How to Make Shipping Container Homes on a Budget

You’ve decided to make your shipping container house, but you are wondering how to save money for doing that? By focusing on good construction principles, you can actually make it happen in a budget without cutting corners and still stay green and get a good house design.

How to Make Shipping Container Homes on a Budget

Here are some significant tips to save money for that matter – 5 of these to be precise:

1. Get an architect

Before you start your project, you have to hire yourself an architect. Most architects offer great competitive rates and discounts for different projects, and if they do a good enough job, they’ll help you save up on additional costs as well.

It’s easy to fall victim to old books and plan designs sold by some local shops and vendors. You should know that many of these books are pretty old and don’t have any serious information about designs or specifications. Instead, an architect will help you with:

  • A great design
  • An effective floorplan
  • Sustainable construction
  • Proper finishes

2. Simplicity is key

When designing, it’s best to remember not to go overboard with any plans. The key to this is keeping your plan simple, instead of simplistic. A lot of zig or zag in your plans equates to higher costs. So, take out whatever you do not require and keep the simple essentials without losing out on comfort and functionality with your shipping container home.

3. Get a professional builder or contractor

This is a crucial task to undertake for folks planning to build any home, not just a shipping container house. These container houses are a comparatively more recent kind of building that has swept the globe. Getting a building contractor with the experience of constructing a shipping container house, can, therefore, be very tricky when you finally decide to build one.

Most individuals wish to make their shipping container houses by themselves. But sometimes this is impossible either due to limited time or absence of previous building experience with shipping containers.

4. Take climate into account

If you want to live in your shipping container house, the inside climate control is important. Steel is a great conductor of heat, so the house will have to get even better insulation than regular houses especially in areas where temperature varies extremely. In addition, designing and constructing with climate considered will allow you to get the right specifications and avoid house damages.

5. Take inspiration

If you’re designing these houses for the first time, chances are you’re going to need to look at other homes for inspiration. Archute is an online architecture website that offers a variety of different blogs and designs. You can search for shipping container homes, cafes, kitchens, conventional houses and much more.

Moreover, the site provides a list of the best shipping container houses with different designs, colors, specifications, teams, pros, cons, and costs. Also, you get to choose from the various homes to see which one would be better suited to your budget, taste and shipping container specs. The list is detailed as well as comprehensive, with reviews of each house along with stunning pictures of all the abodes.

The blog also takes into account the different locales and climates where shipping containers can be located, so you can choose the ideal design based on the region your selected house is built in. Some of these gorgeous houses include:

  • Grillagh Water House by Patrick Bradley
  • Puma City by LOT-EK
  • Shipping Container Terminal by Potash Architects
  • OceanScope by AnL Studio
  • The Kennel by CHA: COL
  • Tony’s Farm by Playze
  • Indian Research Base by Bof Architekten
  • Two-tree house by Golany Architects
  • Smaller by Jim Poteet
  • Vissershok Container Classroom by Tsai Design Studio

We hope this article helps you build your dream shipping container home in no time!

Gordon Buckland