Don't cut out doors and windows from wider sides, instead use the opposite ends which are practically the real doors to access a shipping container. It saves the use of reinforcement.
Agreed. Shipping Container homes do not make sense for every situation BUT they do have a lot of practical and are sometimes the best option for folks.
Go watch Belinda Carrrs original video then
@@ContainingLuxury they make sense for almost zero situations
@@gorbachevspizzahut We did and we made a response.
@@gorbachevspizzahut Why is that?
I had a home designer custom design a shipping container home for me, complete with roof solar panels and charred cedar-wood siding. Additionally, it was going to be on stilts, so I could park my car underneath.
It was still $100,000 cheaper to build than any prebuilt house that was on the market in Maryland.
Unfortunately, shortly after finishing up the designs, I had to move out of Maryland for a new job and I couldn't go through with the build itself.
And yes, these containers are designed to be stack on their corners.
---
The thing is, you shouldn't look at a shipping container home as a pre-built house that only needs a little bit of work. If you look at them as a pre-built *steel frame* for a house, then everything becomes a lot more clear.
It's a pre-built steel frame for a house which has a wooden floor that is a) treated with insecticide and b) soaked with God knows what as it goes across the oceans for [x] years. No one should live inside these things.
@@davepennington3573 You can't possibly think that the wood in the floor of these things are permanent and can't easily be replaced.
Also, the insecticide treated wood is very good if you char it and use it for exterior siding. (because the insecticide and the char repels bugs)
How big was the shipping container?
@@Xnkta It was four shipping containers. Two welded together, side-by-side... with two more stacked the same way on top.
They were to be on stilts so I could have the space underneath be a two-car carport.
1280 sq. ft. and using 'hi-boy' containers for extra headroom.
@@jetfowl That's a lot of work for a one bedroom apartment
I've built things out of shipping containers and would absolutely do so again.
But you have to understand those strengths and limitations and design accordingly.
Admittedly, many movies don't understand those trade-offs. No different than tiny homes, van life etc
If shipping containers were more cost effective, practical, or efficient then you wouldn't be able to get one because everyone in the home construction industry would be buying them up and using them.
They aren't.
Shipping containers can be cost effect and useful for storage.
I'm a student in The Netherlands and I live in a container home for 2 years now. In Holland there are tons of container homes, mostly build for students, as starter homes. I love my container home.
Which is the obvious application for container homes-stacked, enclosed, compact temporary housing for students, travelers, etc. Why are Americans just making individual town houses?
@@mk_rexx If he lived for 2 years in it i assume he can even live 50 if he wanted to. Thats the point. cheap housing, not only for students and travelers.
You came to the conclusion that it's "impractical to live in them" yet your piece didn't really explore or justify that idea, most of it was related to cost. There are companies making these to live in which have already considered the problems addressed here and they work out much more affordable.
When did he say impractical? The 4 points were right there.
@@alespic 9:40
Gottem
Mass production is way different than one time builds. And exactly what is affordable?
If I recall, Carr even mentions the aspect of potential dangers regarding what the containers were previously carrying. There may be toxic residues that are not trivial or feasible to get rid off.
Always coat in epoxy after bleach washing
Not even gonna talk about the fire risk. Normal house, you got time to get out. Container home, turns into an oven before anyones got time to save you.
@@Stettafire Idk I think a normal house is a bit bigger than a shipping container
So you couldn’t find one person that loves living in a RENOVATED shopping container?!?!
They exist but most of those people are skilled welder/fabricators like Andrew Camarrata who enjoy industrial space. If curious and you have the space I recommend doing what I did and buying a one-trip grade 40' High Cube (the height makes considerable difference, standard height containers ventilate poorly while HCs have room for overhead storage hung from the ceiling tiedown hooks which easily support thousands of pounds). Make a workshop out of that and you'll learn enough to fab a house if you want one.
@@Comm0ut one of the few sensible suggestions in this thread of inexperienced city dwellers and DIY hobos.. 👌
I've seen some beautiful shipping container homes. All depends on the person. If you want something unique that looks cool to you instead of traditional housing. Go for it.
