[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;32931550]I'd happily live in a 20x8 box. wire it up, put a computer, bed, fridge, and microwave in there and I'll be set for life
[editline]23rd October 2011[/editline]
I might need a bathroom too[/QUOTE]
That's what the outside is for!
[editline]23rd October 2011[/editline]
Also, BDA, what would you estimate the costs would be to make two containers fully livable as a single house? Buying the containers included, location irrelevant.
They have some of these in Vancouver, Canada; my architecture class whent to tour some of them.
[img]http://zigloo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ziglooHD-2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://zigloo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ziglooHD-3.jpg[/img]
[img]http://zigloo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ziglooHD-13-cover-900x598.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-fappery.gif[/img]
I want one.
I want one.
Edit: Damn you ^
Ive personally always loved square homes. I don't see the point in anything real fancy with all the curves and such in a lot of modern architecture. Building boxes will give you the most pace anyways. Plus, the greatest thing about these types of homes has got the be the capability to change whatever you want. Get a grinder wheel, a forklift, and a welder and you could add/take away any rooms/buildings/garages whenever you wanted. If you wanted a second story, bam, throw some containers on top, weld them down. Cut a stairway through them. then do the usual. (safe guarding, weather protection, insulation.
If you wanted less, just grind the weld away, and weld a piece of metal back over the hole.
Think about it, a single man could build an absolutely massive (house-wise) home structure on his own with just a forklift, a welder, and a grinder. Plus, it would probably take him less than 1/10th of what it would take to build the skeleton of a wooden home....
I'll go get my welder and torch, can anyone spot me some money for about 5 40-foot containers and renting a small crane? Thanks.
It's GMOD time.
[QUOTE=D0C H.;32933179]Ive personally always loved square homes. I don't see the point in anything real fancy with all the curves and such in a lot of modern architecture. Building boxes will give you the most pace anyways. Plus, the greatest thing about these types of homes has got the be the capability to change whatever you want. Get a grinder wheel, a forklift, and a welder and you could add/take away any rooms/buildings/garages whenever you wanted. If you wanted a second story, bam, throw some containers on top, weld them down. Cut a stairway through them. then do the usual. (safe guarding, weather protection, insulation.
If you wanted less, just grind the weld away, and weld a piece of metal back over the hole.
Think about it, a single man could build an absolutely massive (house-wise) home structure on his own with just a forklift, a welder, and a grinder. Plus, it would probably take him less than 1/10th of what it would take to build the skeleton of a wooden home....[/QUOTE]
You'd probably need at least 2 forklifts to lift one of those. I've driven one and they are actually more front-heavy than you think.
[QUOTE=ManningQB18;32932493]That's what the outside is for!
[editline]23rd October 2011[/editline]
Also, BDA, what would you estimate the costs would be to make two containers fully livable as a single house? Buying the containers included, location irrelevant.[/QUOTE]
Including all necessary costs, including land and construction fees, I'd put an extremely rough estimate from between $65,000-85,000, though the huge bulk of that is land and construction costs. If you have space available and a lead on somebody who can do the work for you for a bargain, the necessary investment drops substantially. I'm also trying to guess on the high side of things, just to be safe.
Figure the cost of cargo containers at about $3500 a pop for central United States, plus whatever shipping charges apply (which could be quite expensive, depending on the distance traveled). So probably around $10k just to get the cargo containers where they need to be. For every additional container, I'd estimate an additional $5k, total, but that's still only rough guess-work, and that's only based on the limited availability of containers in the central US, where I live. The closer you get to the coast, the higher the availability of containers and the easier the shipping, which means dramatic fall-offs in overall price. In port areas, used containers can be gotten for as little as $1000, with minimal shipping costs, or so I've heard.
A decently sized plot of land (~1 acre) in a fairly populous suburban area will run from between $25,000 and $40,000, depending on location. It gets less expensive the farther you get into undeveloped areas, but I'll estimate on the high side of things and assume you'd want to live within a reasonable distance of social hubs and stuff like that. Let's say $40k, which puts total costs up to about $50,000 so far.
