Every single video by this guy is a container home 400 level college course. So clean, informative and helpful. Wish there were more people out there like him. I hope he gets rich because he definitely deserves all the success. REEEESPECT!
If anyone is interested in container home plans the best results that I have had was by following the Magic Container Plans (just google it) without a doubt the best course that I have ever followed.
There are several components to creating an amazing design. One place I discovered which successfully combines these is the Magic Container Plans (google it if you're interested) definately the most incredible info i've heard of. look at this great resource.
People need to also factor in the property costs as well as the permit costs. In most areas you will have to obtain permits. With the property costs, there may be other associated costs too. Things like land clearing, well drilling, utility construction, foundation / pad, etc. While these can be cheap to build, I think its important for people to consider the other costs you didn't cover.
It sounds like a lot when you hear it, but realistically thats a whole house for less than the price of a new Toyota Tacoma haha. Plus there are certainly places where you could have trimmed the budget too. Overall great build!
@Sean Heim WAIT! STOP! HOLD ON! That TOTAL $$ amount is just the CONTRACTOR'S COST!!! And it is ALREADY at roughly $112/SqFt and does not include A LOT of other necessary items and expenses. If you are not your own contractor, most GC's will not even consider a project like this unless it yields them AT LEAST a $10,000 profit in ~2-3 weeks, and likely MUCH MORE. LAND/PROPERTY COSTS: Purchasing Property or Renting/Leasing a home site??? $$$$ Also factor in annual Property Tax expenses. BUILDING PERMIT COST: This expense was not mentioned at all, and costs vary by municipality. You most likely will also need an Architectural Engineer to inspect, potentially modify, and approve the design & construction. $$$ NO SITE PREP WAS INCLUDED: Grading, Driveway & Access, and FOUNDATION costs were NOT included. This is usually a Substantial Cost of any building project. It will depend on the existing site, the locale, and what the local building codes require for a shipping container home. Check your local city & county requirements PRIOR to starting your project. NO UTILITIES or HOOKUPS: Just the installation of a WATER METER can be $5k-$9k if it's not already installed at your site and you plan to use city or county water. You cannot do this installation yourself. It is done by an approved city or county contractor. THEN you need the Fresh Water Supply run from the water meter to the house (Trenching, Pipe & Fittings, Labor, etc.). The distance and complexity or type of site will determine this cost...it could be $200, or $2,000+. If you are lucky to have a safe potable water well or spring water, you will still need to get it plumbed to your house, obtain a certified water test, and have the plumbing permit signed off. THEN you'll need a SEWER hookup (more trenching and pipe) or have a Septic System installed on your building site, unless you can live with a composting toilet. HOWEVER, check with local building codes if they will even allow this. There are also regulations on how your "grey water" is handled. ELECTRIC SUPPLY & CONNECTION: You will need an Electrical Service Connection run to the service entrance panel on the home from the local utilities. This can be costly, especially if your home will be a fair distance from the nearest power pole or underground service. If there is already another home on the property, its existing utilitiy service connection is most likely not adequate to supply both dwellings. Check the availability and cost at your planned building site. INSURANCE (HOMEOWNER'S & FIRE/EARTHQUAKE): In order to obtain Insurance, most municipalities require that there be a Fire Hydrant or significant accessible water supply within 600ft of your property. Check your city & county requirements. In addition, some companies may be reluctant to insure shipping container-based homes. Check with your available providers. OFF-GRID ELECTRICITY: It's crazy, but some municipalities do not even allow this. :/ But if you plan to be OFF-GRID, you will probably need to spend AT LEAST $10,000 for just a minimalist system that will adequately power all of your appliances and *maybe* a small HVAC system for a short period. And that's for a janky system. A more realistic cost for solar and/or wind power would be $20k-$30k depending on how/where you source the components, and depending on who does the installation. ...And that is with Federal & State rebates. And you will need a permit and sign-off for this installation as well. DELIVERY COST and PLACEMENT: What will it cost to transport, place, and secure the finished container home ON YOUR SITE (if it is not built at your location in-situ)? FENCING: Will you need to install fencing to contain pets or secure children from nearby roads, etc. This can be a considerable cost depending on the size of your lot if it is not already in place or needs repair. Some municipalities have minimum requirements for this. CREW/LABOR COSTS: It depends on your personal skills and abilities. You most likely will need to hire at least several different tradesmen or subcontractors to complete your project. Make sure that ANYONE that you hire is Licensed, Bonded, and Insured. There are a growing number of people especially in the construction or "handy-man" trades who make a full-time living off of personal injury claims. :/ I'm sure that I'm overlooking a few other things as well. I don't want to be discouraging or the Debbie Downer, but there will very likely be Significant Additional Expenses incurred in order to complete this type of project which will at least DOUBLE THE COST when everything is said and done. DO THOROUGH RESEARCH FOR YOUR SPECIFIC REGION AND FOR YOUR PROPOSED HOME SITE.