I’ve seen some really nice ones
I actually do know someone who has a fabulous shipping container home in Alaska out in the middle of nowhere. They didn’t expect it to be mobile or cheap though. Theirs is unbelievable
The Alaskan use case is a valid one as containers are typhoon-rated and easy to transport by Landoll or flatbed to site. The tincancabin site shows a good example though he could have used three 40' High Cubes to greater advantage.
Interesting video. As a Facilities director for Hilton Hotels in the UK, I am very supportive of the shipping containers modular builds. We have dozens throughout the UK, with locations such as Hamilton in Scotland with a 118 bedroom Hotel, comprising of 128 shipping containers (Disabled rooms & gym areas use double containers)
Each of of our rooms have a 90 minute fire protection rating and A++ energy ratings with the tripple glazed windows
Personally greatly support modular construction.
Build costs for the owners area greatly reduced, build speed is 3 times quicker and the product for the guest is 5 stars for quality & safety standards
I lived in a container home for almost a uear. It wasn't a shipping container, but one of those big, insulated, refrigerated shipping truck containers for, like, produce shipping and stuff. It was converted into a studio and it was honestly perfect for me.
Feel like this video failed to go into the detail necessary to make the claims they did. How expensive is it actually compared to alternative options? What’s the upkeep cost compared to traditional homes? How long do they last? Are there parts of the world where this makes more/less sense because of differing supply and labor costs? What’s the environmental impact compared to traditional methods? What would happen to these containers if not used in this way?
I don’t expect answers to everything in a 10 minute video but surely more could be covered instead of talking about graham crackers
Also, the video is awfully one-sided, isn't it? Are we meant to believe that there is no opposing perspective?
From my experience of building a 1,800 square feet container house for $68,000 compared to a quoted traditional price of 225,000! it's cheaper to build with container house than traditional house if the square footage is under 5,500 Sqft if it's more than that then it's best to build traditional because time and labor will cost more than traditional house! 😅 Total I spent on my house is $68,000 with six containers and labor price at 1,125 dollars for 9 hours framing and insulation and drywall and electric! My contractor got done with the whole house in four months and it's a two story house! 5 acre lot cost me $88,000 for everything total it cost me $156,000! There's no where to find brand new construction house for $156k especially on five acres! 😅 😁
@@loacc3672 Indeed, and they would rather have a house made of wood or bricks that gets trampled easily by tornados and typhoons? There is no point criticizing trailer houses if they are not compared to traditional houses (in terms of pros and cons in price, convenience, etc.)
I have a house built between two 20 foot containers that uses the strength of the container to support the two walls and roof. I raised the support point for each container to get high roof for the central living area. It is okay but still needs insulation. What I want to say is that the wooden floors of shipping containers are all treated with very toxic materials to stop mold, rot, and bugs. These toxic materials are dangerous for people if you live inside them. I use mine as storage and mechanical areas because it is off-grid property.
Are you saying you kept the original floors? They are the first thing to throw out before building with containers. For just the reasons you stated.
Problem: need a cost effective efficiency apartment for 2 people in a rural environment doing as much construction ourselves. Plus it's on leased land.
Solution 1 conventional: concrete foundation involves hiring contractor. Costs $$$. Timing. Not mobil. Shifts, cracks (Texas gumbo). Hard to get a contractor to show for a 200sq ft job. That's going to be $6000. Plumbing set, etc ...
Solution 2 - 20' shipping container: level 4 points with concrete pads. 1 use (new) container delivered and set on pads with 24" clearance. $4600. I can go to work immediately myself.
Remainder of costs aren't cheaper per se but having the container keeps me from scope creep, upsell.
All 12vdc/solar with inverter.
Yes I can cut and install 2 windows myself. Leaving end door. Adding a conventional patio door just inside.
I've built stick houses before.
Decide to terminate lease? Call the truck and for $500 I can move it within 200 miles.
Start stacking them? Hanging them over edges? Naw ... That's just artistic coolness, not efficient or cheap.
Yes, I also love to build and create. I stay up late designing convertible/double use furniture.
Oh, I will be taking advantage of the structural strength and building a deck on top.designed to be easily removed in sections when required.
