I have 150k in the bank and for along time have been pondering the idea of building a shipping container (ISBU) home. There are a few obvious main reasons I wanna build the house out of shipping containers.

1) Less lumber/building materials = lower costs.

2) Since all containers are consistently uniform and stackable, it will create less time spent by the architect trying to solve complex problems.

3) The containers are extremely strong and could possibly even be built as hurricane-proof homes.

4)Since all containers are already constructed, it means less time on the job site which probably means lower costs.

5)I know people who could probably do the welding of the containers for a cheap price.

But the main reason is because if the overall lower building cost. Does anyone think this might be a good idea? If so, where do you think would be the best place to build one? Would 150k be enough money? Should I build a larger fancier home, or should I consider building affordable housing? Could I make a profit of any of these ideas?

I'm open to all/any comments and suggestions. Thanks for your time.

-Mike

Blimey!We've only just got around to buying an old container to house the village cricket club's equipment, and you are planning to live in some of them? We thought our plan was ground-breaking.Never knew the US was that advanced when it came to recycling!

As a newbie, you can guarantee that some other newbie will appear on this site, trying to sell this idea,posting a post complete with helpful ad.

First welcome to our little home.

Fred is right, you will get a lot of info here.

Try this site for some ideas.

Cargo

I just don't know.

While it may seem like a bargain at first, you also have to consider the insulation. We are talking a steel box with no wiring, no insulation value. Unless you get the old refrigerated ones. They are more expensive than the regular cargo containers.

Besides these containers are only 8 feet across - I live in a trailer 10 feet across it ain't no pick nick

If you are interested in cheap alternatives to conventional brick or stick frame you might want to think of Straw bale construction where straw bale becomes the wall (with an R value of around 45) covered in wire mesh and stucco. Post supported roof is common enough, some areas have code allowing bale supported roof.

The upside is that you are using a renewable and cheap material (bales of straw) that is easy to stack and pin together with rebar - it forms both structure and insulation at around half the cost of conventional stick frame, insulation, wrap and then exterior/interior finishing.

There are many sites on the subject: http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=17...0bale%20construction

California Building code in most areas allows straw bale construction. Single story 8 bale high roof supporting walls (think 18 high by 24 wide by 3 feet long) or 12' high. If you use beam or post supported roof with lumber or steel members it can be a 2 story house.

Bales are flexible enough to sustain earthquake rocking without collapse, further they are well insulated - you wouldn't need much more than the regular appliances and a small furnace for heating in most areas in California, and cooling costs would be nearly half if your structure is built with solar gain in mind due to the thickness of the wall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw-bale_construction has pictures.

California Straw Building Association may be a good place to start.
http://www.strawbuilding.org/pages/main.php?pageid=1