The Dos and Don’ts of Shipping Container Homes

Few building types are as rife with misconception as the shipping container home. Many hopeful homebuyers assume that building one means stacking boxes together and—presto!—a brand new house. Others view it as a mysterious feat of design and engineering that has nothing to do with architecture as we know it. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in between. 

Building an effective container house takes significant know-how. For those considering one, we offer the following starter guide, based on insights from a few of the market’s most talented and experienced architects. 

Do Work With An Architect 

While a container home’s building blocks—corrugated metal containers used for long haul shipping—are novel, it is still a piece of architecture. It has walls, windows, doors, and a roof, and it requires the same level of design and engineering as any other building.

You should choose an architect well versed in container work. "Peoples’ imaginations run wild with container houses," notes Douglas Burnham, a principal at San Francisco-based firm Envelope A+D, which created Proxy, a two-block cultural development made of shipping containers in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. "They can see themselves doing it, but you need experts to help you figure it out." Most architects in turn work with subcontractors—engineers, fabricators, etc.—who have experience with this typology. Without their insight, costs can balloon, and unexpected issues can arise.

Next, choose your containers. Standard containers measure 20 or 40 feet in length. Container architects generally recommend what are known as "high cube" containers, which measure a little over nine feet high.

While containers should be in good shape, they don’t need to be brand new. In fact, basically no containers are totally new. Some firms, like New York-based LOT-EK, embrace the patina that used containers exhibit.

"We want to explore the project as it is. We don’t want to hide it," says Ada Tolla, a principal at LOT-EK. You should, of course, have the container inspected to make sure it is structurally sound and suitable for construction.

You should likewise decide whether you want to build on or off site. Doing the work off site can save significant time, but it requires more resources and expertise. Many firms employ a hybrid, with most exterior work done off-site and interiors on site.  

Don't Build on Hilly or Unstable Terrain

Once you’ve chosen your architect and containers, you must get your site, permits, and foundation. Know that your home will need to pass any locality’s building standards, from environmental to seismic.

After getting the OK to build, you’ll want to lay a foundation on a flat surface. Most architects use concrete and steel pier, pile, slab, or strip techniques for the foundation. Climate is also an important concern. Unsurprisingly, harsher weather can put a major strain on a container’s functionality, and its ability to be maintained.

Do Go Bold With Design

Most architects will tell you that the key to refining a container home’s design is to combine multiple units, either by stacking them, placing them side by side, or both. By combining and opening boxes, an architect unlocks volume, light, and drama.

 "We are not shy in the way we transform containers," notes Tolla. "It’s about being both conscientious and courageous." Her firm installs large windows, creates diagonal planes, extends cantilevers, stacks boxes in various configurations, and open up cavernous, multi-story spaces. "The moment you change the parameters a little bit a whole lot of possibilities open up."

"We’re using containers like other architects are using bricks," adds Burnham. He’s already explored ambitious stacking formations, and says he would like to explore new configurations, like a warm-weather-friendly system in which individual sleeping containers are connected to each other by walking outside. Other architects are testing the limits of scale with many containers at a time, like adding containers to the top of existing buildings, for instance.

Do Plan To Tackle Housing Basics Differently

To make your container house function, you’ll need to take care of the same nitty-gritty details as any other home. A container home needs to incorporate heating, cooling, plumbing, ventilation, electricity, and insulation. But these elements need to be approached in a unique way.

Since containers have thinner envelopes than traditional buildings, there is less room to insert the back-of-house functions. And due to their steel frames, there is also less room for error; you can’t, for instance, shave off a small piece to better fit a window. You’ll also need to decide which existing elements you want to keep or jettison.

The challenges become more complex once you start combining volumes. Putting containers—which are neither flush nor uniform in shape, and can expand and contract dramatically in different weather conditions—together, your team needs to worry about how to connect them, cut them open, and keep them watertight. And once you start cutting holes in your containers, their structural properties—largely supported by their lateral corrugation—can be compromised, so your team must also be well-versed in how to make containers. 

Don't Do It Because You Think It'll Cut Costs  

Perhaps the most common surprise that pops up is price. Yes, the cost of most containers, and the ability to alter them off site, can make your home’s structure substantially cheaper. Containers generally start at $1,500 and max out at $5,000. They can bring construction time down significantly, too. But the cost of labor (particularly metal workers and contractors) to adapt these structures to home building can make a container’s cost equal or even greater than traditional construction.

"It’s a mistake to do this just because you think it’s cheap," says Tolla. "You have to be excited about its potential."

Maziar Behrooz, a principal at New York-based MB Architecture, finds that the more standardized, and repetitive, he can make his systems, the cheaper they start to become. He’s also trying to do more and more work ahead of time in the factory.

"I feel like every container we do is a case study," he notes. "We’re always learning. The joy is that you’re not blindly doing what you and others have done over and over." 

Related Reading:

5 of Our Favorite Shipping Container Companies in North America

11 Shipping Container Home Floor Plans That Maximize Space

The Essential Guide to Shipping Container Home Design