Do-it-yourself container house. Residential building from shipping containers: construction stages

If you want fast and least cost to solve the 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 growth in housing prices, the use sea ​​container under the house no longer seems unnatural. Despite the fact that in Russia, due to the insufficient spread of container construction, you are unlikely to be able 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 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 network. To correct this, in this article we will, in a sense, try to contribute to the popularity of sea container houses in Russia and consider the issues of their construction and arrangement.

Residential buildings 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 rightly consider it to be the technology of the future, which will soon find 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 industry, the basis of which is the design and production of container "semi-finished houses". A semi-finished product is a base model made in a factory, the structure of which is made up of walls and subfloors. The heating system and electrical wiring are already laid in it, windows and doors are inserted. By purchasing required amount blanks provided by the project, they 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 sea container houses

Benefits of shipping container houses:

• Sea container houses are recognized as one of the most seismically resistant buildings, and therefore, they are often built in areas where natural disasters are not uncommon - earthquakes, hurricanes and others;
• Container buildings are not much different from capital houses: they can be finished with clapboard on the outside, and plasterboard on the inside;
• If you live in a house that was built using sea containers, you may not be afraid of rodents and insects;
• Sea container houses can be built in any climatic conditions, but, despite such versatility, it is important to remember the need for high-quality thermal insulation;
• The total cost of building from sea containers is several times lower than the cost of capital houses;
• If you decide to build a house from sea 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 finishing measures are minimized and limited to simple finishing, two to three weeks will be enough to complete construction activities;
• In view of the low load that container buildings carry, they do not need to install a solid foundation and can even be installed on carefully compacted ground;
• Sea containers can be used not only for the construction of residential buildings, but also for household facilities. In addition, from them it is possible to equip an outbuilding to an existing building;

• The installation of container buildings on frozen ground is widely demanded, and therefore, often from sea containers, mainly those intended for sea transportation, they practice the construction of entire housing bases in the far north and Antarctica;
• If the design of your building does not imply the creation of stained-glass windows on the entire wall, it will protect you as much as possible from extraneous intrusion;
• Buildings from sea containers can be successfully erected in areas with a large slope.

Disadvantages of houses from shipping containers:

• Often, for the treatment of walls and floors of sea containers, special paints and highly toxic compounds are used 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 house made of shipping containers gets very hot, while in the winter it cools down. With this in mind, take care of organizing an effective heat-insulating layer;
• In order to avoid the appearance of rust on the surface of the building, it is necessary to organize careful monitoring and care of it;
• One of the disadvantages of container buildings is low ceilings(if the floor and ceiling are insulated, the height of the latter will be about 2.35 m).

Sea container houses: projects, drawings, construction basics

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

For the construction of a residential building, mainly standard 40-foot shipping 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' container can be used to build a spacious outbuilding or utility room, as well as equipping a storage or a workshop, then from two or three building blocks you can build a house with an area of ​​​​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 is high strength. Initially, sea containers are made in such a way that later they can be installed on the sea deck on top of each other in the amount of 8-10 pieces. Given 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 structure, the containers must be fixed by welding.

Important! For the construction of residential buildings, two, three or more sea containers can be used. If more than two containers were used to make the house, the space between the spaced containers that remains free must be equipped for 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. Available online for free a large number of projects of houses from shipping containers, striking in their diversity. The most common designs involve the use of two containers, which are installed side by side or at an angle to each other in the form of the letter "L" or "T". It is also possible to stack containers on top of each other.

By moving the containers relative to each other, you will complicate the facade of your house, 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 of a container house, consisting of two blocks, which are united by a pitched roof. Two bedrooms are planned in one of the blocks, a bathroom and a kitchen in the other. In the free space between the blocks, a living room is equipped, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich the ceiling height will be greater due to the roof slopes.

Masters with experience in building container houses recommend entrusting specialists with the creation of projects for houses from sea containers, in this case there will be no problems with the drawing, as they will work through everything to the smallest detail.

Residential building from shipping containers: construction stages

If you decide to build a house from sea containers yourself, without involving a contractor, keep in mind that construction will take more time, and it will not do without the involvement of special equipment and welding skills. Before you start building, 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! After the containers are delivered to the construction site, they must be checked for radiation. No matter how strange it may sound, but it is in such containers that residual radiation often accumulates. As for the norm for the radiation background, for our latitudes, it is 35 microroentgen per hour.

