When I posted the story, I wasn't thinking expats would be living in these. I was thinking it might be a good idea for cheap housing and use of containers already in Haiti - for the homeless. Has to beat living in a tent
- Thread starter AlterEgo
- Start date
Home Sweet Shipping Containers
Totally agree.
All needed is a couple of holes cut out for windows and ventilation, maybe a wind turbine vent on top. To heck with foundations, a 40' container isn't going anywhere much with shifting dirt or an earthquake.
Sure as heck beats a blue frickin' tarp in a pole for many poor folks there...
Heck, that'll buff right out! :cheeky:I would recommend anyone still considering doing a container home to read the link I posted. Here is a photo of the rust after just 5 years:
Besides, they'd just fill it in with dirt and a thin layer of concrete for a floor.
I understand the good intention of your proposition. Nonetheless, given that there are costs incurred in the procuring and setting them up and then replacing ever so many years this concept would make little sense economically given that there are other alternatives that even in the short term would be economically comparable. Not only that, unprepared these things are an oven and would be unbearable to stay in at midday so they would still need the tent to use until the sun went down.
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The pictures I posted were of a container made or Cor Ten supposedly weather resistant steel. From the article I posted:
Cor-Ten Steel
The primary construction material for Type 1A GP or General Purpose and Type 1A HC or High Cube Containers, the two container types most commonly used in Container based Construction is of course Cor-Ten Steel – also sometimes called “Weathering Steel”
Quite bluntly this often quoted statement that Containers don’t suffer from corrosion issues because they are manufactured using Cor-Ten Steel simply isn’t true.
The truth is that Cor-Ten Steel is a high strength, low alloy structural Steel using copper, chromium, silicon and phosphorus as alloys – and this alloy under the right conditions displays a much greater level of resistance to corrosion when compared with unalloyed steels.
The above clearly states the containers will last longer than normal steel under the "right" conditions. Obviously, under the "wrong" conditions they won't last any longer than any other steel hence it's my opinion that they are not a good long term solution to housing in the tropics for marginalized families.
Cor-Ten Steel
The primary construction material for Type 1A GP or General Purpose and Type 1A HC or High Cube Containers, the two container types most commonly used in Container based Construction is of course Cor-Ten Steel – also sometimes called “Weathering Steel”
Quite bluntly this often quoted statement that Containers don’t suffer from corrosion issues because they are manufactured using Cor-Ten Steel simply isn’t true.
The truth is that Cor-Ten Steel is a high strength, low alloy structural Steel using copper, chromium, silicon and phosphorus as alloys – and this alloy under the right conditions displays a much greater level of resistance to corrosion when compared with unalloyed steels.
The above clearly states the containers will last longer than normal steel under the "right" conditions. Obviously, under the "wrong" conditions they won't last any longer than any other steel hence it's my opinion that they are not a good long term solution to housing in the tropics for marginalized families.
Any house build under the 'wrong' conditions will not last longer then when build under the 'right' conditions.
I just wanted to point out here that there is much research going into building affordable homes with containers. Maybe at the moment there are still some flaws but I am sure that designers, architects and engineers who dare to think out of the box will come up with sustainable solutions in the near future. Its already happening.
There is a market for this type of home be it for building at places where space is minimum or very expensive or be it for building emergency homes in case of disasters or be it a solution for families who can't afford anymore to build tradional or be it for people who think green etc...there are numerous situation where you could prefer to build with containers than with standard materials.
Acira
I just wanted to point out here that there is much research going into building affordable homes with containers. Maybe at the moment there are still some flaws but I am sure that designers, architects and engineers who dare to think out of the box will come up with sustainable solutions in the near future. Its already happening.
There is a market for this type of home be it for building at places where space is minimum or very expensive or be it for building emergency homes in case of disasters or be it a solution for families who can't afford anymore to build tradional or be it for people who think green etc...there are numerous situation where you could prefer to build with containers than with standard materials.
Acira
Good luck with that one ( Container homes in Downtown Detroit ). You can buy a decent 3 bedroom home in Detroit for less than $10,000.00 . Maybe some will like the novelty, but there are some like myself ( born and raised there ) who you couldn't pay to live there.
you can buy a 50,000 sq ft building in Detroit for under 100,000 and its decent. who wants to live there anymore, they ruined that town
The corrosion issue would be more of a concern if it were a coastal location. The photos you posted were of a container right on the ocean and the authors said that no prep or proper maintenance was done. For all we know, it could have been made from containers 20 years old(made from new containers in Thailand? Not likely). It's a good point in the link that you shouldn't buy used containers without a thorough inspection.
The PDF mentions that containers shouldn't be used within 1-2km of a coastline. Fair enough. I'd use maybe 10km as a setback to be sure or prep the containers to make them more salt resistant.
It's an emerging system, but sooner or later someone is going to come up with kit systems that are price competitive, functional, durable and good looking.
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I doubt there would be any "kit" systems that could adequately address the issue of preventing moisture from getting inside the exterior paneling to the metal - other than a paint that has an actual R value that can be applied periodically. However, from my research on actual projects these supposed R value paints have not passed sufficient peer review. In fact I had an architect recommend some but it turns out tests on the paint proved all claims to be false. I'm sure NASA has space shuttle paint that would do the trick but I doubt that it would be on the market anytime soon and much less would ever be at a price than makes the bottom line worth it.
You would also need space shuttle heat shields to protect the containers from the sun, I suppose...
you ever see the movies about World War II and the japanese used to put prisoners in a steel box in the sun?? same thing. Even in shade they are unbearable. We call them Conex's in the USA. I have worked out of many in the past.You would also need space shuttle heat shields to protect the containers from the sun, I suppose...
Line X has actually has a new coating for commercial use in salt water. supposed to be good stuff. Here again this does not solve cheap housing. They should have moved in all the fema trailers that were used in NOL after Katrina. The people all complained about them. Get free aid and they complain. Oh well. they had thousands of trailers. They went up for auction later. you could buy lots of 100 or more
you can still bu them here for 3000.00. better deal then a container
you can still bu them here for 3000.00. better deal then a container