House made of sea containers: construction features, estimate. Construction of houses from containers

About what from sea ​​containers you can make warehouses, garages or change houses, many people know. But the fact that they can be used to build real multi-room and even multi-story comfortable housing will probably be news to someone.

However, this type of construction has long become popular in Europe and the USA, and more recently, container houses, also called modular, are beginning to be in demand in Russia, as they solve the problem of building budget housing on summer cottage.

Residential buildings made from containers

By building a house from containers (which you can do with your own hands), you can get a spacious, protected and completely habitable country house for little money.

Sea containers of 20 and 40 feet are quite inexpensive, especially if we are talking about used products, and for this money the buyer purchases ready-made enclosing structures with a roof and plywood floor. At the same time, houses made from shipping containers do not need a powerful foundation; a columnar foundation is sufficient for them.

And if housing is built from several containers, it will create extra space due to their separation. In addition, with such a construction a large field of activity is created for the implementation of creative ideas for home decoration.

Stages of building a house from shipping containers:

• Purchase of container(s).
• Creating a project for a future home, taking into account the passage of all communications.
• Laying the foundation.
• Anti-corrosion treatment of the container.
• Installation of the container on the foundation. In the case of using several containers - welding them.
• External and internal finishing.

House projects

If it seems that a house made from a container will look extremely unesthetically pleasing, then this is not the case, and numerous projects of houses made from containers are proof of this. For example, from an ordinary 40-foot shipping container you can make a neat and nice guest house on your summer cottage. It is enough just to cut out sections in it and insert stained glass windows there and sliding doors, equip a small shed, and decorate the house from the inside wood panels, decorating everything else as you see fit.

One more interesting project is a house made of painted containers: several containers stacked on top of each other and/or stacked to a given width of the house need to be painted in bright colors (each in a separate color) and provided with bright lighting. You can further expand the space of your home using a system of retractable doors.

The final result of the house project made from 5 containers is impressive - it turns out to be very spacious, comfortable, and has a usable roof. Exterior style containers are softened by the use of bright paint and modern furnishings.

The Anti Patio House project allows you to place a house made of shipping containers on a hillside, i.e. completely use not the most, it would seem, favorable conditions environment. The building consists of three 40- foot containers, installed in two levels. On the ground floor there is a large living room and kitchen, the entire second floor is occupied by a bedroom. This arrangement of space creates natural ventilation.

Interesting and Vacation home of two containers standing separately from each other, one of which is intended for a studio room and a garage, and the second for residential buildings. Both “buildings” are united by one roof, which also acts as a canopy over the space between them. Facade finished house lined with wooden siding, which allows you to successfully fit the project into wildlife, A panoramic windows make the entire structure airy.

Photo

There are many options for buildings made from containers, among which everyone can find something suitable for themselves or get ideas for individual project house like this:

Video

Modular container buildings

In the modern world, they are becoming increasingly popular modular buildings from block containers, which are very quickly constructed and are durable and highly functional.

Modular containers today are used for the construction of office buildings, hotels, shops, residential buildings of any size and shape (although two-story buildings are most often built). Construction from block containers is carried out on a metal frame made of pipes, which makes the finished building especially reliable and durable, and from several 20 and 40-foot containers.

In such buildings it is easy to carry out all the necessary communications and, moreover, they can be disassembled and transported to a new place of residence, where the blocks can be assembled in a new way, changing the location of windows and doors. The outside of houses made from block containers can be covered with siding and decorated.

If you want quickly and with at the lowest cost To solve your housing problem, we recommend that you think about building a house from shipping containers. A few decades ago, no one could have imagined that a sea container could be used as temporary or even permanent housing, but technology does not stand still, and today, in light of the lightning-fast rise in housing prices, using a sea container for a house no longer seems unnatural . Despite the fact that in Russia, due to the insufficient distribution of container construction, you are unlikely to find finished projects houses from containers, the demand for such houses abroad is beyond doubt and is due to the reliability and practicality of the buildings. According to experts, the low popularity of container construction in Russia is due to insufficient awareness of the population about the advantages of buildings built using this technology, as well as insufficient coverage of this issue on the Internet. To correct this, in this article we will, in a sense, try to promote the popularity of houses made from sea containers in Russia and consider the issues of their construction and arrangement.

Residential buildings made from containers: a new era in construction

Despite the fact that the popularity of container construction in Russia has not yet reached its peak, experts rightfully consider it a technology of the future, which will soon gain its loyal fans. This is confirmed by the demand for container construction in European countries, where this technology contributed to the emergence of a new independent and profitable business sector, the basis of which is the design and production of container “semi-finished houses”. A semi-finished product means a base model made in a factory, the structure of which consists of walls and subfloors. It already has a heating system and electrical wiring installed, windows and doors are installed. By purchasing required amount blanks provided for by the project are delivered to the construction site, where they are combined into a single building. The production of such blanks can significantly reduce the construction time of container houses, which is their most important advantage.

