Why choose a container house?

Advantages and disadvantages of a habitable container
The container house is the talk of the town. Economical, ecological, solid, original, this alternative habitat is built to measure according to your real estate requirements. Made of metal, the container architecture is adorned with wood or stone cladding to blend perfectly into the environment. If this modular habitat based on fitted containers catches your eye, here is some information on the interior layout of the container, the container extension, the container architecture, the aesthetics of a house in kit form or even the rules of town planning…

Container house

How to build your container house?
Designing and building your house in a shipping container is a dream for many. This alternative habitat makes great promises, often kept. The characteristic of the container house is that its frame is made of an assembly of reused shipping containers. These are cut in the factory and then reassembled according to the defined construction plans. Once on site, the structure only has to be mounted on the foundations previously created! This is followed by the connections as well as all the finishing work, carried out by the builder or by the individual, as part of self-construction. You will have understood: the container house is an easy-to-build kit structure. It generally takes 1 month of work in the factory then 1 month of finishing on site. Adding to this the time required to carry out the administrative procedures, it generally takes 4 to 6 months of total delay!

Very concretely, here are the steps to follow to build your container house:

1. Find land and find out about its building potential. It is common to come up against construction obstacles in terms of footprint, height or aesthetics of the construction.

2. Choose a container house builder or a specialized architect. Even if you are considering self-construction, going through a specialist in the design phase can be of great help.

3. Study the location and orientation of the modules and design the plan of the house: floors, circulation plan, number of rooms, area, etc.

4. Select the interior design services and future equipment for your home, in the case of a “turnkey” type service. Please note: the interior of a container house can quickly inflate the total budget of the project, depending on the quality of service expected.

5. Apply for a building permit and wait until it is obtained. At this stage, do not forget to detail your project as much as possible via the form at your disposal. Container homes are still rare in France and urban planning departments are sometimes hesitant to give their consent.

6. Proceed with the construction of the foundations according to the nature of the soil of the land: slab, studs, rafts… During this time in the workshop, the builder takes charge of the preparation of the container modules. Cutting, creation of openings for doors and windows, assembly and/or demolition of partitions… The insulation of the container house can also be carried out at this stage or later, on site.

7. Mount the containers on site using suitable handling equipment. This step takes a few hours to a few days.

8. Completion of connection and finishing works.

The container house extension: good or bad idea?

Adding a container module to a main house is a very good idea. Like the total construction, the container house extension is very easily achievable, at a lower cost. The light and self-supporting structure of the container makes it a major asset, especially for extensions by elevation. The other advantage is that an extension of this type adapts aesthetically to all homes, modern or older. And, if the raw aesthetic of the container does not suit you, it is quite possible to cover it with a facing or cladding in wood, PVC or imitation stone!

How much does a container house cost?
The budget for a container construction ranges between 900 and 1,500 €, more if you are accompanied by an architect, less if you opt for self-construction. The overall envelope takes into account both the price of the containers, their work in the factory and the installation on site. Note that a container house out of water out of air is of course in the lower range of the previous estimate. On the other hand, a wooden container house (cladding) completely fitted out and designed by an architect will cost you significantly more. To go into detail, do not hesitate to consult the information in our guide about the price of a container house.

What other types of kit homes are there and how much do they cost?
The container house is a kit house, made of prefabricated modules in the factory. But did you know that there are other similar types of habitats with equally advantageous characteristics? Here they are.

Modular house: Complete individual structures (floor, walls, roof) delivered then assembled on site – Between 700 and 2000$
Container house: Containers worked in the factory and assembled on site – Between 900 and 1500$
Prefabricated house: Incomplete structure, only the spare parts are manufactured in the factory and then assembled on site (walls, partitions, beams, etc.) – Between 750 and 1900$
The kit house, whether prefabricated, container or modular, is generally 30 to 50% cheaper than a traditional house, especially when you take care of the delivery of the parts and the assembly of the house (self-assembly). partial construction). Total or partial self-construction is also particularly widespread in this area, due to the ease of implementation. Some builders even provide practical support of around ten hours, to raise awareness of the various finishing operations: electricity, tiling, exterior insulation, etc.

Why choose a container house rather than a traditional house?

The container house has many advantages. As said before, its “kit” nature allows you to claim cheaper housing, built faster. On-site assembly takes just a few hours to a few days, before connections are made. Labor costs are reduced, work facilitated, and the models offered sometimes live up to the greatest eccentricities. You can also opt for a catalog model, cheaper because already offered by the manufacturer for the price of a container house. But the container house is also an ecological habitat. Little or no waste is linked to the construction itself as well as to the assembly of the modules on site. Energy consumption is reduced when working with the raw material in the workshop, but also during its transport. Finally, unlike other kit houses that are well and truly manufactured, the shipping container already exists: we recycle it!

The container house, a concession on the surface?

It is true that the standard maritime transport container is characterized by reduced dimensions, approximately 2 meters wide by 6 to 12 meters in length. How can these cramped dimensions – around 15 m² per container – be reconciled with residential use? Contrary to popular belief, the container house can be extremely spacious. The containers are very easy to cut. They are then assembled and the partitions mounted. Finally, the interior space is 100% modular and customizable according to your needs! Given the reduced price of the shipping container, the living area of ​​a container house is often more important than for a traditional house. Why hesitate? The container house provides many people with an adapted solution in a context where the sites want to be extended and the budgets reduced. Economical, ecological, it is intended to be implemented more and more in the urban panorama of tomorrow. If you are interested in this type of housing, do not hesitate to turn to a specialized builder and/or an architect who knows the sector well.