Foundation arrangement

The first and one of the most milestones building from containers - arrangement of the foundation. If you put the house directly on the ground, without a foundation, then the ground under the building will sag, and the building itself will freeze. The choice of foundation design for a container house is carried out taking into account its size and terrain characteristics. If you are planning to build an ordinary change house for spending time in the warm season, several foundation blocks can be used as a foundation. However, if we are talking about a two-story residential building created according to the author's project, it needs preliminary preparation of the foundation. In most cases, it is recommended to give preference to reinforced strip foundation.

To do this, they dig a pit, the dimensions and depth of which meet the requirements of the project. This will require the call of specialized equipment - an excavator and trucks for soil removal. As for the most preferred foundation designs, in most cases, experts recommend giving preference to a strip foundation, but sometimes piles are indispensable. The latter is relevant for regions with weak waterlogged soil.

Given the large weight of the container building (especially when it comes to two-story house from sea containers), it often becomes necessary to prepare a reliable foundation, the function of which can only be performed 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 part of the construction of the foundation, can be simplified by ordering a ready-made concrete mix. In this case, the preparation of the foundation will consist of mounting the reinforcing cage in accordance with the drawings, installing the formwork and pouring the mortar. Remember to compact the concrete using special deep vibrating tools.

Constructive stage - installation of containers

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

Important! During the aging of concrete, carry out anti-corrosion treatment of containers. To do this, paint them with iron, and then red lead. Only after that cover them with a paint that is resistant to high temperatures.

After the final maturation of the concrete and the anti-corrosion treatment of the containers, proceed to the next stage - the installation of the containers on the foundation. When it comes to building a house from a 40-foot shipping container, you can’t do without the involvement of special equipment, namely a truck crane. After you have installed the modules, they must be tied and scalded, fastened to the foundation and to each other. Next, install the internal interior partitions. The easiest way to install partitions from drywall sheet, the installation of which is easy to carry out with your own hands. However, in practice, a different approach is often used. It involves the removal and cutting of the profiled sheet from which the walls of the container are made, which will be inside the building and are not provided for by the project. This is done immediately before their installation on the foundation. On this stage it is also necessary to cut through doors and windows.

Important! If for the construction of a residential building, in addition to 40 feet, 20 feet are used foot containers, 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, author's design.

Roof installation: main stages

Stage 1. For the manufacture of the attic frame, a bar with a section of 10x10 cm can be used. To attach the bars 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 boards for the rafters are selected in accordance with the project, so that later they do not have to be spliced ​​together. The connection of the rafters is carried out using self-tapping screws.

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

• Between the steel sheets and the crate, you can lay a vapor barrier film;
• 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 roof space. Holes for installing pipes must be made in advance. Given the fact that the operation of the attic takes place mainly in the summer, these pipes will not be closed for the winter.

Obviously, the first way is the simplest.

Important! When choosing a steel roof, remember that it will make a lot of noise during strong winds and rain. 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.

Insulation of a house from shipping containers

Thermal insulation is an integral part of the construction of any residential building. When building a house from sea 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. To insulate a house from shipping containers, you can use the following materials:

• mineral wool;
• polyurethane foam;
• Styrofoam.

Lifetime mineral wool does not exceed 10 years, after which it loses its original characteristics. Polyfoam and polyurethane foam, unlike the previous material, due to their dense structure, are mounted very quickly, and their service life is an order of magnitude higher and is about 20 years. They have not only heat, but also soundproof functions, which is not characteristic of 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 polyethylene film is laid on top of the materials.

Interior and exterior decoration of the house from shipping containers

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

For exterior finish buildings, the following materials can be used:

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

Plastic, block house and siding attached to wooden crate pre-lacquered. decorative and a natural stone- on a primed surface using concrete or special adhesives. The plaster is applied to flat surface using spatulas of various sizes.

The interior decoration practically does not differ from the exterior - a heater is mounted on the batten bars, 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 mounting foam which will prevent dust from entering the house.

By producing interior decoration, plywood and OSB can be replaced with drywall, which can later be lined with paint, plaster, wallpaper and other available materials.

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

Summer cottages are quite often located in places that are significantly removed from the city. Therefore, it is reasonable to place small buildings on them in which one could relax, and in some cases even spend the entire season. Given such features and difficulties with the delivery of materials, country houses from containers have become especially popular.

