What to Know About Buildings Made Out of Shipping Containers

Buildings made out of shipping containers are an emerging trend that’s shaking the construction world. Experts estimate that this market could be worth $73 billion by 2025. Though some of these buildings may be eyesores, when done correctly, they can create interesting architecture that’s built on a tight schedule.

Read on to find out about cool buildings made from shipping containers.

What do homes made from shipping containers cost?

If you’re considering a shipping container that you can call home, expect to spend $10,000 to $35,000. This will be a no-frills option and doesn’t include the cost of the land. Of course, if price is no concern, you can easily spend six figures on multiple shipping containers and create a palace of your own.

Environmental benefits of buildings made out of shipping containers

The biggest benefit is that you’re saving raw materials and energy costs that would typically be expended on knocking down an existing home and building a new one. Shipping containers are easy to move around across the world—that was what they were designed for, after all. Then, once they’re in place, you can customize and modify these structures to your tastes.

That said, there are some environmental negatives for creating shipping container homes. That’s because many of those used are out-of-service containers. Over the years, these containers have been exposed to saltwater and whatever Mother Nature dished out. Properly recycling this steel for another use could be a more environmentally-friendly way to go. The steel from a single melted down container could actually be used to create 14 houses instead of just one.

How safe are container homes?

Since these buildings are made out of recycled materials, you may be wondering if they’re safe. Shipping containers are designed to be extremely robust and practically impenetrable, making them ideal for moving freight around the world.

However, it is worth noting that adding windows and doors to convert the shipping container into a usable home can be a difficult process. This may compromise the structure’s integrity. Because of this, structural steel reinforcements may be needed. The structural integrity is often dependent on the age of the container.

What are some other uses of shipping containers?

Around the world, there are many cool buildings made from shipping containers. In Ohio, a sporting events stadium was constructed by the City of Obetz out of 122 shipping containers. The U.S. Air Force created a training facility that allows for testing troops in a variety of scenarios. East Ashland, Kentucky built a community center and police substation out of a shipping container as well. In each case, the speed at which construction took place was key in selecting shipping containers.

If you’re looking for a partner in the storage industry that you can trust, the team at A Mobile Box is here to help. We offer commercial and residential portable container rentals and sales. Give us a call today to find out more about our products and services and set up a consultation.

Categorised in: Shipping Containers

This post was written by Writer