Country houses from containers: varieties, pros and cons

If you do not have a residential building at your summer cottage, and you are limited in finances or in time, the solution to the issue may be the construction of a country house from a sea container. This version of the house will allow you not only to save money, but also to build housing on your land plot rather quickly.

The container is a metal frame around the entire perimeter, which has a lathing made of wooden beams for thermal insulation. Until recently, they were used mainly for the transportation of goods.

In the construction of residential buildings, sea containers are used, railway containers are rarely found. Containers specifically for residential premises can be purchased already insulated and with laid communication systems. Shipping containers are measured in feet. In the construction of country houses, containers are used from 20 feet and above. For example, a 40-foot container has a volume of 67 m3, respectively, the length, width and height parameters are 12.2 x 2.4 x 2.6 m.A 20-foot container has dimensions of 6.05 x 2.4 x 2.6 m and a volume of 34 m3.

A country house can be built from one container or from several in an assembly. There are many options for configuring containers on site. It all depends on the size of your plot and the size of the desired home. If space permits, you can place containers next to each other.

• House from one container. The area of ​​even the largest modular container is not enough to build a spacious house. But on the other hand, such a house will save you space and you can put everything you need for living and rest in it. It will be a kind of compact housing option, which will include a bathroom with a sink and shower, a kitchen and a living area.

• House of two containers. This version of the house is already more spacious and you can design full-fledged rooms in it. The bathroom will be freer, and the kitchen and bedroom will be separated by walls and doors. As noted above, they can be placed both on the same level and above each other. If you place them one on top of the other, then you can make two separate entrances to them from the street or a full-fledged cottage with a staircase inside.

• Houses with three or more block containers. By purchasing and building several containers, you may well end up with a spacious home. In such a house, you can place not only additional living rooms, but also, for example, rooms for storing garden tools, a garage, etc. The arrangement of block containers can be diversified. Place two containers next to each other, and place the third over them as the second floor. Or put all the containers close to each other, and arrange the distance between them like a terrace or gazebos.

• Winter option for giving. It is quite possible to build a warm house from a container on a garden plot. The containers are resistant to low temperatures and can be installed even in northern regions.In their manufacture, the fact that cargo ships can navigate in different climatic zones, including northern latitudes, is taken into account.

It is quite possible to build a house from one or even several containers in a couple of months. If you have one container or you do not plan an original finish with additional elements, then you can equip such a house in less than one month.

As in any construction, this method of building houses has its own stages and features of construction.

• Preparatory work. It is necessary to collect all permits to legalize your home. Then outline a plan and create a project for the house, in accordance with which the construction will be carried out. In the project, you need to take into account the estimated part with all costs: the purchase of building materials, insulation, communications, electrical wiring, doors, windows and other items of expenditure.

It is also necessary to take into account the costs associated with the transportation and delivery of the container itself, since you will need the services of a truck crane for it or their location on the site. If you are planning to hire a work team, consider the costs of paying for their services.

• Basic work. They usually start with the preparation and pouring of the foundation, even if you have one container. When setting up a roof, details such as gutters and ventilation must be considered. Sea containers are made of metal, and houses from them "do not breathe", which means they need a good air circulation system. The container does not have windows and doors; they will need to be installed and finished by yourself. After that, it is necessary to sheathe the walls with insulation from the inside and outside. You can clap the walls from the outside with clapboard. Interior wall decoration depends on your financial capabilities and ideas. The design can be options from simple wallpaper to extraordinary solutions. Before laying the sewerage system and electrical wiring in the house, make sure that they are connected to your site, and you will only need to bring them to the house. Otherwise, it will be necessary to purchase portable generators and independently organize the sewage system.

All stages of construction - from idea to settlement, in the video below.

It is difficult to say unequivocally about the effectiveness of such structures. They have both disadvantages and advantages over conventional houses.

The advantages include their practicality and durability. Houses made of them are very popular in countries with low seismic resistance. With all the necessary equipment, tools and materials, such a house can be built and equipped in a short time. And, of course, the main advantage of such a house is its low cost, taking into account all the costs of the arrangement.

The main disadvantages of such a structure are primarily the containers themselves. Due to their metal base, they are quite cold for the winter and hot in the summer. It is advisable to install containers on a foundation, otherwise the damp earth after precipitation and the precipitation themselves can corrode the material.

In order to install doors and windows in it, you will need skills in working with a welding machine and a metal saw. Otherwise, you will need to hire professionals, and this is an additional cost.

When building a house, you need to understand that you are not purchasing a new product, but a decommissioned container. When buying it, you need to make sure that the main components of the structure are not damaged. Inspect, as much as possible, all outside and inside sides, seams and joints. Otherwise, you may have unforeseen problems both during the construction phase and after its completion.