Advantages and disadvantages of houses made from shipping containers

Advantages of houses made from shipping containers:

• Houses made from shipping containers are recognized as one of the most seismically resistant buildings, and therefore they are often built in areas where natural disasters are common - earthquakes, hurricanes and others;
• Container buildings are not much different from permanent houses: the outside can be finished with clapboard, the inside with plasterboard;
• If you live in a home built using shipping containers, you may not be afraid of rodents and insects;
• Houses made from shipping containers can be built in any climatic conditions, but despite this versatility, it is important to remember the need for high-quality thermal insulation;
• The total cost of construction from sea containers is several times lower than the cost of permanent houses;
• If you decide to build a house from shipping containers, remember that they are advantageously combined with various building modules, including brick, reinforced concrete, etc.;

• The construction of a residential building from sea containers takes no more than two to three months, and if you minimize finishing activities and limit yourself to simple finishing, two to three weeks will be enough to complete construction activities;
• Due to the small load that container buildings carry, they do not require the installation of a solid foundation and can even be installed on carefully compacted earth;
• Sea containers can be used not only for the construction of residential buildings, but also commercial facilities. In addition, they can be used to build an outbuilding to an existing building;

• The installation of container buildings on frozen ground is in widespread demand, and therefore, it is often practiced from sea containers, mainly those intended for sea transportation, to build entire housing bases in the far north and Antarctica;
• If your construction project does not involve creating stained glass windows on the entire wall, it will protect you as much as possible from outside intrusion;
• Buildings made from shipping containers can be successfully erected in areas with a large slope.

Disadvantages of houses made from shipping containers:

• Often, special paints and highly toxic compounds are used to treat the walls and floors of shipping containers to protect them from atmospheric influences. In this regard, before using such containers for building a house, take care to remove these compounds;
• In the summer, a shipping container home gets very hot, while in the winter it cools down. Taking this into account, take care of organizing an effective thermal insulation layer;
• To avoid the appearance of rust on the surface of the building, it is necessary to organize careful observation and care of it;
• One of the disadvantages characteristic of container buildings is low ceilings(if the floor and ceiling are insulated, the height of the latter will be about 2.35 m).

Houses made from sea containers: projects, drawings, construction basics

A house made from shipping containers is a design solution that has become popular in Europe and America thanks to the famous architect Adam Culkin. It was he who became the author of the first container house in history, which became his creative experiment. Three shipping containers were used for its construction. As it turned out, purchasing sea containers did not cause any difficulties, but financial side question only pleased the author of this know-how. Over time, buildings made from sea containers began to be used not only as residential buildings, but also as hotel complexes, restaurants and retail premises, and their high seismic resistance and mobility made them especially popular in areas with frequent natural disasters.

For the construction of a residential building, mainly standard 40-foot cargo containers are used, which are characterized by the following internal dimensions:

• height - about 2.4 m;
• length - 12 m;
• width - 2.35 m.

If one 40-foot container can be used to build a spacious extension or utility room, and also equip a storage facility or workshop, then from two or three building blocks you can build a house, the area of ​​which will be 60-120 square meters. meters. For example, two 40-foot containers installed opposite each other can be connected with stained glass windows and subsequently covered with a common roof.

Important! Distinctive feature sea ​​containers are highly durable. Initially, sea containers are manufactured in such a way that they can subsequently be installed on the sea deck on top of each other in the amount of 8-10 pieces. Considering this feature, it can be assumed that sea containers can be used for the construction of two- and three-story buildings. However, to increase the reliability of the container structure, they must be secured by welding.

Important! For the construction of residential buildings, you can use two, three or more shipping containers. If more than two containers were used to make the house, the space between the separated containers, which remains free, must be equipped as an additional room, using maximum glazing.

The construction of houses from sea containers, the price of which is on average 30% lower than capital buildings, begins with the development of a project and the acquisition of building blocks - cargo containers. You can find it freely available online a large number of projects of houses made from shipping containers, striking in their diversity. The most common designs involve the use of two containers that are placed side by side or at an angle to each other in an "L" or "T" shape. It is also possible to install containers on top of each other.

By moving the containers relative to each other, you will complicate the façade of your home, while at the same time making it more original. On the contrary, by moving the containers apart, you will create additional free space that can be used as a spacious living room with maximum glazing.

The next project is a container house, consisting of two blocks, which are united by a pitched roof. In one of the blocks there are two bedrooms, in the other - a bathroom and a kitchen. A living room is set up in the free space between the blocks, in the area of ​​which the ceiling height will be greater due to the roof slopes.

Craftsmen with experience in building container houses recommend entrusting specialists with the creation of house projects from sea containers; in this case, there will be no problems with the drawing, since they will work out everything down to the smallest detail.

Residential building made from sea containers: stages of construction

If you decide to build a house from shipping containers yourself, without involving a contractor, keep in mind that construction will take longer and will also require the use of special equipment and welding skills. Before you begin construction, you need to purchase containers. To build a full-fledged residential building, experts recommend purchasing at least two containers, which on average (including delivery) will cost about 100 thousand rubles.

Important! Once the containers are delivered to the construction site, they must be tested for radiation. No matter how strange it may sound, it is in such containers that residual radiation often accumulates. As for the norm for background radiation, for our latitudes, it is 35 microroentgens per hour.

Foundation arrangement

The first and one of the most important stages construction from containers - arrangement of the foundation. If you place the house directly on the ground, without a foundation, then the soil under the building will sag, and the building itself will freeze. The choice of foundation design for a container house is made taking into account its size and terrain characteristics. If you are planning to build an ordinary shed for spending time in the warm season, you can use several foundation blocks as the foundation. However, if we are talking about a two-story residential building created according to the author’s design, it requires preliminary preparation of the foundation. In most cases, it is recommended to give preference to a reinforced strip foundation.

