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I've always wanted to build a home out of shipping containers (ideally a micro-house from one 40ft one), but I fully appreciate that it's more from a romanticis

I've always wanted to build a home out of shipping containers (ideally a micro-house from one 40ft one), but I fully appreciate that it's more from a romanticised dream of it than from a purely functional perspective. In much the same way there's no sensible reason for thatched cottages, tipis, wattle and daub, or other different ways of building in 2017, it doesn't have to be for a logical reason. There are of course good use cases for them, especially in regards to temporary accommodation (such as SnoozeBox). Part of the appeal is also in their iterative nature - you can get to weather proof quickly and they can be made secure for starting internal fit out faster, but concede the benefits rapidly decrease in other ways. Not everything when it comes to personalised construction of a home will be rational.

dpark 9y ago
> In much the same way there's no sensible reason for thatched cottages, tipis, wattle and daub, or other different ways of building in 2017, it doesn't have to be for a logical reason. Of course, and if someone wants to build a house out of shipping containers, I don't care. I do care that it is presented as some sort of sustainable, affordable, smart option when wealthy people graft 15 shipping containers together into a McMansion made of steel. If you want to build a home out of shipping containers, or VW vans welded together, or whatever, totally fine by me. But don't do it and then write articles about sustainable design or tell me this is how we should be building homes.
- jdavis703 9y ago
  I've watched a lot of shipping container home builds on Youtube (everyone ranging from amateurs, to professional housing contractors doing their first shipping container builds). The people who spend a lot of money seem to be the ones who want to make a shipping container feel like a traditional house. The people who build them affordably respect that they're living in a shipping container, and integrate the container aesthetic in to their home.
  - distances 9y ago
    I'm wondering where the building regulations are so relaxed that a shipping container can legally be converted to an apartment. Definitely not in the parts of Europe I'm familiar with, but then again the weather conditions in most of Europe probably wouldn't allow for it anyway.
    - jdavis703 9y ago
      At least in the U.S. when dealing with building inspectors you describe your house as a "prefab steel-frame building." I've seen container houses in the E.U. also, so certaintly they have some kind of regulatory framework for dealing with these too. From what I can tell these things can pass building codes if constructed correctly, and also when communicating with the government clearly. The bigger problem is them passing zoning / architectural review that many local governments requires to keep a certain aesthetic in the neighborhood.
fractallyte 9y ago
Wattle and daub is still a 'thing', especially for sustainable building. Wattle is usually hazel sticks, produced from coppices (hazel grows fast!); and daub is simply locally sourced clay. Ben Law's house (http://ben-law.co.uk/portfolio/the-woodland-house/ http://ben-law.co.uk/portfolio/the-woodland-house/) is an excellent example of old and new technologies working together.

dpark 9y ago

> In much the same way there's no sensible reason for thatched cottages, tipis, wattle and daub, or other different ways of building in 2017, it doesn't have to be for a logical reason. Of course, and if someone wants to build a house out of shipping containers, I don't care. I do care that it is presented as some sort of sustainable, affordable, smart option when wealthy people graft 15 shipping containers together into a McMansion made of steel. If you want to build a home out of shipping containers, or VW vans welded together, or whatever, totally fine by me. But don't do it and then write articles about sustainable design or tell me this is how we should be building homes.

jdavis703 9y ago
I've watched a lot of shipping container home builds on Youtube (everyone ranging from amateurs, to professional housing contractors doing their first shipping container builds). The people who spend a lot of money seem to be the ones who want to make a shipping container feel like a traditional house. The people who build them affordably respect that they're living in a shipping container, and integrate the container aesthetic in to their home.
- distances 9y ago
  I'm wondering where the building regulations are so relaxed that a shipping container can legally be converted to an apartment. Definitely not in the parts of Europe I'm familiar with, but then again the weather conditions in most of Europe probably wouldn't allow for it anyway.
  - jdavis703 9y ago
    At least in the U.S. when dealing with building inspectors you describe your house as a "prefab steel-frame building." I've seen container houses in the E.U. also, so certaintly they have some kind of regulatory framework for dealing with these too. From what I can tell these things can pass building codes if constructed correctly, and also when communicating with the government clearly. The bigger problem is them passing zoning / architectural review that many local governments requires to keep a certain aesthetic in the neighborhood.

fractallyte 9y ago

Wattle and daub is still a 'thing', especially for sustainable building. Wattle is usually hazel sticks, produced from coppices (hazel grows fast!); and daub is simply locally sourced clay. Ben Law's house (http://ben-law.co.uk/portfolio/the-woodland-house/ http://ben-law.co.uk/portfolio/the-woodland-house/) is an excellent example of old and new technologies working together.