@@bbfoto7248 I agree with most of that, but minimalist living and off-grid setup is less about the upfront cost and more about the long term benefits of a dependable, independent system. I have been in the process of drawing up plans for a few months now combining shipping container architecture with the 'earth ship' style features. Still going to be an expensive build, (a little less than or equivalent to a typical single-family home of that region) but long term self-sustainability cuts on costs in the future. Plus i have an intermediate level of construction experience, I am confident in being able to build probably about 65% of the house myself given I have the time, which will also cut down on costs.
@@TheCampingCrusader Sounds good. 👍 I just wanted you and others to understand that there is A LOT MORE involved in this process besides just building and paying for The Structure Itself. ;) This particular video was specifically focused on the *Minimum Cost* to CONSTRUCT a decent Shipping Container Home, and not necessarily on the long-term cost or environmental benefits, so my comments were aimed towards that and the additional expenses that will most likely be incurred which were NOT mentioned or included. Building your home yourself will obviously allow you to end up with exactly what you want and need instead of a generic cookie-cutter home or someone else's design that might have features or space(s) that are a waste or inefficient. For reference, my original custom-designed (by me) ~1,500 SF 3-bed/2 bath traditionally-built Spanish Colonial courtyard style stick-frame home cost $55/SF to build 25 years ago (that was a bargain price because I was close friends with the GC). The undeveloped 5-acre property was approximately $26k at the time, located in the high-desert/foothills ~1.25 hours drive North of downtown Los Angeles. It's a semi-rural area where most of the properties are between 2.5-10-acres. Water meter installation was ~$5k, and there was county water and a fire hydrant near the property. There was also a pre-existing local utility power pole at the front of the property to service the existing house across the street. Otherwise, at the time it would have been $22.50/ft to have power pulled to the site from an existing utility pole/source. I'm sure that price is much higher now! Being Off-Grid negates this expense, but then you also don't contribute to the world at large by supplying your excess power to the local grid in order to reduce the production of "dirty power" that is produced by traditional utility companies. The home is completely powered by a 12kw 23ft diameter 3-blade Bergey Excel wind turbine system on a 100ft high guy-wired lattice tower and produces a minimum of 130% of our family's monthly electricity use. That system cost roughly $25k to purchase & install after subtracting the combined Federal, State, and SoCal Edison rebates at the time (which paid for nearly 50% of the total cost of ~$48k). It took about 7 years for the system to pay for itself and for our electricity to be completely free from then on. At the time of installation, wind power was at least 50% more cost-effective compared to solar PV panel installations. Of course, you need wind of at least 6-7mph to start the turbine, and 4mph to maintain rotation, and a large enough property to accommodate it. The advantage of wind power over solar PV is that it produces power At Night AND on Rainy/Cloudy Days as well...at least 50% more production potential. You must also get written approval from all of your adjacent neighbors and submit those documents to the county to obtain the installation permit for the system. And there have been very minimal maintenance costs. It's a simple, proven direct-drive turbine generator. The only real maintenance to perform are replacing the front & rear shaft bearings (guaranteed for at least 7 years of high-duty cycle use) and the pivot bearing & electrical contacts at the turbine's mounting point to the tower. Mine have not needed replacement yet! There's also occasional replacement of a clear protective tape that's applied to the leading edge of each blade (5-year guarantee, $35 for the tape & $150 tower-climbing fee to replace it.) That's been done twice in ~25 years. Oh, and if anyone is curious, I have not discovered a single dead bird resulting from my wind turbine in 25 years! And there are LOTS of birds in my area...ravens/crows, owls, hawks/falcons, turkey vultures, pigeons, doves, quail, cactus wrens, hummingbirds, road-runners, and sparrows/common yard birds, etc. The property in this area remains at roughly the same price, but new home construction would be roughly $120-$180+/SF in 2020 (all-inclusive except for the land). Many 1st time buyers/builders also overlook the importance of their home being a long-term investment in terms of resale value and market desirability. You'll get the best ROI and resale potential by building a minimum of a 3-bed/2-bath home, as that is what 80% of the market NEEDS, even if it is a small SQ FT design. A shipping container home will never increase in value to the same rate or level of a traditional home. This is especially true as the options for newer technology that are more versatile, efficient, and cost-effective come to market every year. IMO shipping container homes will become less & less desirable over time. Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful and very impressive shipping container homes out there. But I would argue that these are the exceptions and were At Least As Expensive to build compared to traditionally-built homes of equal square footage (assuming the container home is built to "proper" standards). I think that current and future options such as the modular, pre-fab, fold-out *Boxabl* type homes are the way of the future for affordable and efficient housing. They have their limits as well, but not nearly as many restrictions as building with shipping containers. www.boxabl.com IMO & from personal experience, shipping containers are a horrible, inefficient, and space- & design-restrictive ''base'' to build a home from. I've actually tried it when I decided to build a small guest house/granny flat from a shipping container to accommodate my many visiting relatives in the U.S. and Australia. Due to the building codes in most locations, you basically have to do way too many modifications to the container, which results in having to basically build a stick-frame type structure within & around the already tight confines of the container(s). That new, one-trip shipping container I purchased in order to build a guest house is now serving as my wood & metal shop + extra seasonal storage. ;) I used SIPs and ordered simple, engineered-truss roof components to construct a very basic but efficient and comfortable rectangular detached guest house. The orientation, roof overhangs, and eaves were maximized for both winter and summer solar gains & rejection. I designed all of the exterior dimensions to be multiples of the full-size measurements of common lumber & sheet-goods building products to minimize material use and waste. The money saved here was put towards nicer finish details and fixtures. I'm confident that I built a more comfortable, energy-efficient and space-efficient living space for the same cost (or less) compared to using my shipping container, even with the need and cost of the flatwork...i.e. installing a concrete slab-on-grade foundation.
@@bbfoto7248 slow down man. He only gave you cost to build. Clearly said it. Lets Don't twist it. Of course there are other costs. You just wrote a book that obviously anyone with common sense will know when building a shipping container home.
I have been trying to downsized for the last 9 yrs ,have gone to different tiny houses events and the prices have gotten ridiculous. I have been researching the shipping container homes for the last 2 years been looking for builders and everyone has been out of Florida was supper ecstatic coming across your page. I have sent an email about having a container built by you if possible once this covid19 is over. I'm in the frontlines of health care. I really want to meet with you and have my dreams of owning my little piece of heaven happen. Thank you for your information and looking forward to hearing from you.
@aileen cruz Look into *Boxabl* and other modular/pre-fab options as well. IMO, homes based on shipping containers are not the most cost-effective and efficient way to go. Read my other comments/replies here to Sean Heim and check out www.boxabl.com/
I used ceramic beads that add to my exterior paint...it lowered my external temp by 7-9 degrees...it is manufactured in cocoa,fl.. I think the name is hy-tech...
Plus there is the cost of the land, utilities hookups & compliance costs with local land use regulator authorities. It was EXTREMELY helpful to get some construction cost parameters. Thank you for making this vid!
It’s all bullshit. I looked into container homes about 5 years ago and found that it would cost at least $150,000 to just build a low end 1200 sqft model that would be shit to live in. Avoid these snakes who claim to build anything for $35,000.
After U have been a contractor for awhile, say 30 or 40 years.. After U have acquired a greater knowledge and number of contacts, U are going to look back at this project.. U are going to easily see the ways that you can build this project WITH LABOR.. LARGER IN FACT! Planning and timing have to be almost perfect. It can be done for much less.. Good job.
Have you ever considered wraps like they do on cars? Like what about a wrap around the house that looks like the White House or a mansion or a log cabin or the Millennium Falcon, for example?