To do this, a pit is dug, the dimensions and depth of which correspond to the requirements of the project. This will require calling specialized equipment - an excavator and trucks for soil removal. As for the most preferable foundation designs, in most cases experts recommend giving preference to a strip foundation, but sometimes you cannot do without piles. The latter is relevant for regions with weak, marshy soil.

Considering the large weight of the container building (especially when it comes to two-story house from sea containers), there is often a need to prepare a reliable foundation, the function of which can only be performed by a monolithic foundation. To fill it you will need grade 400 cement, sand and water. To increase its service life, special hardeners and other additives are often added to the solution.

Concrete work, which is an integral stage of foundation construction, can be simplified by ordering a ready-made concrete mixture. In this case, preparation of the foundation will consist of installing a reinforcement frame in accordance with the drawings, installing formwork and pouring mortar. Be sure to compact the concrete using special deep-well vibrating tools.

Constructive stage - installation of containers

You can start it only after the final maturation of the concrete, which will take at least 22 days from the moment the foundation is poured.

Important! While the concrete is maturing, treat the containers with anti-corrosion treatment. To do this, paint them with iron and then lead. Only then cover them with paint that is resistant to high temperatures.

After the final ripening of the concrete and anti-corrosion treatment of the containers, proceed to the next stage - installing the containers on the foundation. If we are talking about building a house from a 40-foot sea container, you cannot do without using special equipment, namely a truck crane. After you have installed the modules, they need to be tied and welded, fastened to the foundation and to each other. Next, install the internal interior partitions. The easiest way to install partitions is from plasterboard sheet, the installation of which is easy to carry out with your own hands. However, in practice, a different technique is more often used. It involves removing and cutting the corrugated sheet from which the walls of the container are made, which will end up inside the building and are not provided for by the project. This is done immediately before their installation on the foundation. On at this stage It is also necessary to cut through doors and windows.

Important! If 20-foot containers are used in addition to 40-foot containers for the construction of a residential building, it is necessary to take into account the difference in their sizes. Combining containers with different sizes allows you to create a building with an unusual, original design.

Roof installation: main stages

Stage 1. To make the attic frame, a beam with a section of 10x10 cm can be used. To attach the beams to the container, use self-tapping screws, and to fasten them together, use plumbing bolts.

Stage 2. Having prepared the attic frame, install the rafters for the roof. The dimensions of the rafter boards are selected in accordance with the project, so that later they do not have to be spliced ​​together. The rafters are connected using self-tapping screws.

Stage 3. Having installed the rafters, proceed with the installation of the sheathing, on top of which you need to lay sheets of galvanized steel. At the same time, it is important not to forget about arranging a vapor barrier, which can be done using two options:

• You can lay a vapor barrier film between the steel sheets and the sheathing;
• On the two sides of the house, under the roof itself, you can install three 40-centimeter pipes with a diameter of 10 cm, which will ensure effective ventilation under-roof space. Holes for installing pipes must be made in advance. Considering the fact that the attic is used mainly in the summer, these pipes will not be closed for the winter.

Obviously, the first method is the simplest.

Important! When giving preference to a steel roof, remember that during strong winds and rain it will make a lot of noise. In this regard, despite the fact that steel roofing is an economical option, experts recommend abandoning it and opting for soft materials, for example, ondulin.

Insulating a house from shipping containers

Thermal insulation is an integral stage in the construction of any residential premises. When building a house from shipping containers, this is especially important, and since the metal from which the containers are made is a good conductor of sounds, it is important to provide not only heat but also sound insulation. The following materials can be used to insulate a house made from sea containers:

• Mineral wool;
• Polyurethane foam;
• Styrofoam.

Lifetime mineral wool does not exceed 10 years, after which it loses its original characteristics. Polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam, unlike the previous material, due to their dense structure, are installed very quickly, and their service life is an order of magnitude longer and is about 20 years. They have not only heat but also sound insulation functions, which is not typical for mineral wool. Fastening of any of the listed materials is carried out using special glue or plastic pins. If you prefer pins, they must be screwed into the walls of the container in advance. A plastic film is laid on top of the materials.

Interior and exterior decoration of a house made from shipping containers

After you have completed the insulation, install a sheathing made of wood or metal on the surface of the building, onto which plywood or OSB sheets for subsequent finishing.

The following materials can be used for the exterior decoration of the building:

• Siding;
• Block house;
• Decorative plaster;
• Natural or artificial stone;
• Plastic.

Plastic, block house and siding are attached to wooden sheathing, previously protected with varnish. Decorative and natural stone - on a primed surface using concrete or special adhesives. Plaster is applied to flat surface using spatulas of various sizes.

The interior decoration is practically no different from the exterior - insulation is mounted on the sheathing beams, which is covered with sheets of plywood or OSB. In this case, the space between the sheets of plywood should be at least 1.5 cm. Subsequently, they are filled polyurethane foam, which will prevent dust from entering the house.

Producing interior decoration, plywood and OSB can be replaced with plasterboard, which can subsequently be lined with paint, plaster, wallpaper and other available materials.

When finishing the ceiling, you must remember that its height does not exceed 2.4 meters, and, as a result, abandon multi-level ceiling structures. Experts recommend staying with a regular ceiling finished with plasterboard, or installing stretch ceiling.

