l e e t S g in s U f o Pros and Cons g in s u o H r o f s g Buildin
Introduction The idea might sound weird at first but you can actually live in shipping containers… and live quite a comfortable life to say the least.
Now, if you’ve heard about this growing trend and got your interest piqued, follow us through this presentation as we detail all the pros and cons of this architecture so that you’ll know what to expect if you ever consider this for your next housing project.
Pros: Cost When you compare cargo containers to regular bricks and mortar building, there just is no match when it comes down to the price. While your typical house usually sells for around $200,000, you can get used containers for less than $5,000 a piece. Get a dozen of them for all your rooms and you’re barely at a quarter of the B&M price. So, for the same living space, shipping containers are way cheaper.
Also, they don’t take as much time to build as they only need to be stacked according to your wishes. That’s another economy for you.
Pros: Green While you can buy shipping containers new, it’s often a better idea to purchase them second-hand as that’s where you will get them at the cheapest. But, doing so, you will also protect the environment by giving those metal boxes a second life.
No need to chop down any more trees for your roofing or using cement and water, you will have everything you need with your containers.
Pros: Durability Another pro in favor of cargo containers is that the steel they’re made of is very durable (more so than any other material available on the market). Initially, those “boxes” were constructed to withstand very harsh conditions as they’re supposed to travel thousands of miles and come back in one piece… all this time, guarding their load against any attack from the outside.. So, not only do they make for very sturdy housing components, they also provide you and your family with a high level of security/safety.
Cons: Size However, despite those great benefits, cargo containers do pose certain disadvantages. For one, if you need a lot of volume, you might not get what you want with these as their low ceilings and narrow width might make you feel cramped.
Although you can stack as many containers as you wish, you can unfortunately not accomodate big beddings or a lot of furniture in one room like you could in a regular house.
Cons: T° Control Another con against shipping containers as building material relates directly to the steel they’re made of. As we all know, metal is one of the best conductors of heat there is… Therefore, if it’s too cold or too hot outside, you will quickly discover that your interior is going to mimick that state.
Indeed, it’s much more complicated to control the inside temperature for containers as it is with regular constructions. You will need good HVAC and heating systems if you plan on choosing this option.
Cons: Health Hazards Despite being an eco-friendly solution, cargo containers may pose certain hazards to your health. For one, as they were not designed as construction blocks people could be using to build their home, they may have toxic solvents and chemicals in their coating. Also, you need to check with the owner, before you buy them, what exactly they used to transport as some containers served to carry dangerous waste and other highly harmful products, some of which might have leaked on to the interior walls of the container.
Conclusion Whether you have access to a limited budget or would like to try something different altogether for your new home, shipping containers offer a lot of benefits for housing projects. But, as with anything, the perfect solution doesn’t exist… Containers also bring their share of cons such as the size of their units.
Now, it’s just a matter of personal taste. Cost, safety, comfort… what factors weigh the most in the balance and which don’t?
For more information on future steel buildings and how they could benefit your needs, visit our site at: http://www.torosteelbuildings.com