BENEFITS OF CONTAINER HOMES

Container homes can be an excellent alternative to traditional housing for a number of reasons. If you are struggling to find affordable housing, are interested in taking the plunge into tiny house living, or you are needing a flexible housing option, container living may be the solution you are looking for!

Homes made from shipping containers are growing in popularity and come with some amazing benefits that may not be afforded through a conventional housing situation.

INEXPENSIVE

While you may not think you can afford to own anything and will always be renting, building a house from shipping containers may be much more affordable than you ever imagined! You can find 20-foot shipping containers for sale run from about $1,500 to $3,000 and a 40-foot container can cost up to $4,500. Once you have your shipping container purchased, the rest of the cost is determined by the finishes you choose for the interior.

At Cross Container Homes our finished shipping container homes typically start around $15,000 but with complete freedom on the interior design and finishes you can end up with an affordable and cheap tiny house or we have also completed luxury container homes.

STRONG

Shipping containers are inherently strong. They are manufactured to be tough and durable. Shipping containers are designed to carry cargo though extreme weather both on land and at sea. At sea they may be subjected to 100 mph winds or 50-foot waves, there’s a good chance if the container can survive that, then it will be ok through any storms your home might endure!

This durability is decreased as steel is removed for doors and windows. There is a balancing act in the design between adding glass windows and doors while still maintaining the highest structural integrity possible. You can also find shipping container home plans that allow you to position windows and doors behind the original shipping container doors. This allows you to keep the original structural integrity and durability that might have drawn you to a container house. With this type of design you also retain the ability to lock the original doors when you leave the home, which is an appealing aspect if this is going to be a secondary home that will be vacant from time to time.

Even without bolting the shipping containers down they can withstand high winds and storms. Unsecured and standing alone, they can handle winds of up to 100 mph. The safety and security of the container home is amplified further when you fasten the home to a foundation, properly secured they can take wind speeds of up to 175 mph. So, if you live in an area with extreme weather, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, you can rest assured that your container home is built to withstand the storm.

Pest Proof

PEST PROOF

Because the main building material on a converted shipping container is the steel of the container they are highly resistant to bugs and pests.

For example, even if you have wood floors or clad the exterior of your shipping container house, because the internal frame of the building is made from steel there is less to worry about with termites. Termites could damage the exterior siding or any interior finishes, but they would not be able to damage the structural integrity of your home, like that can do with a home built with conventional methods.

FREEDOM

There are a number of different ways that storage container homes provide freedom.

Financial Freedom: What would your life look like if you didn’t have a mortgage, or even a rent payment? With the lower price point capability of container homes you might have the financial freedom to purchase a home, something that you might not have thought possible with a traditional home. The lower price also provides the opportunity to be mortgage free much quicker than possible with the higher price tag that comes with a conventional house and mortgage. When you’re mortgage free you have the flexibility to truly live the life you want to live, not focus on paying bills.
Physical Freedom: Just as a tiny house on wheels is mobile, so is a container home! It takes a bit more logistical legwork to make it happen, but you can move your shipping container home all around the country, and even the world! As long as you have a plot of land and hookups for utilities you have a place to put your home!

EFFICIENT & ECO FRIENDLY

Over the past decade people have begun looking for more ways to reduce their carbon footprint and recycle and reuse items whenever possible. Shipping container homes provide an excellent opportunity to meet both of these goals with your housing choice.

With proper insulation shipping container homes can be incredibly energy efficient and handle both hot summers and cold and windy winters. As with many tiny home designs, a container house can be incredibly energy efficient, due to their small size. High value insulation can make it easy to heat or cool the small space and many owners opt for a solar energy option, which can further reduce the monthly cost of utilities.

Energy efficiency is achieved through reducing energy loads and utilizing systems and appliances that are the correct size to meet those reduced loads. Through the very size of a shipping container home it is much easier to utilize smaller appliances. Energy efficiently is one area where bigger is not better!

If you find used shipping containers for sale to build your container home, with each 40-foot container you are repurposing 2,500 kg of steel. The use of steel shipping containers also reduces or eliminates the use of many other building materials, which can be harmful for the environment.