Wrote in January 29th, 2017

I decided to write a post about modular housing made from containers.

So, let's begin:

Everything started as usual. My family and I wanted to build a house.

Google is here to help us.
We looked at different options. Even for this purpose, a workshop for the production of foam concrete blocks was previously purchased.
But due to the move, the workshop remained in the old location (3000 km) and we began to look at other options.

We looked at many solutions. Stone, wood, frame, sandwich panels, modules.
Due to possible relocations, I decided to focus on modular construction.

4 walls, roof, floor - yes;
+ There is no need to make a foundation;
+ Costs only for insulation and cosmetics;
+ Low cost of the project;
+ Possibility of modernization and expansion of space without major alterations;
+ The ability to transport the module to any point on the “planet” is the main plus for my choice;
+ main task MOBILITY

cons (which I have already “felt”):

Narrow space (width);
- High-quality insulation of the interior “squeezes out” the usable area;
- The inability to “drive a nail anywhere” (tighten a screw) both from the inside and from the outside;
- Complexity of design (taking into account partitions, windows, through holes);

Designed using Google Sketch-up

The initial project consisted of 3 containers on the first floor and two modules on the 2nd floor (future reserve) with a total area of ​​125 sq.m.

Let's take a closer look:
1st floor: entrance from the vestibule end;
wide hall 5x6 meters;
kitchen 2.2x3 m.;
bathroom (toilet);
staircase to the 2nd floor, underneath there is an office;
boiler room (separate entrance);
workshop, garage.

During the design process, there was a “slyamzin” mock-up of the container in size (I took it apart and tried to build everything into it).

But I moved away from this (many adjustments)

view from above.

There were many different options during the creation process.

Arriving in a new city, he purchased a plot of land.


After conducting terra formation, I realized that this project was not suitable for the given area, and it was necessary to change the format of the modules.

Retreat.
Today is January 7, 2016. Krasnoyarsk region. Yesterday I hung 2 thermometers, outside (outside the window) and inside (in the large hall)
Outside -20 in module +6. Dubak. The heating hasn't been done yet. The only heating option is a Chinese wind blower at 1800 watts. which blows under your feet. There is a blanket on the shoulders).
Well, let's remember summer. It even becomes warmer when viewing photos.

I bought and brought a container. For now I installed it at a friends place (they have electricity and are close to work)

40 foot High Cube, internal dimensions 12039x2350x2693

Account opened:
container 80 t.r.
delivery 7 t.r.
faucet 1.2 t.r.

Now let's get down to business.
1. Marking what and where to cut and saw.

Windows, doors.

2. Cutting openings.
One little man advised cutting with gas welding (petrol cutter), supposedly faster and with better quality. The grinder won’t take it and you’ll waste a lot of disks.
I hired a welder for 5 thousand rubles. for cutting.

Cut it out in 2 days (the oxygen ran out on the first day)

I cut it to size, but the edges are all covered in metal “snot.” The Bulgarian takes this iron very well. Cleaner and better quality. It doesn't take that many disks.
5 t.r. to the wind (((

Couldn't do it without helpers))

They brought 5x5 bars for mounting the frame.
30 pcs. - 3480 rub.

According to the markings, I drilled holes in the iron for attaching the bars.

3. Installation of the frame.

It was not easy to mount on the wall (I constantly had to rearrange the spacers)

The bars were secured inside the profile bend with 40mm self-tapping screws with a wide head. I used sealant in the holes.
I immediately calculated where the windows and doors would be so that I could then attach them to the same bars.

I wanted to make a door from the same sheet, but it didn’t work out, the metal of the container is concave in some places and is deformed after cutting.

I thought that the side bars were “hemorrhoids”, huh!!! no, the bars on the ceiling are actually “Siberian fur-bearing animals”

Climbing onto the roof two or three times to fasten the block, this is still “physical education”

It looks like all the bars are screwed on.

4 days just for the bars (. I just howled at this pace. Two people would have done it in one day at most. And so... 4 days!!!

We approved the preliminary version of the first module (I decided to do a couple more)

4. Partitions from the same bars and profiles

5. Doors
retractable interior door

Entrance tin (cold damn) door.
The cheapest Chinese one.

Porch) from...

6. Partition lining

I sewed up the fiberboard in pieces, it will still be inside and not visible.
General form:

7. Welding work

I ordered a 50x50 corner to strengthen the metal under the windows
Somehow I put it out (heavy damn)

8. Welded the base for the boiler room module

from the sample corner.

9. I laid the profile for attaching drywall.

10. Insulation

I purchased a unit for applying polyurethane foam. I had to modernize it.
I welded a gurney on wheels for liquid cylinders.

Insulation was difficult. You need a "wagon" of nerves. The first time it didn’t work, I poured about 50 liters to try.

"soft" room)

11. Electrical wiring
Sockets, lighting.

12. Appearance.

While the days are warm, the exterior needs to be painted.
Cleaning up the most problematic places.

White spray

Let's add some blue.

I’ll add here another 12 volt power supply to the module
Forced exhaust in every room.

LED lighting.

13. Cosmetics
Insulation layer. Why is it needed?... but I put it under plaster.

There wasn't enough drywall to reach the ceiling, so I decided to make a border.

14. Installation of windows.

I immediately felt comfortable.

