Holiday homes in containers

This text is part of an extended series of articles on the topic of Holiday homes - why and what to build your holiday home from, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the construction systems commonly used in the construction of such buildings.

The idea of a pre-existing structure that can be erected anywhere is very attractive in many ways, especially for vacation homes. Even so, container houses may not always be a good choice.

This way of building houses has become increasingly used and desired in Romania in the last 10 years. There are more and more possibilities and everything seems to be extremely simple. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to using containers even for holiday homes that have seasonal use.

What kind of containers are used to build houses

These structures involve the reuse of shipping containers - prefabricated metal structures used for maritime transportation and built to certain pre-determined dimensions. Due to their industrial manufacturing, it is assumed that a house made of containers can be very cheap compared to other types of structures.

Containers come in two standard sizes, 15 m² and 30 m², and a house can be built by joining several containers together. It is also possible to build houses with a storey by joining and stacking the modules like a Lego game.

However, container houses have their pros and cons, some quite crucial ones that can make them unusable in certain conditions.

Advantages of container houses

1. Low construction cost is probably the most important advantage. There are now enough suppliers of such structures in Romania to make prices competitive. At the same time, containers for housing are usually equipped with all the necessary features such as thermal insulation, soundproofing and the possibility of connection to utilities.

2. The construction time of such a house is small, as the structure is already built. However, it needs a foundation on which to be laid, as well as some work to improve the interior layout.

3. The containers are resistant to various environmental factors as well as corrosion due to the metal being treated to resist moisture.

4. This type of structure can be easily expanded by adding more containers. In this way, the house can be built to an initial budget with everything needed for vacation living and then expanded.

Disadvantages of container houses

1. Limited design possibilities due to standard container sizes. The resulting rooms are compact and the level height is low.

2. The thermal insulation required to achieve optimal comfort is quite high, which means a further reduction in the size of the interior space.

3. Easy access by road is a must - containers are still of considerable size, which means that transporting them involves an outsized gauge. Containers therefore cannot be placed in every forgotten corner of the world.

4. Handling containers on site is done with large machines, which means extra costs, especially if they have to be stacked.

5. The energy efficiency of container houses is not comparable to that of brick houses. However, it is offset by low initial costs.

6. The chances that the value of construction on the real estate market will increase over time are quite low, which is why container houses are built more for their own use.

These are among the most important advantages and disadvantages to consider when thinking about container houses. Each has a greater or lesser weight in the final design and should be weighed carefully before making a decision.

If you have any other ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.