Advantages and disadvantages of such structures

To begin with, it is worth saying that you need to understand that metal containers have a rather high cost and it is not very profitable to make houses from new designs. However, you can always find products that have certain defects or are written off by their expiration date. In this case, the main thing is that the main structural elements and the frame are not damaged.

Advantages

• First of all, it is worth noting that block containers for summer cottages are very practical and, in addition to their large volume, have high strength.. This allows you to create spacious rooms and even build structures on two floors.

• Ease of installation makes it possible to perform all work involving the use of special equipment in just one day. Therefore, it can be rented immediately with tractors for the delivery of containers.
• With the right approach to installation, a finished building can be obtained in just a month, even taking into account interior decoration.

• The strength and reliability of the final product is quite high and can even compete with brick structures.
• Special attention should be paid to the fact that the price of such a building will be several times less than a building made of bricks or blocks.

Advice! Professional craftsmen advise using containers that have been used at various sites or during transportation around the country. The fact is that products that have been on sea trips are highly corroded and sometimes held only thanks to layers of paint.

Flaws

• All structures of this type need to be insulated, since they are hot in summer and cold in winter. That's why additional protection need to think ahead.

• All metal containers for summer cottages are installed on foundations with a plinth. This is done so that water during rain does not penetrate inside and does not corrode the material.
• Installation skills required circular saw for metal and welding machine. Therefore, it is desirable to have access to the electrical network at the facility.
• The service life of such structures is several times lower than that of a brick building.

Advice! The more purposeful the purchased container is, the longer it will last. However, it is worth remembering that high-quality preparation and preventive maintenance can significantly increase the service life.

step by step process

It is important to mention that before starting work, it is necessary to create an exact project for the location of all containers on the site. At the same time, it should indicate the methods of their connection and fixation. You should also be aware that country house from block containers is created by welding and cutting out metal parts, which means that it is necessary to correctly calculate the location of all technological holes so that they do not weaken the structure.

Base

What associations do you have with the phrase "sea container"? Probably, this is the sea, a ship, cargo transportation, tons of some goods or things. That's all right, but sea containers, like many other things, find other areas of application, and not much worse than the original purpose.

What is a sea container?

In principle, everyone should understand what a sea container is, but in order to later operate with the concepts and parameters of these products, you need to conduct a small educational program.

So, sea ​​container- a cargo vehicle that is used to transport and store a wide variety of goods in maritime transport. They can be of various shapes, sizes and materials. But steel is the most commonly used. Containers can be universal and special. It is clear that universal ones do not have any specific devices and are used to transport a wide variety of goods that are not demanding on storage conditions. Special ones can be equipped with devices to maintain a certain temperature, pressure - in general, they completely isolate the cargo from environmental conditions.

There is also a classification according to container dimensions, and the main criterion is the length. The site presents containers with different lengths, and 40- and 20-foot specimens are most often used. For different manufacturers, the width and height parameters may differ, but approximately they are as follows: for a 40-foot - 12039 * 2350 * 2693 mm, and for a 20-foot - 5905 * 2350 * 2381 mm. It is on these parameters that we will rely.

Sea containers can be used not only for their intended purpose - for example, the simplest structures are made from them: change houses, premises for security posts, temporary housing etc., and usually used containers are used for such purposes, but this is not the rule. They are also adapted to outbuildings, workshops, premises for keeping animals, storage of inventory, outbuildings, combined with other materials for building houses, etc.

But the destiny of sea containers is not only simple, cheap and small-sized change houses - you can build two-storey houses, offices and even hotels, commercial buildings and restaurants not to mention gorgeous dacha although they are still inexpensive. Such housing has already gained due popularity in Europe and the United States, while in our country it still belongs to the category of the unknown. It may be very suitable for some people to solve the problem of their own housing or country house.

Benefits of shipping container houses

A sea container, as a building material, has many advantages: lightness, reliability, durability, relatively simple transportability, low price. And at home from it in general - a combination of almost nothing but pluses:

Story of such construction is quite interesting: perhaps we will not recognize the first author who came up with the idea of ​​​​building houses from shipping containers, but the American Kalkin Adam, who himself personally built a residential building from three used and decommissioned containers, began to actively popularize such an idea. Then this method became interesting to others, as the houses turned out to be cheap and were not afraid of tornadoes.