We continue to hang the gypsum plaster.

15. Putty

My beloved took the instruments in her hands

and at this time I’m cooking a couple more modules

17. Power supply

I decided to place electricity and other electrical things in the partition. There's a lot of space there.
Light panel, sockets for each room separately. Fire system burglar alarm. There will also be a 12 V power supply.
Receiver for Internet, satellite TV and system smart House(I think I have enough strength).

18. Insulate the floor. Thermex material 2 cm.

Impregnated the floor and plywood liquid glass. Thermite - insulation with foil - plywood. The edges were foamed with polyurethane foam. Fastened it with screws.

The last of the sketches of the project of the future house.

this version will have 6 modules.
2-40 feet container.
2-20ft container
2 small-sized non-standard modules.

first module: 2 rooms (bedrooms) and half a hall;
second module: 1 room (bedroom), kitchen and second half of the hall;
third module: steam room, bathhouse, washbasin, toilet.
fourth module: hallway, workshop (office)
fifth (small): vestibule, warehouse;
sixth (small): boiler room.

19 Painting.

Well, as expected - housewarming!

Many thanks to my friends (who are in the photo) for their help.

Let's summarize today:
in Krasnoyarsk from March 12, 2015
for 10 months:
- great job;
- Good friends;
- land plot;
- within 6 months the first module has been rebuilt;

196 thousand rubles spent on the module. (together with the container).

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The idea of ​​building a home out of shipping containers is not that new. Original designs from one, two or more assembly elements can be easily converted into a residential building. Let's look at the characteristics of various standard sizes of containers and talk about the stages of construction one-story house from sea containers.

A house made from shipping containers is a topic that interests many. In our country, containers are mainly converted into cabins and outbuildings, but only a few houses are being built so far. Why is this happening?

Some people think that it is impossible to build original, beautiful housing from ISO containers. Others believe that such houses are only good for warmer latitudes. Still others are stopped by the uncertainty of the final estimate. Let's try to figure out all these questions.

Architectural solutions options

A house made of containers can be built into almost any landscape of the site, and it can be built from one container or several, located in one, two or three tiers.

Examples of non-standard placement of houses

The house of three blocks in three tiers, located on a hillside and occupying a minimum of land area, was built in New Zealand by industrial design teacher Ross Stevens.

A houseboat built from shipping containers on a pontoon.

A folding house with folding and folding walls for summer holidays.

Tree house in New York from the German studio Baumraum.

A house hanging over the water.

Examples of container houses in Canada

Winters in Canada, especially in areas with a continental climate, can be as harsh as in Russia. In this regard, the houses that were built there are interesting.

A house of three blocks in the forests of Canada, created by Pierre Morency.

Another house made of three containers, built for himself by Canadian Joseph Dupuis.

House made of containers in Kharkov

Project by architect Oleg Drozdov, implemented in Kharkov, Ukraine. Complex: two containers laid perpendicular to each other in two tiers - a residential building and a separate guest house, also from a transport container.

Original ideas

Projects have been developed for a house built from containers in the shape of a cross; there is an idea to create a house from one 40-foot container placed vertically. There are other developments that are complex and impractical in terms of using the space and volume of the container. We want to give some original and at the same time useful ideas.

The house and pool are all made from shipping containers.

Several blocks united by one roof. The largest room is formed by the area between the containers.

A similar solution for an asymmetrical house. Shed roof above three containers significantly increases the area of ​​the house.

The veranda can rise in winter and form a wall, thermally insulating a significant area of ​​glazing.

What to pay attention to during construction

In building a house from shipping containers, there are several main points that should be thought through most carefully at the planning stage:

1. The basis, the foundation - unlike a change house, a house for permanent residence must rest on a solid foundation.
2. Thermal insulation - important aspect for arranging a home from shipping containers in our harsh continental climate.
3. Ventilation - the walls of the container completely isolate the internal volume of air, therefore it is important to provide high-quality air exchange to create a healthy atmosphere.
4. The roof has a greater impact on aesthetics, but also provides additional benefits in insulating the building.

Foundation

Some authors claim that a foundation is not required to set up a house. However, most experts believe that the climate of the main part of Russia requires a foundation. It can be slab, strip, columnar or pile, depending on the type of soil, winter temperatures and the mass of the structure.

For most buildings, in our opinion, inexpensive columnar or pile foundations, and when the house hangs over the water - only piles. In addition to providing support, the foundation allows the containers to be positioned exactly horizontally.

A house made from two 40-foot containers was built in Costa Rica by Benjamin Garcia. The house has a columnar foundation.

House designed by Benjamin Garcia

Thermal insulation

Thermal insulation of a house made from containers is one of the decisive issues when creating full-fledged housing. Thermal insulation is carried out both from the inside and outside, and the choice of method depends on the mode of residence: permanent or “in-and-out”.

Selection of thermal insulation materials

The choice of materials depends on the location of the insulation and the budget. For interior works mineral wool is suitable. If it is reliably protected from precipitation and wind when carrying out external work, then it can also be used outside the building. For floors, the use of mineral wool is not recommended if there is a risk of water ingress. To lay mineral wool, you need to make a sheathing and lay the material so that it does not sag down over time, leaving areas without thermal insulation. When using mineral wool slabs, to ensure a thickness of 100 mm, it is better to lay two sheets of 50 mm each so that the seams in the layers do not coincide.