However, now you've got to figure construction costs, including an architect or engineer to help you devise a stable structure, materials, labor, and specialized equipment. This is where the largest amount of guess-work comes in. Let's say another $25,000 for the extensive work necessary to convert them into safe, legal, and comfortable homes. That's an extremely rough guess though. City statistics put construction costs at approximately $84.48 per square foot. With the square footage of two 40ft containers being 640 sq. ft, costs for a traditional home would be about $54k, but keeping in mind that considerably less time, materials, and labor are required for this sort of project, I'd estimate costs at being about 50% of that. Again, though, [I]rough guess.[/I] Obviously the costs here go down a lot if you have access to, or know somebody who has access to, the proper equipment and know-how to do this independently.
So, yeah. Around $75k, I'd guess. More or less. More containers shouldn't dramatically raise the price, however; the bulk of the cost comes from land and labor. Just don't take my word at these figures. If anybody is seriously interested in having this done, do your own research, and then contact a local construction company for an official quote. It's possible that you might be pleasantly surprised!
they're extremely cheap in my area, since I live within a few miles of one of the country's biggest ports. I'm not sure the exact cost but let's just say $2000. a forklift rental costs about $700 a week
assuming you go with a simple design like this:
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Ns9Gf.png[/thumb]
(note, extremely quick and dirty)
and have to buy your torch, safety equipment, and grinder, the whole structure could be set up for just a few grand if you do it yourself
as for the land, there's a 1.2 acre lot in Pass Christian going for $5000 right now, so I'd say I could reasonably have a fully furnished home for under $25,000, assuming I do all the work myself.
I could live in a single 20' foot container, as long as it had Electricity, Plumbing, and Data.
[QUOTE=ButtsexV3;32934431]they're extremely cheap in my area, since I live within a few miles of one of the country's biggest ports. I'm not sure the exact cost but let's just say $2000. a forklift rental costs about $700 a week
assuming you go with a simple design like this:
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Ns9Gf.png[/thumb]
(note, extremely quick and dirty)
and have to buy your torch, safety equipment, and grinder, the whole structure could be set up for just a few grand if you do it yourself
as for the land, there's a 1.2 acre lot in Pass Christian going for $5000 right now, so I'd say I could reasonably have a fully furnished home for under $25,000, assuming I do all the work myself.[/QUOTE]
Some things to keep in mind for your construction: A proper foundation is necessary for any permanent or semi-permanent structure. Failure to first lay a foundation would bite you in the ass hardcore after a few years of weather and gravity, but I'm sure anybody considering doing this themselves would already be aware of that. Additionally, if the bottom supports are, indeed, just one cargo container cut down the middle, then that won't be nearly strong enough to support your second level. There's a lot more information about why in the guide I'm posting below, but the general idea of it is that cargo containers are designed to withstand weight by spreading that weight evenly to all four of its reinforced corner supports. If you cut a container in half, you're violating the entire manner in which it is designed to bear weight. In other words: massive structural failure.
Cargo containers are very versatile, but they're not without their structural weaknesses. Before you go designing any structures using them, you need to be fully aware of their limitations. I found a pretty useful guide on it earlier, though it's basically just a bunch of dorks making pretend about post-apocalyptic zombie scenarios. Despite that, the OP is very well-written, and the guy obviously has some notable experience in Engineering. Check it out:
[url]http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=53485[/url]
Obviously, no matter what, get all blueprints and plans checked over by a qualified engineer before any construction takes place. If you're actually serious about doing this, keep me updated on how things go! I'd love to see one of these buildings taking shape.
it wasn't actually supposed to be cut down the center, I'm just not that good with sketchup
Next think you know, you're on the back of a truck
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those containers relatively lightweight when there's nothing in them?
I'd expect that to make shipping and stacking easier.
[QUOTE=nikomo;32936236]Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those containers relatively lightweight when there's nothing in them?
I'd expect that to make shipping and stacking easier.[/QUOTE]
The 20' containers weigh about 4900lbs, unloaded, and the 40' containers weigh about 8200lbs. Not [I]massively[/I] heavy, but heavy enough (and large enough) to require some special shipping.
Curious, I looked up some quotes online for how much it would cost to ship a container from the nearest major city to my county, about forty minutes outside the city. The quoted prices for shipping both 20' and 40' containers are between $700-1000, according to [URL="http://www.freightcenter.com/index.aspx"]this freight shipping calculator[/URL]. That's really not quite as bad as I thought it'd be!
[editline]24th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Sumap;32933007]They have some of these in Vancouver, Canada; my architecture class whent to tour some of them.
\[/QUOTE]
I friggen love this one! What a cool house, especially that staircase!
cheaper than fedex
Would certainly make ocean side living cheaper. Gonna look into this when I move to Galveston. Maybe after awhile I'll be able to build myself a cheap beach pad.
