Living Small, Living Smart: Embracing Minimalism with Cargo Home Living
Downsizing is terrifying to most homeowners. Though a minimalist approach to living could be a rewarding experience. Shipping Container homes are rising in popularity as more people are seeking affordable and sustainable living options. In some cases, they want to live better lives. It can be freeing to not live in a house full of clutter or with too much space.
Container homes are even eco-friendly by using energy-conserving systems and natural resources like bamboo for building materials. With the modern housing industry moving towards sustainability, Shipping Container homes fit the bill. All and all, going small is the new way to live.
Photo by Paul Weaver
What is a Shipping Container Home?
In the simplest of terms, a Shipping Container home is basically a discarded, steel cargo box that’s transformed into a home overnight. They were first developed in the U.S. back in 2007, by Peter DeMaria, an architect from California. The trend rose in 2012 when Australian homeowners Todd and Di Miller lost their homes to a massive flood in 2012. The couple decided to build a new home entirely out of shipping container parts. Their house was featured on TV, dubbing it the famous Graceville Container House. It took 31 containers in total to build the 6,000sq. ft. mansion. Audiences everywhere were enthralled by the home’s versatility and affordability. From there on, the trend grew into a national phenomenon.
With Shipping Container homes on the rise, home shortages became less of an issue. Homes and shelters become readily available for people in need of a home. Not to mention, the trend helped tackle homelessness. Shipping Container homes acted as an affordable housing option for those without a home or enduring a natural disaster.
When urbanization skyrocketed, these modular structures offered a more efficient and space-saving housing option that traditional homes couldn’t keep up with. In simpler terms, they made minimal living a practical solution to emergency situations like natural disasters or the novel pandemic. People who lost their homes to a hurricane or were homeless had a place to call home. While a Shipping Container Home aided our country in the most dire of times, they also pioneered a new way of modern living. Now homes were more compact, mobile, sustainable, cheaper, and faster to build.
The Benefits Of Shipping Container Living
Sustainability and Environmental Benefits
There are tons of benefits to living in a Shipping Container. Perhaps one of the best reasons to live in a cargo home is that it’s eco-friendly. When you live in a Shipping Container home, you go green. Traditional and Shipping Container homes cost the same to construct. Though, that doesn’t mean a cargo home uses the same harmful building materials as a regular home. In fact, they use eco-friendly building materials such as bamboo, recycled bottles, and low VOC paints. They’re also equipped with solar panels and water harvesting systems to help conserve energy. You don’t have to worry about harming yourself or destroying Mother Nature for that matter.
They’re Affordable
Another added benefit about Container Homes is that they’re affordable. On average, a cargo home can cost anywhere from $ 10K to $ 35K. If you’re looking to customize your container home with some unique and high-level features, you’ll be in the $100K ballpark and beyond. Still, the pricing beats building a traditional home. According to a 2023 U.S. consensus, the average cost to build a house can cost nearly $300K.
The cost of labor may be the same as a traditional home but the construction materials themselves cost less than paying for brick and mortar. A container home doesn’t require extensive foundation work either, which helps you save a few dollars. Not to mention, a modern Shipping Container home can be easily modified, reducing some labor costs. Of course, this could be a huge plus for you if you’re living in a high real estate area.
The time it takes to build these structures also helps you save a few dollars. In fact, listings for container homes on websites like Tiny House Listings show that these structures are selling for as low as $16,000 and as high as $90,000. Clearly, a Shipping Container home cost will save you from breaking the bank. When searching for a traditional home on Real-Estate Zillow, you’ll be looking at prices ranging from $200,000 to $400,000. All and all, a Shipping Container Home’s cost makes it an affordable option for homebuyers.
Utilizing Space
By downsizing and adopting a minimalistic approach to living, you’re placing value on the things that truly matter in your life. It can be hard saying goodbye to certain items when moving into a container home. Though, that’s also the beauty of living small. You’re free from clutter, hoarding, or even just holding onto the materialistic things in your life that mean nothing to you. You can also utilize your outdoor space by following these new project design files. A container home’s cost and design allows you to utilize your home space more effectively and with less clutter. A container home could be just the change you need in your life.
Finding the Perfect Shipping Container Home for Sale
You can find even more value in buying a container home that meets all your needs. Ask yourself what kind of features are you looking for in your container home. If a house is for sale, consider your budget, the location, and customization options. Most importantly, factor in the condition of the container home. Even searching the housing market for listings can go a long way. Attend online forums or in-person meetings to learn more about Shipping Container homes. They may even offer you a few leads on container homes that are currently on the market in your area.