Yes it will require inspection and maintenance but guess what? All homes do.
Oh ground shifts? 12k# house jack and shim it. (same as pier and beam)
My BOM to build a stick frame/concrete slab was nearly triple the container cost. Plus it will not be mobile. For us. This works. Plus I like unique.
Remember you can seal the container floors and also have sawdust samples tested for Dieldrin etc if desired.
@@patrikwihlke4170 How many container structures have YOU personally built? Cutting the floors out renders using containers pointless as framing is not expensive with standard steel studs. Replacing that much structure is absurdly expensive for no gain. The floors can easily be sealed with a variety of flooring products like industrial epoxies then flooring of choice applied over them. I don' t seal my shops but those are aggressively ventilated because I weld there. (Containers make very nice welding booths.)
Having lived for several years in simple houses in Ethiopia, the incredible noise of rainfall on the steel roofs is still part of my memories. I wonder how sleeping in a shipping container during a thunderstorm must feel like...?
The one he's in? loud. In a container that's genuinely been built to be a home and not a novelty cashgrab? The same as any other home with a tin roof, as it will have thicker walls and insulation.
I don't think theres any risk of lightning since its connected to a ground
Would love to have seen the other side of the debate. In this video its basically just 2 architects that have the same vision and it becomes quite one-sided. If you compare this to a house, yes you'll prob pay more per m2 but still end up spending less because youre only building a 30 m2 house (when using 1 container) in that sense i dont think it is more expensive than a normal tiny house or chalet of sorts. Those need the same engineering requirements.
I recently have watched video about polish project with two containers turned into small airbnb places and cost to do them is slightly higher than "normal" small house in my country. Also: they are impractical - it is hard to heat/cold down that place, because even with insulation it isn't that great and moisture is a big problem.
Maybe engineering is similar but for example in Poland there are a lot of builders of traditional homes and not that many working with metal - so cost of labor can be much more higher
I said the same thing nearly ,but your right for sure lol
The main advantage of a shipping container home is that you can drop in the containers and weld/seal them to be waterproof as the first building task you do, then live inside them while you build the rest of the home from the inside out.
You can’t live in a standard home while it’s under construction as they are typically not even weather/waterproof until 50% of the build is complete.
I’ve seen this shipping container advantage first hand and a friend of mine built a 10 shipping container home, over 3 years while living inside of it.
First they did foundations for 4 x 40 foot containers, sealed in, and moved in within 2 months. They then spent the next year fitting out those containers while living in them, saving 2 years of rent payments.
They then added another 6 x 20 foot shipping containers to the 4 already in place, and had them waterproofed in a 2 week period, while still living in the 4 containers they built earlier.
The ability the get out of the rent trap and live inside the waterproofed containers while under construction for years was a huge advantage for them, saving $60k of rent, being onsite all the time and not having to waste time in travel, and to be able to supervise all trades all the time because they were always there was substantial.
This is the PRIMARY benefit of building with shipping containers, not cost savings in materials (eg. they still had to build a sloping roof on the waterproofed containers to comply with the building code) or modularity, rather the ability to live inside them while completing the first fix, second fix, all the trades work and the compliance inspections, provided you’re prepared to live in an unfinished construction environment for the times it takes to complete.
Thanks James for your out of the box brain...bc...people love to complain and nick pick...when we have housing set up to keep some people out...people have lived in airplanes, and boats,domes, caves, and tents...Ive seen some housing built by wood...when are we going to stop cutting TREES down for these cheap fire prone houses? Most people are hoarders!!! they dont need the space...I think I detest traditional housing.
great insight
I built my 1,800 square ft container house in four months it's a two story house three bed room two baths. It cost me $68k to finish the house on a slab foundation. Land cost me $86,000 for five acres all total I spent $156 thousand. You won't find no new construction house for $156k especially on five acres.
@@ZackWolfMusic Sounds like you are a bit younger than the retired couple I know who took 3 years. 4 months is exceptional and so is your budget of $156k land included!
