5 Things to Consider in a Shipping Container Conversion
Sydney Self-builders Opt for Container Homes
With house prices getting out of reach of all but the most wealthy Sydneysiders, self-building is becoming a serious option for many people who want their own homes in the city. A new trend is emerging among self-builders in Sydney – shipping container homes.
Local sources in the building trade have seen demand for shipping container homes double every year. Why’s this?
Reasons to build with shipping containers in Sydney
Land prices in Sydney are just obscene. Traditional building methods for homes are a lot more expensive than shipping container architecture as it takes a lot of time to build a home using bricks and mortar or out of wood.
To add to this the materials in the main framework of a home cost more money, and together with the time involved in construction this can build on the high land prices to put even a self-build out of reach out of people on average incomes.
A container that has done just one ocean crossing will cost around $3000, and eight of these can make a fair sized family home. Lay them out in the way you want them, and that saves weeks of construction that would be needed in bricks and mortar.
Foundations for even larger container homes are far less work than bricks and mortar too, saving even more labour in preparing the ground for construction.
Where it comes to fitting the home out, this can be done off-site with first and sometimes even second fix utilities put in in a factory environment. The factory environment is akin to a car factory where specific trades work in turn, from cutting the holes in the containers to reinforcing, glazing and fitting out. This can be done far more efficiently than outside with the variable and often inclement weather.
No matter what certain politicians say, many of those who choose to build using shipping containers are after a more sustainable lifestyle with the idea of reusing what would otherwise be industrial waste for a permanent home. Shipping container architecture uses less carbon overall.
A final point is that container homes when built are often appealing to look at and different to the one-size-fits-all approach of housing developers.
Examples of Sydney container homes
Bundeena
Image source: Perth Now
James Lister and Kelly Ross put together a shipping container home using seven shipping containers – a fair old space – for just $550,000. Though it does scream ‘CONTAINER HOME’ thanks to the containers not being hidden behind cladding, the couple were more than pleased with their home.
Speaking to Perth Now, James said, “We love the aesthetic and look of it structurally.”
You can take a tour of the house in this video:
Cronulla
This two-storey home in the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla was made from eight shipping containers. Although it has the traditional shipping container look, if you want it to blend into the neighbouring traditional builds you can choose timber and cladding for the exterior. Ultimately that’s why someone self-builds – to get what they want as opposed to adapting to what someone they’ve never met thinks they should want.
Image source: Perth Now
See how this cool container house was made in this video:
Gateway Container Sales has those containers you need!
Containers, at a very low overall cost and high speed of construction, can provide exactly what you want at a far lower price than you would get for an existing, pre-built home.
If you want containers for your own self-build construction project or as a speculative development for others to buy and live in, come to us for your containers. Contact us today!
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