Are Container Homes the Future of Housing?

Container Homes

In the era of sustainable building and eco-friendly architecture trends, cargo containers occupy a well-deserved prominent place among other construction materials. Thanks to their wide availability, undemanding processing routines and a highly affordable price tag, shipping containers are making their way to top tiers of environmentally friendly structures, and since they can be used for almost any purpose you can think of, they’re equally well-suited for makeshift (or even long-term) homes, schools, ambulance, office and studio space. In case you’re considering making yourself a home or studio from scratch but have to plan the construction on a tight budget, give cargo containers a serious thought.

Here, we bring you some useful facts and info on using cargo containers as a temporary home, so check them out before you set out to create your container homes.

container homes
Image Credit: pexels

Container Homes: The best eco-friendly housing solution out there

Though the demands for green homes and sustainable accommodation keeps increasing, it’s a well-known fact that Mother Nature has a limited supply of renewable construction materials at its disposal as wood and other natural building elements keep reducing each year. That’s where shipping containers come in – available in unlimited numbers and at a very affordable price too, cargo containers can be transformed into any facility you have in mind, including a home, office or store. Thanks to their modular and extremely stackable nature, cargo containers can be grouped together to form different rooms or amenities, and since they come in a ready-to-use state, they are also best for construction in areas hit by natural disasters or man-made catastrophes.

Containers and The Planet: Minimal waste and processing impact

Thanks to their prefabricated nature, cargo containers promise minimal waste footprint and require modest processing procedures. By making your home out of one or several shipping containers, you’ll be recycling the materials that would otherwise be left to rot in harbors, dumps and outdoor storage spaces, so you’ll be doing the planet a favor while still getting your money’s worth for the effort. Durable, weather-proof and eco-friendly, several shipping containers stacked together can be decorated and arranged in any way you like, so you can use them as a summer cottage, backyard me space or a full-scale home with all the vital furnishings, wiring and plumbing at hand.

The Endless Power of Resourcefulness: Self-sustainable homes for the future

To maximize the efficiency of your green home and cut your electricity bill, you can also decide to install solar panels, air ducts and green insulation in your container-based home. After all, there’s no better way to ensure sustainability for your dwelling than to provide all the essentials on your own – and collecting solar energy by a panel placed on the roof and keeping tabs on indoor temperatures with the help of insulation made from environmentally-friendly materials in cold months allows you to do precisely that. Furthermore, you can even place a water tank on the roof of your container home during summer months to collect water and heat it up with the help of sunlight – this clever move will also reduce your water bill and let you take a hot shower whenever you feel like it without fumbling with switches and wasting energy.

Usually made from solid steel, shipping containers are extremely strong and yet highly flexible for use and they can be re-purposed to suit just about any environment, facility needs and individual furnishing preferences you may have. Once a low-brow option used only in emergency situations and third-world countries, cargo containers have managed to win incredible popularity worldwide over the past decade due to their sustainability, cost efficiency, modular nature and versatility of use, so it may not be long before we get used to seeing container-based homes in our neighborhood.

From scratch to full-size home in just a few simple steps, masterpieces of container architecture will definitely see their prime in the years to come – so don’t hesitate before you go and get yourself a green home that’s both functional, cost-effective and eco-friendly. With global pollution increasing fast and comfortable living space getting fewer, costlier and harder to find, we will all have to pull up our sleeves and start thinking in sustainable terms sooner or later – so why not just start today?

John Stone is a home improvement enthusiast with a keen interest in all things DIY, home design and latest developments in technology. He is also an avid Formula 1 fan who tries to enjoy life to the fullest.