Polyurethane foam can be used to foam the thermal insulation layer on both sides of the container. Foam plastic has also proven itself well, work with which you can do yourself. For good durability of these materials, it is necessary to make a lathing by attaching it with self-tapping screws to the wall of the container or by pre-welding a steel corner.

Thermal insulation of the container from the outside

Insulating the container from the outside makes sense when the house is intended for permanent residence. Thus, the dew point shifts beyond the inner surface of the walls. If thermal insulation eliminates all cold bridges and ventilation is provided, condensation will not form in the house. In this case, the thermal insulation material must be protected from the influence of the atmosphere and precipitation, for example, with siding.

Thermal insulation of the container from the inside

If the house is used exclusively in the summer or visits are planned at other times of the year, it is better to insulate it from the inside. Arriving in a frozen house in winter and turning on the heating, you can quickly warm up the air and not get dew on the walls if the thermal insulation is done correctly:

• a continuous layer of thermal insulation, without even part of the metal of the container exiting into the living space;
• all internal walls are either non-metallic or mounted in such a way that there is a sufficient layer between them and the metal of the container thermal insulation material or wood.

For this type of thermal insulation it is also necessary to provide for ventilation.

Ventilation

Since ISO containers are sealed and modern windows and the doors also do not allow air to pass through, you need to take care of ventilation. This could be a window, the possibility of micro-ventilation in plastic window, an automatic valve that is activated by high humidity or more complex engineering systems. If you leave a house without ventilation, not only will people lack fresh air, but condensation (ice) will also appear on the windows, and dampness, mold and mildew are possible.

The ideal solution would be to install supply and exhaust ventilation with preliminary preparation air.

Ventilation solution for the house of the architect Maria José Trejos

Roof

Roofing is desirable, but not necessary, for container houses. Installing a single- or gable roof will make the house warmer; it will be possible to combine two or more blocks into a single house, increasing the area, as we showed above in the examples. But you can only thermally insulate the ceiling from the inside by covering the structure with a layer of roofing material on top: the container is sealed, the steel is of high quality, there should be no leaks. Moreover, some owners even arrange a lawn or flower garden on the roof of such a house.

Lawn on the roof of a container house

Characteristics of sea containers

The containers are based on a frame made of longitudinal and transverse steel beams, lined with corrugated alloy steel sheets 1.5-2 mm thick. The floor is covered with pressed plywood, usually impregnated against mold, up to 40 mm thick. This material can be removed (a rather labor-intensive process) and used after laying the thermal insulation on the floor. At the end there is a double swing door, the tightness of which is ensured by sealing rubber around the perimeter of the opening.

40ft container

Sea containers vary in size and volume. The dimensions of the most common options are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Dimensions of sea containers

Installation stages

Building a house involves many elements. We list the main installation steps:

1. Construction of the foundation.
2. Supply of communications, laying of passage elements for insertion into the container.
3. Transportation of containers and building materials to the site.

1. Connecting containers to each other. Can be done:
   • welding two walls along the edges;
   • welding a steel strip between two containers with preliminary laying of heat-insulating material;
   • bolted connection.

1. If the hinged doors of the containers will not be used, they need to be welded.
2. Cut through windows and doors. In this case, the structure loses its rigidity and must be restored immediately. Profiled square pipes are welded along the opening from floor to ceiling. The same pipes frame the opening horizontally and are installed between vertical pipes—supports.

1. Metal inspection. Cleaning and priming seams, straightening bent areas, anti-corrosion treatment.
2. Installation of windows and outer door. Porch equipment.
3. At internal thermal insulation cover the outer walls with siding along the sheathing. You can simply paint the metal with light exterior paint. At this stage, you can build a pitched roof, cover the top of the container with roofing felt, or prepare a cushion for the lawn: drainage, geotextiles, soil.
4. Mark out the interior layout. Perform water supply.
5. Perform internal (external) wall insulation. Thermally insulate the floor and ceiling.

1. Erect interior walls, install interior doors.
2. Electrical installation: sockets, switches, lighting, appliances.
3. Install the heating device and carry out the heating wiring.

1. Ventilation device (if this is not provided for by the design of the windows).
2. Install a sewer system.
3. Install the water heater, turn on the cold and hot water by points.
4. Install plumbing.
5. Finishing walls, ceiling, floor.

This is not a complete list of all the work, but it will help you navigate when planning construction and drawing up estimates.

Construction estimate

The calculation we performed is rather a convenient form for adjustments based on individual initial data:

• number of containers;
• way of organizing the foundation;
• installation method and equipment selection utility networks;
• choice of thermal insulation, construction and finishing materials etc.

An approximate calculation of the cost of basic materials for a house for permanent residence from two 20-foot containers without an equipped roof (all without delivery) as of July 2016 is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Approximate cost estimate for building a house from shipping containers

In addition to these costs, you need to take into account the wages of hired workers (if you don’t do everything yourself), the cost of finishing materials and filling the house with furniture, household appliances etc.

Before deciding on such construction, it is advisable to weigh everything and draw up an estimate several times, without looking at the previous version. If you still want such a house, but you do not have enough funds to implement such a project, remember that a house from containers can be built in several stages: during the breaks it will not get wet, will not become loose, and will not let moisture in. This is one of the advantages of such construction.