Plus, talking with others in the container home business can help you choose the home of your dreams. Contact a Container Home Builder or a real estate agent to help you find the right home for you.
Beware though, buying these homes isn’t as easy as you may think. You must meet certain requirements, such as complying with state regulations and obtaining the right permits. Since tiny homes and container homes are still very new to the modern living world, many states don’t have official regulations written for them.
You’ll have to contact your local or city authorities for more information on meeting zoning codes and where you can place your container home. A good place to start would be to contact the Neighborhood Homeowners’ Organization.
Even worse, certain lenders won’t even offer mortgages unless your container home is in a permanent location. It’s likely that you could run into appraisal issues as well. In which case, you’ll have to pay cash. Also, ensure that all your legal documentation like contracts and title transfers are done when negotiating the price. Hiring an inspector to inspect your container home will also ensure you meet all housing codes.
Always educate yourself on the regulations and rules for these structures. You don’t want to run into any problems down the road. At the end of the day, you want to make the right decision. This will be a home you have for years to come.
How To Design Your Home
Now that we’re done with the challenging side of dealing with container homes, let's get back to swooning over them. When it comes to building Shipping Container Homes there’s a wide range of designs and customizations to choose from. You can either stack them in a crisscross fashion or have them positioned like a traditional shotgun house or you can get a 3D design ready with help of Architectural Projects Developers as CADdetails.
There’s a number of real-life examples that you can draw inspiration from. Take Architects James & Mau’s container home built in Chile for example. The designers used wooden pallets to create the home’s unique and lively design. These pallets offer abundant shade and an overall airy appeal. Even Studio H:T’s Colorado retreat has been a showstopper. This solar-powered container home gives off an industrial vibe, with its concrete structure. The company carved out sections of the shipping containers to act as sliding doors between the bedrooms and the living room. These homes and others have a lot to offer buyers who are interested in switching to the minimalist life. Not to mention, they can give you plenty of Shipping Container Home ideas.
The Challenges Of Going Small
Despite the many benefits of going small, there are some challenges you’ll have to take into consideration. One of the most obvious changes are downsizing. Container homes generally come small, even if it’s just one person occupying the house. The average container home is only 8’x20’ and allows a person 100 sq.ft. of room to move about. You always have the option of increasing the size of your home but making modifications can become costly. Even worse, you could risk changing the integral structure of your container home to the point that it’s no longer customizable.
Speaking of which, your house may need some steel reinforcements and adjustments made to the roof to last throughout the winter. Container homes are said to “remain standing tall” during natural disasters and inclement weather, but they do need some modifications in order to withstand these weather conditions. Reinforcing the steel structure can make your container home stronger and extend it past the 25 year mark.
Not all container homes come eco-friendly either. In some instances, purchasing an older Shipping Container home can prove challenging as it may contain toxins like industrial waste. Breathing in harmful chemicals all day could be bad for your health and even toxic to the environment. Some older containers may even have tons of rust, which means you’ll have to spend tons of money on repairs.
Another possible challenge would be experiencing insulation problems. Unfortunately, a new container home doesn't typically come equipped with Heating and Cooling systems like we would hope. Instead you have to install them yourself. All in all, container homes aren’t a walk in the park.
How To Get Started
Planning The Layout For Your Cargo Home
Knowing where to start with your Container home can be overwhelming at first. We’ll help you get started on living small. In the initial steps, you want to start thinking about layouts. Research suitable areas and building code regulations before deciding on a location for your home.
Designing Your Container Home
Do the same with designing your home and mapping out the layout. Research container homes that showcase unique and daring designs to give you inspiration. Though, keep the layout of your house simple but efficient. When building a container home, consider aspects such as having reinforced openings, what size you want it in, if you want plasterboard lining, or installing a good plumbing system. Also, you want to have the freedom to customize your home and add your own sense of style. You might want to add another room or two to the second floor or perhaps you want eco-friendly countertops. The sky’s the limit.
How To Prepare For A Minimalist Lifestyle
Equally important, you want to prepare yourself for the transition between traditional living to minimalist living. As previously mentioned, living small means giving up materialistic possessions and putting more value on the things that matter the most to you. It can be easier said than done, but not impossible. Throw out those books you’ve never read or toss out the clothes you’ve never worn. By decluttering your house, you can get more organized and be better prepared for moving into a container home.
Living Small Is Better
Living in an 8’x20’ shipping container home may seem impossible, but you’d be surprised what people can truly accomplish with these structures. There are several perks to living the minimalist lifestyle in a container home, such as being eco-friendly, saving money and energy and even expressing your creative side. Living in a container home can remind us of what’s important in life.
Author: Matt Ackerman
Cover image by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash
