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( votes)It’s difficult to imagine that shipping containers as integral and versatile as they are with their multitude of uses have not been around for that long, mere decades. They have come to be a fundamental element for things we would have never imagined such as for building. Go to https://medium.com/@business_news/shipping-container-homes-pools-and-9-other-amazing-use-cases-baaf98f76d23 to learn of the various uses for shipping containers.
The History Of The Shipping Container
In the beginning, people were trying to figure out how they could manage to transport materials safely and in the fastest way over the ocean and across the land for which the shipping container came to be the resource. The advantages of this solution were:
- The containers were large and could hold a significant volume of materials yet small enough to transport on a truck to be driven on regular roads.
- The sea proved to be a treacherous journey for transporting goods, but the shipping container had the strength to withstand the trip. They were not so heavy that they could not be easily maneuvered via material handling equipment such as forklifts and cranes.
- They offer the flexibility to carry either refrigerated items, dry materials, bulk liquids, and more, but offer the uniformity to accommodate any type of ship or truck.
The problem that arose over some time was an accumulation of excess containers. This is what led to a new light being shed on what function they could serve. In the 1980s people started to transform these into buildings. In this modern age, there is a multitude of remarkable structures having been designed by professionals out of these shipping boxes.
Buildings And Homes Made With Containers
It may seem unfathomable but there is a massive category of buildings that fit under the shipping container construction. These include examples such as tiny-houses, big homes with walls removed for interior spaces of a grander scale, cabins, and many more.
Container hybrid buildings are extensive with containers being blended with traditional construction such as a container with a traditional building attached on top or vice versa, a container built inside a traditional building or jutting out of the traditional building. There are homes that you would never know comprise a shipping container under exterior cladding and interior walls unless you had seen the construction.
A shipping box can be made to appear any way that you like and function in multiple ways with the effort put into the construction stage. They don’t need to be a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter design. The term ‘container home’ is coming to be a very broad concept in a world of innovators who are pushing the design limits in varying creative directions. Read here of one man’s container ‘dream home’.
The Advantages of a Container Home
A cargo box home is not ideal for everyone, but it does offer many good qualities as far as durability, affordability, and creativity.
- Inexpensive: Many people who choose to build with shipping containers find that they save money compared to using the traditional construction options. This can be due to several factors including the general size, the homeowner helping with the build, design choices, and much more.
A container is going to provide various advantages that traditional construction can’t, and utilizing those benefits properly will give you savings. The idea is to acknowledge the container for what it can offer and work with that as opposed to going against it.
- Eco-friendly: A cargo box is perhaps the epitome of the word ‘reuse’. The container is being presented with a second lifespan as it no longer can serve as a purpose for transporting goods. As with the adage, ‘reduce/reuse/recycle, containers use the minimum of building materials or natural resources encompassing the term ‘reduce’.
- Durable: A steel shipping container is built to withstand harsh trips across any type of landscape or ocean meaning they are strong. They are ideal for construction in that they are constructed to handle excessive loads, endure wear and tear, and offer an extensive lifespan. In this same breath, this tells you that a container home will protect your family and possessions, endure mother nature, and last for many generations.
- Unusual: A shipping container won’t come to you looking unique as the empty boxes are meant to be the same shape and size as a multitude of others. The rarity comes in what you opt to do with your particular box. The containers are made to be uniform but in today’s world, there are so many buildings and homes being created of varying designs because they can be combined, modified, and used in limitless ways.
- Flexible: Because containers can be transported via so many various methods either by road, sea, or rail, there is remarkable flexibility as to where and how you build them, how they are going to be used, and how you transport. It’s even possible to have it fitted in a factory and then sent to your site ready for assembling.
Check out https://shipped.com/to/NA/US/Maryland/Baltimore.
Finding An Experienced Contractor
A lot of people who decide to construct a container home, even those who want to DIY, wind up getting help from contractors. It’s unusual to be able to offer that kind of effort, provide the equipment, and have a complete skill set to perform all the necessary duties required. It’s wise to find a contractor with experience in container construction, not that it’s difficult but it is different. There are nearly 100 businesses throughout the world that now specialize in this type of construction. Look for those who are genuinely interested in participating in your project. Those who are mentally invested will do the necessary research and won’t cut corners to make sure the job is done right.
Shipping container homes are playing an important role in the modern age. There is longevity being built into this kind of steel. It can be used over and over again, meaning it is the first solution to recyclable housing that’s ever come along. It allows the imagination to soar to a multitude of different possibilities with this concept.