The reason for such an undertaking is to deal with the affordable housing challenges faced by the citizens of the present generation. It is also a mode of recycling reasonably. While sustainability is the prime motive behind the concept of turning shipping containers into homes, comfort and elegance are not entirely ignored. The excellence lies in drawing a balance between all these. Not all states in the United States quickly say 'yes' to the use of container houses. However, many do permit the use of shipping container homes without much hassle. This includes Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, California, Alaska, Louisiana, and Oregon.
The International Code Council (ICC) guides the acceptable codes of the states that allow container houses. Container houses come in various shapes and sizes. It can be a huge rectangular box to accommodate multiple families. They can also be square-shaped cabins made for official purposes. They can also be a two-story house made for a nuclear family. Not just that. In recent times innovation has led to the use of many other materials to alter and adorn the metallic walls of the houses.
Simple tiny house
The simplest way to make a single-storey house is by joining two steel containers together. It can be set in between a well-curated garden encircling the tiny house. The metallic tone of the tin houses can be concealed with the color of one's own choice or apply drywall to make it look far more welcoming. If you want to maintain the simplicity of the look, even to decorate the interior, you can use simple concrete or firewall floors. The walls can be made into anything according to the owner's taste as long as it doesn't affect the serenity of the space.
Asymmetric arrangements
Now, if you don't want the regular one storey made simply using two steel containers, you can bring a subtle change by asymmetrically arranging them. The difference is simple. One can simply place two rectangular or square containers in an asymmetric manner instead of the regular parallel arrangement. Once done, one has the option to do anything with the walls and floors.
Sloped roof
While the tin box look is inherent to the shipping container houses, they can be boring. If you don't want to feel like being stuck inside a box with beautiful walls and warm floors, you can add a sloop to your terrace to make it a little more beautiful. Now symmetries and lines are contemporary ideas. To support the modern look, you can also add a grid-shaped window casement to enhance the complete look of the house.
Wooden walls with plant cases
If the plan is to completely hide the fact that you are staying in a shipping container, you can make effective changes to steal the inherent look of the steel boxes. You can add wooden archways and walls both inside and outside the tin bases to make this happen. The things that go best with wood are, no doubt, plants. Different structures can be made to support plant pots across the walls of these steel containers. This will surely make you feel like being in nature while staying in a sustainable home.
Double-story modern house
Contemporary designs are most welcoming at any 21st-century house. One cannot resist their love for clean lines, geometric shapes, minimalist trends, and neutral or pastel colors. This can be applied to the decoration of a two-storied house, with decent stairs connecting the levels.
Safety ensured
You can't question the durability of shipping containers. While it is efficient and affordable, it is also safe from natural disasters. Shipping containers are designed in such a way that they can withstand cargo loads of, say, up to 26 tons. So disasters are nothing to it. This has led to companies who provide insurance for your home to not provide any insurance for container homes, which might sometimes become a problem. However, one can get a container home insurance policy if it is located in a residential zone. It needs to adhere to the codes and regulations applied to the place where it is located.
But you’ve got to remember that finding a regular home insurance policy is a lot easier than finding a home insurance that is tailored for your container home. Most insurance companies don’t offer their services for container homes. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find one if you dive deep into the market.
Also keep in mind that the insurance policies of such houses are much different from homeowner insurances. Homeowners insurance covers all liabilities that the owner requires to face in cases of disasters. This is much different in the case of container houses that don't face such threats.
Conclusion
Recently, this idea of converting containers into houses has gained much popularity. The reasons are its wide availability and relatively low cost. One must not forget about the inherent strength that it comes with. They seem to make better housing than houses made of bricks and cement.