Container Homes

Shipping container homes

Ceed Civil Engineering specializes in custom home designing and engineering utilizing standard ISO shipping containers to develop detailed plan-sets for eye-stunning container homes and functional structures (also known as Conex homes, Container Houses). We also enigneer a vast amount of other shipping container buildings such as restrooms, kitchens, venue housing, portable housing, FEMA housing, Fire Proof homes, bunkers, etc. These structures are versatile, unique, and extremely cost-effective while still providing a spacious and beautiful alternative building style. With millions of shipping containers sitting at ports and storage sites, these units can reduce build time and costs by up to 3,000%. We have helped hundreds of clients design and utilize shipping containers for their homes, garages, and even utility uses such as portable battery storage, ADU’s, homeless shelters, Temporary housing, Concert stages and the like.

Ceed Civil Engineering has deep experience ensuring the modification of these large shipping containers is not only safe and code compliant, but beautiful.

What is a container home?

Shipping container homes (also known as CONEX homes) are exactly what they sound like; homes made from the steel shipping containers that you see carrying cargo everywhere on trains, trucks, and ships. From these giant Lego blocks, we are designing homes of all shapes and sizes. Shipping containers are generally available in standard 10ft, 20ft, 40ft and 52ft. The smallest shipping container can provide about 80 square feet of floor space for a shipping container home. Eight larger 40 foot containers together can make a two-story house at about 2,560 square feet. Hundreds of container micro-apartments together can make a huge apartment building, as seen in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, CA.

We are asked daily why shipping containers are being used to make homes, studios, cabins, and offices? Our answer is, with about 14 million ‘out-of-service’ containers in the world, there are lots of them available. And playing with giant blocks are definitely exciting!

Besides trendiness, interest in container homes is also part of a wider interest in saving money with prefabricated and modular homes. Many potential clients are looking for lower construction and maintenance costs. There is also a perception that container homes contributing to recycling and their high ‘Fire Proof’ steel construction is an ideal building material in high fire zones throughout the West Coast.

Shipping Container Homes Have Standard Costs

Our plans are equipped with everything that is needed for the builder to complete the build out. Delivery to the site, site preparation, foundation, assembly. Container homes are generally always less expensive than a CMU, ICF or stick built home of the same size. Estimates vary, and some put the savings anywhere from 30-40% compared to wood frame and 300% compared to ICF.

Recycled Shipping Container Homes

The environmental appeal of a container home being re-used after its cargo products are unloaded and delivered opens the doors to a new custom and unique home. This is a excellent for the environment and the industry.

Some of the advantages, like short construction time, predictable pricing and versatility in design, are the larger draw for clients to consider a shipping container home. But container homes benefit uniquely from the worldwide infrastructure built to move shipping containers. Even where local building expertise is lacking, or for emergency shelters, shipping container structures can be moved easily to where they are needed. In these scenarios, the versatility of container transport is a huge advantage.

Roofs

While shipping containers are reinforced at the corners, the existing roof may lack structural integrity depending on location and planned loads. Those looking for container homes capable of support weight, such as weather, should consider an expert like Ceed Civil Engineering for ensuring your planned build is safe and structurally sounds. A roof can provide aesthetic and architectural flair that is common amongst homes throughout North America. While there are multiple styles of roofs that can be used for a shipping container home engineering, flat roofs, pitched roofs, roof terraces, and living roofs are the most common and many clients choose to utilize this space as a roof deck.

Flat roofs are the simplest, fastest, and least expensive to construct but can be more costly to maintain. It’s essential to create a slight pitch for the drainage of rainfall.
Living roof, also known as a green roof, is a roof with introduced plants and greenery. These roof types are both aesthetically and naturally pleasing and provide natural insulation and cooling.
Pitched roofs are roofs that slope downwards and are among the most common roof types found in areas with heavy rainfall and snow. Popular examples of pitched roofs are gables, hip, mansard, gambrel, and skillion.
Roof terraces are creative flat spaces built on top of the roof to expand occupiable or usable space. Many roof terraces are used for small outdoor gardens, eating or lounging areas.