Your Tiny Houses guide – Can You Call a Steel Box Home?
In a world of skyrocketing housing costs and climate concerns, people are reimagining what it means to live well. Minimalist lifestyles, sustainable practices, and unconventional abodes are on the rise.
The tiny house movement is growing as an answer to the housing costs that make owning a traditional house impossible for many of us. Living tiny also helps declutter and live more in armony with the environment around us.
The tiny house movement has become more than a trend—it’s a cultural shift. Individuals around the globe are choosing compact, intentional living, and an option I’ve been exploring is building a tiny house out of a shipping container.
I like the idea at the base of this, which is to recycle something which otherwise will be eventually abandoned in a disused parking lot. Shipping containers are sturdy, stackable, and surprisingly customizable. Their industrial look appeals to modern tastes, and their modular form makes them a builder’s dream.
But is it possible to live full time in a shipping container? Let’s look at the pros and cons of this housing solution:
The PROs of living in a shipping container
- Sustainability. Repurposing a shipping container prevents waste and reduces the need for new construction materials. If you choose a used one, you are saving 7,000+ pounds of steel per container!
- Durability. Shipping containers are strong and resistant against extreme weather and earthquakes. They are designed to endure storms at sea. With proper reinforcement, they can withstand extreme weather and last for decades on land. That’s why they are normally used as temporary accommodation in areas hit by earthquakes.
- Affordability. Shipping containers are cheap, especially if you buy second hand. And, similarly to other types of tiny houses, by insulating the container with the right materials, depending on where you want to place the container, and going off grid you can save a lot of money in utility bills in the long term.
- Mobility. Containers are inherently portable. If wanderlust strikes, your home can travel with you.
- Modularity. If you combine more than a container the possibilities of building modular structures are endless.
The CONs of living in a shipping container
- Safety and structural modifications. A shipping container is a strong structure, but when you start cutting out windows and doors you might lose stability; and some would wonder, what’s the point of using a shipping container if you cut most of its surface?
- Insulation challenges. The insulation needs to be done right, to avoid unbearable temperatures and excessive noise inside the container. But with spray foam, rigid panels, or eco-friendly wool, comfort is achievable.
- Space constraints. It is possible to live in a shipping container only if you are confortable spending a lot of time in a very small space. At the end of the day, a container is a box, and it might make you feel a little claustrophopic (although we can argue that all houses are boxes, aren’t they??)
- Hidden costs. Containers are cheap to buy, but there are often additional costs which might add up very quickly to the final bill, depending on the foundations you need to lay down, and transport costs: a container house is not movable as easily as a house sitting on a trailer.
- Zoning and legal hurdles. Very often you will need to get building permissions, which will vary depending on where you want to place your container house, but are usually not very different from the permissions needed for a traditional house. Same goes with paying taxes: in most countries, if you obtain permission to live in a container you will have to pay the same taxes you would pay to live in a traditional house. In many parts of the world it is possible to live in a shipping container legally, but do your research to avoid costly surprises.
Think Inside the Box for Big Living
As urbanization surges and costs climb, container living offers a viable, vibrant alternative. With creativity, diligence, and a touch of vision, you can live in a shipping container that has evolved into a cozy, cost-effective, and eco-conscious abode. The future of home might just be square—eight feet wide and full of potential.