A container house is a practical, fast, cost-effective and reliable structure. Modern technologies allow the construction of buildings from cargo containers. And it doesn’t matter at all what kind of containers the construction will be made of: sea or railway. Both of them perfectly withstand the aggressive influence of the external environment, have a very durable structural part and can be used to construct buildings with your own hands.

Container house - simple and original design

Using two shipping containers will allow you to build a house from 60 m2 to 120, depending on the project. For example, 40-foot containers installed opposite each other can be connected with stained glass windows and covered with a common roof.

Small container house

From one 40-foot container you can make a luxurious extension, a convenient utility room, temporary housing for daily wage workers, or equip a workshop or storage facility. Houses built using this technology have great seismic resistance, so it is possible to build such a house in earthquake-prone areas.

Types of projects

“Container” projects are diverse, there are a huge number of them. Therefore, seeing modular buildings made from block containers in person or in photographs is not difficult. This kind of construction is very popular not only in Russia, but also abroad.

Unfortunately, projects for this type of building are extremely individual. Typical projects not found in the public domain.

However, like any construction, a house made of containers requires mandatory calculation of loads, foundations, strength - in a word, it is necessary to create design and estimate documentation.

Container house plan

You should not treat the need for a project as something negative, cumbersome and unnecessary. After all, not only the strength and reliability of the structure depend on what the building design will be, since it is this package of documentation that determines appearance, convenient location of rooms and rational use areas.

You can build such a house with your own hands, but to create a project, you need to contact a special organization. Professional engineers will calculate every little detail, determine not only the scope of work, but also correctly calculate the loads, create a spectacular appearance, and indicate the necessary Construction Materials and calculate their number.

The house for the construction of which the project is being prepared is always beautiful, reliable, safe, comfortable, and does not threaten to collapse. Built in compliance with all the designers' recommendations, it will serve faithfully for a long time.

Original design of a house made from shipping containers

Projects drawn up by architects and designers, as well as the buildings built on them, are always individual and unusual. These can be houses of two or more floors, built in the form of a cascade, steps, or chaos. The project may involve combined construction when, along with the use of sea containers, railway containers and other structures are used.

Construction Features

Freight, most often 40-foot, containers for rail or sea transportation are a ready-made and reliable skeleton of a future building. These are ready-made modules from metal structures made in a factory.

The construction of buildings and structures from containers is much faster than structures made by any other method.

The apparent simplicity of constructing residential buildings according to projects attracts those who are accustomed to working with their own hands. But, it should be remembered that the construction of buildings from sea and railway containers is a serious and responsible undertaking that requires certain skills and knowledge.

House made from sea or railway containers

Therefore, to build such a country house or residential house from containers, it is best to invite specialists. Many construction companies offer, among other works, the construction of buildings from 40-foot cargo containers.

These companies have experienced welders, concrete workers, and roofers on their staff. Therefore, modular buildings made from block containers, regardless of the number of floors, total area, or intended use, will be built with high quality and quickly.

But all further work on internal and exterior decoration You can make it yourself at home.

Stages of construction of the structural part

If you nevertheless decide to build a house with your own hands, without involving a contractor, then you need to take into account that the construction of structures will take time and will require the use of special equipment and the ability to handle welding and other construction tools. To weld metal structures, it is necessary to use only high-quality domestic electrodes, since Chinese-made electrodes are not suitable for such construction.

Foundation. Production construction work begins with the construction of the foundation. Because if you place the container directly on the ground, it will settle and the house will freeze. Therefore, first of all, you need to dig a pit of size and depth in accordance with the requirements of the project. In most cases it is enough strip foundation, but in a number of regions it is impossible to do without piles. The last requirement applies to regions with weak, marshy soils. In order to dig a pit, you will need an excavator accompanied by trucks to remove soil. During concrete work, it is necessary to leave outlets from the reinforcement to connect the foundation to the container.

You can simplify the concrete work of pouring the foundation yourself by ordering a ready-made concrete mixture. In this case, it is enough to mount the reinforcement cage in accordance with the drawings, install the formwork and pour the mortar.

Fresh concrete must be compacted using special deep vibration tools. You can move on to the next stage only after the concrete has finally matured, that is, no earlier than 22 days after it is poured. The dimensions of the foundation depend on what containers will be used, since the dimensions of sea and railway containers differ significantly. In addition, they are released in different options, including: 20 and 40 feet. When designing foundations, the number of modular blocks from which the house will be built is taken into account. Accordingly, there is a difference in the size and design of the foundations for two, three or more blocks. To build multi-storey structures from sea or railway containers, more powerful, reinforced foundations will be required.

Installing the container on the foundation

Structural part. The next stage is the installation of containers on the existing foundation. You can’t do without special equipment here. Since both sea and railway containers have significant weight, you will definitely need a truck crane. Therefore, when building a house with your own hands, you should take care of this in advance. Special equipment, especially during the season, is in great demand. After the modules are installed, they should be tied and scalded, fastened to the foundation and to each other. Next, everything is produced necessary work on the arrangement of internal, interior walls. This could be as simple as installing gypsum plasterboard partitions, which you can easily install yourself. But, most often, before installing them, the corrugated sheet from which the walls of the containers found inside the new building are made is removed or trimmed. At the same stage, holes for windows and doors are cut. If both sea and rail containers are used for construction at the same time, the difference in size should be taken into account. Combining 40 and 20 foot containers allows you to create an unusual, individual design.