@@jginfographics Yup, house was finished in September 2021! I know a channel on youtube called pacific pines ranch they been building their container house since 2019! And still live in it while working on it, their deign is much more complex than mine but it's a cool layout.
Shipping container $4000 plus conversion. LArge shed $8000 plus conversion. Fun fact: A large shed comes with windows, doors and require less to pass inspection.
Can't wait to watch part two on why not to live in a shed
Wrong...they require the same inspections, foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, final and all the little ones in between. Required for human habitation.
You need to add anywhere from 3-5k to the price of your shed however, if you want something the size of a shipping container. But other than that, I agree with you the idea that it's a better idea to get a prebuilt shed.
I'm a former GC - I renovated a number of old houses, added additions, popped tops. When I heard about the shipping container idea, I started watching TH-cam videos of people turning shipping containers into homes, because I thought it sounded cool. I realized immediately that there was little that was quick or easy or cheap about turning a shipping container into a livable space. It's more like a renovation project than a new build - and there's a lot of aggravation and added costs when doing a renovation vs a new build. If you think of building a shipping container home as comparable to building an ADU in someone's back yard (either building or using an existing garage/shed), it seems pretty clear to me that, if everything is equal, it's probably quicker and cheaper and easier to just build something using traditional construction. The only phases of the construction process where I can see containers saving some money is on roofing materials, siding and exterior paint (if you don't paint it or cover the container with a roof - and in most applications, I'd think you'd want to do both), otherwise each stage of construction seems to be equal in cost to traditional construction methods or more expensive.
Yes, I built a small bathroom as an addition to someones detached office, it was a huge pain to integrate. Would have been twice as fast, better, and cheaper to build a standalone structure. The entry was to the outside anyway.
What about turning metal buildings into homes/barndos does that really save you money?
They can be quick (you're immediately "dried in") but the flooring is toxic and that's a deal breaker.
Its still A LOT cheaper than regular house. Besides that some of these cons are not an issue in real life.
Stacking: It is still strong enough to stack it for home use, if not... simple strengthening in certain points is not a problem.
Modular: It is modular enough to be creative with it.
Mobile: It doesnt have to be mobile.
Cheap: It is a lot cheaper than regular house, even with additional costs to make it viable for living.
You can’t say it’s “overrated” when it’s not even that mainstream of a thing!
We have had container shopping malls in New Zealand as a short-term (5 years) solution after the earthquake. It worked very well as it gives shop owners cheap locations for their business. Because they were designed as temporary buildings, they didn't need to have foundations. Some of them have insulation, but they weren't needed.
If a place experiences earthquake wouldn't the people want to work/ live in places with stronger foundations....I remember when earthquake hit Nepal majority of the damaged cause was due to most houses having weaker foundations as a result of less detailed building codes
@@palakagarwal8559 As they said, these were temporary buildings, so having a foundation probably isn’t as important. Especially when you consider that it’s a metal box so it’s already fairly sturdy by itself as long as it’s properly reinforced around doors and windows etc.
I actually saw a number of these buildings when I visited Christchurch New Zealand. The city had been devastated by a big earthquake a few years before and there were a lot of temporary container buildings - and also a church made out of wood and cardboard which was actually quite fascinating.
People just want somewhere to live. Specifically people like me who have never owned a house. These shipping container homes are more appealing than the overpriced houses that are on sell now.
Btw
Permanent insulation is not the only way to insulate a metal container. I work for an insulation company and we offer an alternative to foam and Fiberglass.. it’s more affordable and effective. It’s called celbar k13 spray on. Check us out. We are in Houston tx. The company name is Payless Insulation and don’t forget to ask for me.
Two architects oppose a system of housing that doesn’t require architectural involvement 😮 no way
The shipping container featured in the video has 30 Airbnb reviews rated 5 stars. It was built for short-stays and reviews have been uniformly positive. One guest: "One of coolest places I have ever stayed! It was so nice, clean, and had everything you could want all inside a shipping container! Also the heated bathroom floor was a dream!"
The only practical use I see shipping container having as a structure as sheds or storage units. This being because you don't have to worry about many of the adaptations that a permanent living space would require, at most wiring in electrics for lighting and outlets if your using it as a workshop.