Today, the list of possible buildings from sea containers is very wide, and an additional plus is that they can be transported from place to place without much difficulty.

Building a house from a container

So for building unique home from a container, you must first buy it, for example, here, and then, using your creativity and good mood, build your masterpiece.

But first you need to decide how many containers and what size you will need for construction. And for this you need create a project, well, or at least imagine and draw in great detail what you want to get in the end.

For example, construction country house : it can be built from one container, but then it will be very small in size, although everything you need can be placed there easily. If you want to create something with a claim to uniqueness and originality, then you can combine two containers, and 20-foot ones are also suitable for giving. So, they can simply be placed side by side, in the shape of the letter G or T, or on top of each other, but much more interesting options can be obtained if they are slightly moved when connected, then the facade will turn out to be much more original.

As an option - put a couple of containers at a distance from each other, and glaze this distance, then you get a completely chic country house, united by a pitched roof. In the covered part, you can organize a living room - it will be bright, and the ceiling will be higher than in other parts due to the design features of the roof. In two containers, you can organize bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.

Another interesting option to build a house or a cottage for a large family - put 3-4 containers in a circle, and the internal space can be organized under a covered terrace, you can even make a dome-shaped glazing. On such a site it will be nice to arrange dinners, holidays and other events.

In general, in the construction of a house from sea containers, one can distinguish several main steps:

• installation of the container on the foundation (piled or columnar) and welding to the metal profile;
• according to the project, the next container is docked in a certain way with the previous one, and so on with each subsequent one. It is possible to put one container on top of another. Then cut out all the necessary door and window openings;
• treatment of the outer part with an anti-corrosion compound and its insulation;
• interior decoration;
• laying of all necessary communications: water supply, sewerage, heating, electricity;
• interior design is already a more pleasant and creative occupation.

As for foundation, then the weight of the sea container is small (from 2.3 to 4 tons), so it does not produce a huge pressure on the foundation, which gives a chance to get by with a columnar foundation.

If the house is being built not as a country house, i.e. created for permanent residence, then the walls will need to be insulate, and it is easy to do this using any of the the following materials: mineral wool, expanded polystyrene, basalt wool.

As for appearance Houses, then many may not be satisfied with the fact that even under the paint it is easy to see the nature of the used building material. Although for summer cottages, painting in a pleasant discreet color with a spray gun is a pretty good option. You can even paint the house in an unusual way - it will also be fun and original. Residential buildings can be sheathed, for example, with siding, then nothing will betray the use of sea containers.

Interior decoration depends on personal preferences - for sheathing, you can use drywall or lining. But remember that using dark colors visually reduces the space, which is already modest. Therefore, it is better to use light and pastel shades.

Since the design of sea containers is quite rigid and durable, it will not be difficult to cut a window opening of a certain size. By the way, many people recommend leaving one wall under continuous glazing - it will be more interesting and brighter. In order to visually expand the space, of course, mirrors will also fit.

Additional bonus houses from sea containers - that one of the walls can be folded down. And this gives an excellent chance to hide a wall with full glazing from vandals for a while, while no one is at home, and in a folding form it can serve as a terrace. If it is covered with a board, and temporarily taken out garden furniture, then it will turn out to be a very good option.

As for several-story more or less large buildings, there are still few people in our country who can move away from their stereotypes that a house is something made of stone or wood, built on a solid foundation, etc., therefore, the use of containers is still limited only dacha buildings, and then for economic purposes.

Foreign experience suggests good ideas for organizing even hotels and restaurants from such building material, and it is often impossible to even immediately say what the house is built from, since containers are easy to disguise. In general, if you are not afraid of experiments, and the problem of building a house is quite acute, then why not take a chance and get a good house with a much lower price and faster construction time than traditional options.

The idea of ​​building a house out of shipping containers is not so new. original designs from one, two or more assembly elements can be easily turned into a residential building. Let's look at the characteristics of different container sizes and talk about the stages of construction one-story house from shipping containers.

A house made of shipping containers is a topic of interest to many. In our country, containers are mainly converted into cabins, outbuildings, but so far only a few are building houses. Why is this happening?

It seems to some that it is impossible to build original, beautiful housing from ISO containers. Others believe that such houses are good only for warmer latitudes. The third is stopped by the uncertainty of the final estimate. Let's try to deal with all these questions.

Architectural options

A container house 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 area of ​​the site, was built in New Zealand by industrial design teacher Ross Stevens.