Roofing device

This is also a rather complex type of activity. Despite the fact that sea and railway containers already have a ceiling, it will not replace the roof. It is done in the same way as in conventional construction.

Container house with roof

It is unlikely that you will be able to do this part of the work yourself. Therefore, it is best to invite a contractor who will perform all the work efficiently and in accordance with the project.

Containers can withstand a lot of weight, so even buildings of two or three floors can be covered with any type of roofing material, including heavy shingles.

Insulation and finishing of facades

Insulation of a living space built from containers is carried out in the same way as in the construction of ordinary houses. Having arranged the sheathing along the walls and on the upper outer part of the ceiling, you need to lay insulation. This can be glass wool, mineral board, polyurethane, penoplex, polystyrene foam, on top of which work is carried out on exterior decoration building. You can do this work yourself, without the involvement of contractors.

To finish the facades of such houses, special panels are used, decorative brick, natural stone tiles, as well as conventional painting and Munich-type plasters. For painting, special façade paints are used that are resistant to sudden changes in temperature and sunlight, as well as withstanding frost and an abundance of moisture.

The decoration of the facade can be varied depending on the style and imagination

Interior decoration

The interior decoration of container houses usually begins with covering the external enclosing structures with sheets of plasterboard, plywood or USB panels. It is best to attach them to metal carcass from a rigid profile, since wooden structure will be mobile due to the constant change in the percentage of moisture in it. In order to insulate the house from the inside before covering the external walls, it is best to cover them with isocork. The material made from natural cork wood is an excellent antiseptic, resistant to the formation of various biological microorganisms, the appearance of which is associated with the formation of condensation.

After covering the walls, the ceiling is finished. As the most simple option wooden ceiling The container can simply be painted and varnished. But plastering and gesso are the least suitable for it. Firstly, because the existing floor, as a rule, is perfectly smooth, and secondly, the emulsion and gesso will constantly crack due to changes in the percentage of moisture in the wood. Therefore, it is best to use tension or suspended ceilings from plasterboard, Armstrong or MDF panels. At the same time, suspended ceilings will maintain the ceiling height as much as possible, lowering its level by no more than two to three centimeters.

Interior of a container house

After installing the ceilings, you can return to finishing the walls. Since they are no different from the walls of any other house, the decoration is determined solely by the taste of the residents. Technologically, you can use any materials: wallpaper, paint, decorative plasters and so on.

Floors also require minimal finishing. Since the wooden flooring is treated with various antiseptic and fire-fighting agents, it is better not to dismantle it, but to leave it as a base.

Wooden flooring can be covered with any material - from linoleum to parquet. Styling ceramic tiles will need to be done not with a regular tile adhesive solution, but with a special glue - “liquid nails”, the instructions for which involve gluing wooden and ceramic surfaces.

Application in industrial and civil engineering

Construction of buildings from containers intended for freight transportation across railway or the sea, in the 21st century has ceased to be the prerogative of private construction. An increasing number of countries are introducing this type of structural part into industrial and civil engineering. Shopping complexes, multi-storey residential buildings and even children's institutions have already been built using this technology. In Finland, the issue of constructing an entire residential complex from containers, including a large number of multi-storey buildings, is being considered.

Construction project apartment buildings from shipping containers in Detroit

In Detroit, Steven C. Flum, Inc. has already started construction of a 20-apartment building from used containers. In addition to other advantages directly related to the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of construction, this type of construction is considered an environmentally friendly project that saves natural resources.

This is due to the fact that it is not profitable to send arriving containers back, and the issue of their disposal is quite acute. Therefore, the construction of small and medium-sized repair shops, residential complexes, snack bars and restaurants, shopping malls and entertainment buildings from them is an excellent solution for recycling containers that does not require an expensive recycling process.

Finland is also interested in construction of this kind. According to the government, this will help solve the housing shortage. Small area apartments and their relatively low cost will make housing affordable for young people who urgently need it. Such a house should appear in the city of Vantaa in 2016. It will have from 50 to 100 apartments, each from 14 to 28 m2.

In Buenos Aires (Argentina) they built a shopping complex of 57 modules, brightly colored, with a roof made of solar panels, they provide the opportunity for restaurants, offices, and shopping boutiques to operate. There is also even a gallery and a cafe with huge stained glass windows.

A unique shopping street has been created in London; 61 shipping containers were used for its construction. There's more to Boxpark Shoreditch than just walking. There are places to relax, sanitary stations, cafes and even a small park with beautiful well-groomed trees.

The construction of buildings from modules is also gaining momentum in the CIS. In Kazakhstan, for example, this method is widely used to create boutiques in markets where a warehouse is located on the second floor.

Auxiliary mobile premises

It is convenient to build modular houses to create living conditions for shift workers. Prefabricated dormitories are easily dismantled and transported from one facility to another.

Container cafes: easy to install, dismantle and transport

The containers house canteens, baths and sanitary stations. In addition, in winter, when work is limited outdoors is difficult, some of the work performed can be transferred to modular workshops.

Installation of furnace equipment and external insulation is done possible use container structures all year round. The ability to install one container onto another without problems or loss of strength is provided by maximum efficiency use land plots. If necessary, containers installed in a row, in addition to their main purpose, can form a temporary fencing of the territory.