Modern trading containers came with the purpose of trading items securely from one corner of the world. However, modern people have taken very generous creative liberty to reimagine and repurpose old cargo containers for various other projects like homes, schools, libraries, etc. But people, in general, make common shipping container home design mistakes that undermine the key purpose-economic and sustainable architecture. This blog will capture a few common mistakes to be avoided for successful architecture projects.

Container Home History: First recorded instance of container homes

Although container homes are a very trendy choice in today’s time, this is not a recent phenomenon. The idea of using cargo boxes to build houses has been in pen and paper from as early as 1970. In the 1970s, an architect from the UK proposed the idea of a container home in his thesis. After that, the idea of a container home was very much popular. Later in 1987, an American, Phillip Clark first officially started to work on container homes. However, the term ‘cargotecture’ came relatively late in 2003 to signify the popularity of container homes.

Current Container Homes Market: Popular Trends

The idea of container home has rapidly taken momentum from 1987 till now. Currently, container homes are very much in trend and popular building material choice as one doesn’t have to focus all the attention towards shipping container maintenance. Even though shipping container house has a relatively shorter lifespan, the trend has not shown any signs of the ebb.

Common shipping container home design mistakes

Container homes are very trendy, given the fact that it is not a mature market; there are lots of common mistakes people make while converting cargo boxes to homes. It is necessary for people to avoid a few common design mistakes to make a structurally sound, habitable, and aesthetically lovely home. The most noted mistakes are following:

Budget, Plan, and Proceed

Every architectural project needs solid step-by-step plans for successful end results. For maritime container homes, it is no different. Proper planning describing every aspect of construction is necessary to avoid common container home design mistakes.

It is true that cargo units prove to be an economically cheaper option to build a house. To have a comprehensive budget overview, it is necessary to calculate the total cost regarding each step of the plan. It is not a sound plan to go for cargo unit homes for their initial cheaper main material purchase cost which can give way to serious budget failure.

It is necessary to have a proper plan and budget in hand that suits the requirement of the location along with individual preference.

Research Rules and Regulation

People and governments around the world are embracing cargo units repurposing with open arms. But it is not the case everywhere. Every locality, region, state has different requirements for the container-built house; given their relatively short lifespan and overall fragility in comparison to other mainstream building materials.

Therefore, it is mandatory to research local building requirements and then proceed to convert a freight box to a home. Local or state building permits take time to be processed. The local permission-taking process may delay your plan to complete your home project. Brace yourself for the prospective hurdles in your plans. Or you could proceed to obtain local permits after the planning stage, not before or during construction.

Choose the Right Size

Although freight boxes prove to be a very flexible housing option the size of the box decides the design flexibility in many cases. The most common home design mistake people make while building container-home is choosing the wrong size of steel shipping containers. Cargo boxes are not mud that one can mash to reshape. They are heavy-duty steel-built sturdy structures and come in distinct sizes like 20ft shipping container, 40ft cargo container, and high cube container variant. Choosing the wrong size will mean significant modification and extra investment. That is an undesirable wet blanket to the ideal low-cost and sturdy home.

Furthermore, choosing the right size of freight containers will also give more interior space for refurbishing or adding more amenities without much change or addition to the roof. The right size will also ensure more headspace.

Choose Contractor with Domain Expertise

It is true experts know better. Given the structural balance proportion of cargo units, it is necessary to consult expert architecture to build the desired container home. Metal shipping containers are sturdy but corner joints and the sidewalls balance most of their strength. So it is necessary to hand over the building task to an expert contractor, especially one with previous experience in building container architecture.

Remodify According To Requirements

Shipping units are sturdy and resilient by character but that does not mean they can handle inexperienced architectural experiments. It is very necessary to build and remodify that suit the structural integrity of the freight box. Cutting out the box and joining at an odd angle might just weaken the strength of the whole structure.

Gauge the Container Quality Status

Shipping containers are long-lasting materials. But if you are purchasing old containers to build a home you may want to thoroughly check them before buying. Cargo boxes are generally exposed to rough handling and weather which leaves significant wear and tears. Buying used containers also costs a lot of money. So, if you are planning to buy one either buy from a reputable source or check it thoroughly before buying.

Insulation to Suit the Location Weather

Freight boxes generally have heavy-duty steel as the primary material, hence they are highly susceptible to the outside temperature. It is necessary to remodify cargo units with proper heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to make the building suitable for habitation. Without proper insulation, there might be chances of shipping container condensation and dampness that might cause rust and accelerated deterioration.

Freight boxes are a very popular choice for architecture but keeping above common shipping container home design mistakes is necessary if you want to build a house that is structurally sound and beautiful.

Here, LOTUS Containers, being one of the top 5 shipping container suppliers helps you get distinct maritime shipping container services. We give you an option to buy used shipping containers from anywhere in the world. You can purchase new containers or old units without worrying about poor quality or significant damage.