OvB, I'm pretty sure the first architect to embrace this concept had you, specifically, in mind. You [I]belong[/I] in a cargo container by the sea, or possibly on a houseboat. It is your destiny.
Welp, I havent touched sketchup since my super awesome p1500 monster got deleted.
Time to redownload, I've got a plan.
2 40-footers spaced so that 5 40-footers can be laid across the top perpendicularly with the main area enclosed by a 24-foot garage door and/or a wall. Might also add a stack of 2 40-footers on the side to use as a super rad staircase/foyer. Without the stack of two on the side, we're looking at a 3200 square foot home.
[editline]24th October 2011[/editline]
aaahhhhh, in a perfect world...
Big Dumb American always makes the best threads on Facepunch.
I'd really love to have a two level construction with an open space in the center for a little outdoors space in the center (with drainage, etc in case of rain or whatever), completely enclosed by the two story cargo container construction with some decks around like these.
Wouldn't mind a third story single room container for a up-top bedroom/study.
[img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/4fe5348779de0a9b7c0866c6e8eaea2f.png[/img]
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;32933335]Including all necessary costs, including land and construction fees, I'd put an extremely rough estimate from between $65,000-85,000, though the huge bulk of that is land and construction costs. If you have space available and a lead on somebody who can do the work for you for a bargain, the necessary investment drops substantially. I'm also trying to guess on the high side of things, just to be safe.
Figure the cost of cargo containers at about $3500 a pop for central United States, plus whatever shipping charges apply (which could be quite expensive, depending on the distance traveled). So probably around $10k just to get the cargo containers where they need to be. For every additional container, I'd estimate an additional $5k, total, but that's still only rough guess-work, and that's only based on the limited availability of containers in the central US, where I live. The closer you get to the coast, the higher the availability of containers and the easier the shipping, which means dramatic fall-offs in overall price. In port areas, used containers can be gotten for as little as $1000, with minimal shipping costs, or so I've heard.
A decently sized plot of land (~1 acre) in a fairly populous suburban area will run from between $25,000 and $40,000, depending on location. It gets less expensive the farther you get into undeveloped areas, but I'll estimate on the high side of things and assume you'd want to live within a reasonable distance of social hubs and stuff like that. Let's say $40k, which puts total costs up to about $50,000 so far.
However, now you've got to figure construction costs, including an architect or engineer to help you devise a stable structure, materials, labor, and specialized equipment. This is where the largest amount of guess-work comes in. Let's say another $25,000 for the extensive work necessary to convert them into safe, legal, and comfortable homes. That's an extremely rough guess though. City statistics put construction costs at approximately $84.48 per square foot. With the square footage of two 40ft containers being 640 sq. ft, costs for a traditional home would be about $54k, but keeping in mind that considerably less time, materials, and labor are required for this sort of project, I'd estimate costs at being about 50% of that. Again, though, [I]rough guess.[/I] Obviously the costs here go down a lot if you have access to, or know somebody who has access to, the proper equipment and know-how to do this independently.
So, yeah. Around $75k, I'd guess. More or less. More containers shouldn't dramatically raise the price, however; the bulk of the cost comes from land and labor. Just don't take my word at these figures. If anybody is seriously interested in having this done, do your own research, and then contact a local construction company for an official quote. It's possible that you might be pleasantly surprised![/QUOTE]
You can put it on legs. Saves tons of concrete. Just ram some poles into the ground and your foundation is almost done.
The future keeps seeming more promising by the day...
they use these at my paintball field to make towers/houses/buildings
next thing we know,
we will all live in acres upon acres of SHIPPING CONTAINERS
you live in shipping container 3626FG
go fucking live your life
a city of shipping containers could be really cool
If I got two containers side by side, and had to focus on the [exterior] walls and roof, would using thin/slightly thick sheets of plastic that are sloped (for the roof and straight for the walls) be a good idea? Plastic is quite a good resistor to water, as water just slides right off. As far as I know, plastic doesn't wear down as fast as any other material we use.
I guess you could just use DryLok, or some other kind of weatherproofing paint. Plastic paneling might look good too, though.
Still working on one of these in Source SDK, I'll have screenshots soon.
Some of them are amazing, they seem really cosy as well.
man these are pretty wicked im curious about heating and insulation though
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