A floating house built from sea containers on a pontoon.

Folding house with opening and folding walls for summer holidays.

Tree house in New York from the German studio Baumraum.

House hanging over the water.

Examples of container houses in Canada

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

Three-block house in the forests of Canada, created by Pierre Morency.

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

House from containers in Kharkov

The project of the 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 form 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 the use of space and container volumes. 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 asymmetric house. shed roof over three containers greatly 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 sea containers, there are several main points that should be considered most carefully at the planning stage:

1. Foundation, foundation - unlike a change house, a house for permanent residence must be based on a reliable foundation.
2. Thermal insulation - important aspect for home improvement 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. Roofing - has a greater impact on aesthetics, but also provides additional benefits in building insulation.

Foundation

Some authors claim that a foundation is not required to set up a house. However, most experts believe that a foundation is absolutely necessary for the climate of the main part of Russia. It can be slab, tape, column 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 pile. In addition to providing a stop, the foundation allows you to set the containers exactly horizontally.

A house made of 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

The device of thermal insulation of a house from containers is one of the decisive issues in creating a full-fledged housing. Thermal insulation is performed both from the inside and outside, and the choice of method depends on the mode of residence: permanent or "arrivals".

Choice of thermal insulation materials

The choice of materials depends on the location of the thermal insulation and the budget. For internal works suitable mineral wool. If it is reliably protected from precipitation and wind during outdoor 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 crate and lay the material so that it does not sag down over time, leaving areas without thermal insulation. When using mineral wool boards, to ensure 100 mm thickness, it is better to lay two sheets of 50 mm each so that the seams in the layers do not match.

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

Thermal insulation of the container outside

It makes sense to insulate the container from the outside when the house is intended for permanent residence. Thus, the dew point shifts beyond inner surface walls. If the thermal insulation at the same time eliminates all cold bridges and ventilation is provided, condensation will not form in the house. In this case, the heat-insulating material must be closed from the effects of the atmosphere and precipitation, for example, siding.

Thermal insulation of the container from the inside

If the house is used exclusively during the summer period or visits are planned at other times of the year, it is better to perform thermal insulation 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 exits even a part of the metal of the container into the living room;
• all internal walls are either non-metal or mounted so that a sufficient layer is laid 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 the possibility of ventilation.

Ventilation

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

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

Ventilation solution in the house of the architect Maria José Trejos

Roof

Roofing is desirable but not essential for container houses. The device of a one- or two-pitched 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 it is possible to insulate the ceiling only from the inside, covering the building with a layer of roofing material on top: the container is airtight, 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 the house from the container

Characteristics of sea containers

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

40' container

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

Table 1. Sizes of sea containers

Installation steps

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

1. Foundation construction.
2. Supply of communications, laying of passage elements for tie-in into the container.
3. Transportation of containers and building materials to the site.

1. Connecting containers to each other. Can be done:
   • welding of two walls along the edges;
   • welding of 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 must be welded.
2. Cut windows and doors. In this case, the structure loses its rigidity and must be immediately restored. Profiled square pipes are welded along the opening from floor to ceiling. The opening is framed horizontally with the same pipes, installed between vertical pipes - supports.

1. Metal examination. Cleaning and priming of seams, straightening of bent places, anti-corrosion treatment.
2. Installation of windows and outer door. Porch equipment.
3. At internal thermal insulation Sew up the outer walls with siding along the crate. You can simply paint the metal with light paint for outdoor use. At this stage, you can build pitched roof, cover the top of the container with roofing material or prepare a pillow for the lawn: drainage, geotextiles, soil.
4. Mark out the interior layout. Perform water supply.
5. Perform internal (external) wall insulation. Insulate floors and ceilings.

1. Erect internal walls, install interior doors.
2. Wiring: sockets, switches, lighting, appliances.
3. Install the heater, carry out the wiring of the heating.

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

This is far from full list of all works, but it will help you navigate when planning construction and budgeting.

Construction estimate

The calculation we performed is rather a convenient form for adjusting for individual initial data:

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

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

Table 2. Approximate 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 do not do everything yourself), the cost of finishing materials and filling the house with furniture, household appliances etc.

Before deciding on such a construction, it is advisable to weigh everything and make 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 container house can be built in several stages: during breaks, it will not get wet, loosen, or let moisture inside. This is one of the advantages of such construction.