This is quite commonly done in the UK, particularly by schools and youth groups.
Although when they stack them, they don't tend to have holes cut in the side... And yes, they are strong....when they don't have holes cut in the side. Cutting a hole in a shipping container without bracing and support is asking for trouble
from what I understand, only the four corners are designed to take the massive loads from containers stacked above them. the walls between the four corners are comparatively weak, as they are not designed to have any external load applied beyond those required for inspecting and repairing the containers.
The corrugations in the walls are supporting the beams above. As soon as you cut a hole the beams flop like spaghetti.
I have been passionate about this idea for years. IMO I think the main problem is that people want a solution that is affordable, but looks luxurious. People have to understand that they have to make sacrifices and not try to turn a container house into a mansion; that's where the money drains away, when they abandon practicality to try to recreate totally impractical (from a financial point of view) projects they see on the internet. For example; in the selection of materials. Or when they want to install huge, made-to-measure windows, instead of putting two standard windows together, the kind you buy in the shop, already assembled, at a much lower price... I think you can find a sweet spot where the initial concept works and is affordable, but you can't get carried away trying to imitate vanity concepts that were done by people who had plenty of money to make a normal house in the first place.
You are right, I myself want to build a container house and sometimes I forget because it is something fast and cheap so I start fantasizing about buying 3 containers and using structural beams and other things but the point is that I am poor if I were not poor I could build the house that I want without the need for any container
It's expensive because it's untraditional. Imagine a company that specializes at turning shipping containers into living apartments. Essentially you only need a couple of things:
1. Build a foundation: pre-made reusable mold for masonry and fitting without welding
2. Run electricity and sewage: a universal map that all units use for wiring and plumbing
3. Insulation: can even find a manufacturer to make panels of insulation
4. Interior design: keep it simple to cut cost. I'm sure people wouldn't mind if it's cheap enough.
5. Exterior coating: make contracts with some paint company might reduce cost
6. Opening reinforcement: Manufacture and design pre-made reinforcement bar for different lengths.
Thats much reinforcement would be pretty much the same as a actual house frame though right?
@@jtonxbox1433 Not necessarily. Unless you want to stack vertically, otherwise heavy reinforcement will not be necessary for any of the walls. But even then, you can sacrifice design aesthetic for structural integrity, so that the only opening you will need to reinforce will be for the window, if the clients are okay with using the original doors as the entrance (with little modification on the locking mechanism). Other than that, I doubt drilling a couple of small holes for electric wires, water pipes, even a small vent and plumbing hose will do any significant structural damage. But again in the end, once everything is standardized and in mass production, the cost should be reduced.
I considered doing something like this, I'm in love with small houses ... but the building code (I live in Denmark) would make it a pain in the a**. Making a small simple wooden house would take the same amount of work and probably be cheaper 😅
What if you covered it with wood panels? Technically then it would be a wooden house with a shipping container inside.
@@tuxie93 Or just build a wooden house without the shipping container?
@@tuxie93 that's not how permits or codes work im afraid
Or if you’re only going for the “container house” aesthetic, just build a wooden house then cover the outside walls with faux container metals?
There's a multiple danish companies who does container homes, so I don't think it would be /that/ hard. Just look at CPH village ☺️
"Once you offset them, the structure is no longer strong enough to support". *proceeds to show pictures of perfectly stable structures stacked in an offset pattern".
and also what is so hard about not offsetting them?
I bet, they twist, tilt, and crumble with the slightest quake
@@lucky889s9 That's why in areas where there are chances of earthquakes there are regulations that need to be followed and a structural engineer would give you safe options that meet those regulations that you can use that will withstand your average quake.
@@lukenorman1125 but not including stacking containers with offset. Those regulations never consider containers habitable
Shipping containers are a great idea. Not overated.
I agree. 👍
How many container shops or homes have YOU constructed? It's fair to say they're over-rated by anyone lacking extended personal experience modifying and using them. I quite like my shop containers but I weld and fab so they're easy for me.
Yeah right. How many hours did you work with steel? Bet you never touched a shipping container, welder and grinder?