With the cost of living on the rise, energy prices skyrocketing, global warming looming over us, and all of the other cheerful stuff going on in the world right now, more and more people are looking for affordable alternatives to traditional living. One such alternative that is growing in popularity is living in container homes.
That’s right! People are using the very same shipping containers that transport goods all over the world and are turning them into homes.
It might sound a little far-fetched, but the results are strikingly positive. Let’s look at some of the advantages of opting to live in a converted shipping container home over a traditional property…
1. They offer a far cheaper alternative to traditional housing
You can buy a container property for as little as $10,000! They are much, much cheaper because far fewer building materials and labour is required to convert them.
Not only that, but you can save yet even more money by taking care of much of the renovation work by yourself – and hiring a labourer for an extra pair of hands perhaps.
While many people are struggling desperately to get on the property ladder, others are turning old shipping containers into their personal dwellings instead.
2. They’re quick and easy to construct
Hiring a professional to build your dream home from scratch is typically very expensive and can take months and months to complete (sometimes years). However, with containers homes, some contractors can have them converted and ready for living in within a month.
Not only that, but there is a growing number of pre-fabricated container homes available to purchase already.
3. They’re modular (easy to modify)
Think of it like having a house made out of Lego! When you want to expand your home, you can simply combine multiple containers and expand your container property as you see fit.
4. Highly durable
Shipping containers are made from COR-TEN (or weathering) steel. This means that the converted homes are highly durable and able to withstand some of the harshest weather (even more so than most traditional housing can).
5. You can move around
Container homes are mobile. Since they were originally designed for shipping, these modular container homes can easily be transported around the world using dedicated logistics services. So, if you grow tired of living in Thailand, you can ship your home to another country when you are ready to settle.
And many eco-friendly advantages
- Recycling: You are re-using old shipping containers. While everyone else is wasting, you will be repurposing.
- Taking up less space: Containers homes typically don’t take up as much land as traditional housing. While there is plenty of land for sale in Thailand, it’s nice to know that your home isn’t taking up too much valuable space.
- Using less energy: As these homes are smaller, less energy is required to manage them. In fact, you can typically rely solely on solar energy.
- Spending less money: With container homes being significantly cheaper, you’ll have more money left over to invest in making your home as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible.
- Less building materials and resources: Converting shipping containers requires far fewer natural resources and building materials than a traditional property.