QUICK BUILD TIME

Homes made from shipping containers can be built and completed very quickly, which can be a huge benefit and reason to choose a container home. You could potentially have a finished shipping container home within 8 weeks! Building a traditional home can take up to 4-6 months. If you are looking for a housing solution quicker than that, container living may be the answer you are looking for!

With a container home the exterior structure of the home is already built, the roof, walls, and ceiling are completed; all you have to add are the interior details, which can take a considerable amount of time off of the building process.

Container homes can also be built off-site. This decreases build time because there is no travel to and from the building site and all supplies and equipment are readily available and do not have to be shipped to the building site. This is especially beneficial if you are looking to build on a remote site. Off-site building for a remote location can not only mean that your home ready to go quicker, but it can reduce costs as transport of materials and equipment can be costly.

Ship Anywhere

SHIP ANYWHERE

Shipping containers are meant to be moved, this means that there already exists a worldwide system for transporting container houses across both land and sea. Once your home is completed you can basically have it moved anywhere in the country, or even the world!

If you have already dreamed about living in a remote location, or off-grid, a container home can make that happen! There are many locations that may not be accessible for a construction crew and all the equipment necessary to build a home. Through off-site building storage container houses can open up a number of locations you might not have thought possible to have a home!

With the capability of moving your home if you were in the position of relocating, instead of finding suitable housing, you only need to find a spot of land to put your container home on!

CUSTOMIZATION

When it comes to the interior finishes and customization of your container house, the possibilities are endless! At Cross Container Homes we have container home plans available. These plans can be tweaked or changed to suit your personal needs. Or you can work with one of our designers to develop your own plan that meets your every need. Maybe you love to cook and a fully equipped kitchen is important to you, or you need living space that functions well, or even making sure you have a bathtub; our design team will help you create your dream home!

We have plans available with a loft bedroom that allows you more floor space on the main level for living areas, but if you are not interested in dealing with stairs in your container home, we have many container home designs that include the bedroom on the main floor.

Once you have decided on the size and layout of your container home you can begin to choose your interior and exterior finishes. We have a number of options available for each category.

Exterior Siding

Metal Siding
Log Siding
Vinyl Siding
Smart Siding
Pine/Cedar Tongue and Groove
Combination

Flooring

Our standard option is laminate plank board. There are a number of styles and colors available. It can even resemble hardwood, tile, or slate. Let us know if there is a different flooring option you are interested in and we’ll work with you to accommodate your desires.

Interior Walls

Pine tongue and groove
Barn metal
Sheetrock
Combination

TINY HOUSE LIVING

While not every shipping container home is a tiny house, many people that have built container homes fall into the category of tiny home living. A traditional home in the United States is around 2,600 square feet while a tiny home is anywhere from 100-400 square feet. With a custom tiny house you might find that you are able to meet all your housing needs while still finding simpler living in a smaller and more efficient space.

Many of the benefits of tiny homes are the same benefits we have discussed with container homes. A tiny house offers affordable housing and can allow homeownership for people who never thought it would be possible. The affordability of small house living also gives the opportunity to live a life mortgage free.

With the right small house design you can have a house that collects rainwater for showers or watering plants or even install solar panels on the rooftops. With modifications like this you could greatly reduce your reliance on utility companies, which allows you to save money, or even live completely off-grid.

With the limited space afforded in a tiny house, you automatically move into the minimalistic lifestyle. You can begin to focus on the belongings that truly matter to you and eliminate items that are not highly useful or do not hold a high sentimental value.

With small house living you can live a simpler life. With less space you are less able to accumulate “stuff”. Less space also means less space that you need to clean. Less space also means that you are forced into a tidier life. As the old adage goes, “A place for everything and everything in it’s place” is a key point in living in a tiny house.

If you are considering making the change to container home living, the experts at Cross Container Homes can answer the many questions you may have about the lifestyle. While we have highlighted several benefits here, you may find an unmentioned benefit that speaks to you. We would love to speak with you to answer any questions, discuss the many container home plans we have available or help you design your unique small house plans that will perfectly fit your needs.

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