This would have been cheaper then me remodeling my dad's existing house. My husband and I did the majority of the work ourselves. We put in new PEX plumbing and rewire the entire house. Remove rotten wood and built it back up. Removed wall panels and sheet rocked over the shiplap. Flooring, paint interior and exterior and new roof. We pretty much have a new house. If we do another project containers are the way we want to go. Thanks for sharing!
@ladybugcdl I'm sure that your remodeled house has At Least DOUBLE the SqFt of a single shipping container home, though, right? ALWAYS compare cost in terms of Price Per Square Foot of USABLE living space. Another thing to consider is resale value and market desirability. Any home must always be considered as a long term investment and a hopefully appreciating asset. If you look into it, due to most local building codes, building a home from a shipping container requires that you basically build a traditional stick-frame type construction within and around the confinements of the container. IMO, there are just too many "work-arounds" that become expensive because traditional building practices and supplies will not work easily. THE most expensive aspect of home building (any type) is LABOR. There are some newer solutions that minimize this cost. YMMV, but look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/ Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution. For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea. Shipping containers may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages.
@@bbfoto7248 thank you for your reply. That is a good point regarding what could have been shipped in those containers. It would cost to much to do a chemical clean and add a Faraday cage interior before installation and sheetrock if that is possible. The house remodel has cost over 60,000. I probably still could have built a newer eco friendly house with what we put into it. It turned out really nice being that it is on cedar post. It will due for now.
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else is searching for best container homes try Jadonite Shipping Container Buddy (do a google search ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my partner got great results with it.
i just stumbled onto this series. As a former Union Commercial Plumber here in CA, I really appreciate the cost break down. BUT the video is not dated, and its now May 2021. Things are in short supply and the pandemic has totally disrupted supply chains. I DO happen to be very near the Port of Oakland..containers are very abundant . I can weld and use a plasma torch,,am familiar with building in general, have lots of tools. Still...if you giys happened to run a short in -person school " apprenticeship..Id be super interested. I learned some good tips just by watching this video..such as the aluminum cladding for the window frames..impact windows..and the Stay Cool Spray stuff. Im now 64, and my daughter and I are looking for property that has enough room to build an ADU for me in its yard. Being in the Bay Area..there are sources of all different kinds and it is possible to locate some supplies at reduced prices. I lilked you style of presentation and your expertise. Not boring, technical enough but not so foreign that non-construction people would be turned off. one " constructive criticism" id suggest..SHOW the finished product . During the video,,i would have liked to see some more shots of each item as it was mentioned.
Why would you need to install an awning? Wouldn't the sealed roof be good enough? Is it for watershed, insulation, or both? If you want to save on cost, is it necessary?
It's very interesting and clean build, but I don't understand what's the profit in using container? Without it you'll don't have the constrains on the length and height.
This video was amazing! Really informative and insightful like the rest of your videos. Would you consider creating shipping containers that need to remain transportable? Maybe removable siding, off grid setup...? Your thoughts?
@Danielle Honestly, ask yourself how often you would want or need to move your shipping container home??? Usually, by that time, you, and/or your family's needs have changed and the shipping container home no longer satisfies your needs. It's often not always a "simple" process to move a shipping container home. Think about plumbing, gas, sewer, and electrical hookups. Depending on the building site, this can be a complicated and very expensive process to disconnect and then reconnect at a different site that has a completely different layout or requirements for utility connections. This could easily be $2,500 at each location, but more likely $5,000+. If you do need a "portable" home, I would look into the Tiny Home trailer-based homes. If you look, there are LOTS of these on the market, both new and used. A LOT of these come up for sale at drastically-reduced prices when couples or families outgrow them or become disenchanted with living in them long-term. Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular home solutions are much more cost and space efficient...and safe. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/ Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution. For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea. They may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages. YMMV
The Tiny House movement’s supposed to be about “affordable housing “. But too many people are doing this AirBnB thing and pushing the prices out of too many people’s reach. And $1200 for a mini-fridge bought by a guy with a contractor’s license???!!!! Criminal!
@@heyzeusghoti1483 @#Truth is Treason Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular home solutions are much more cost and space efficient, safer, and a better ROI. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/ Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution. For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea. They may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages. YMMV
I am an architect and always looking for construction materials in balance with the environment. I think containerized housing is a good solution for those people who cannot afford the cost of conventional construction. Since the payment of a credit for this type of construction is more flexible than the financing and payment of the credit (for life) to a bank, for a classic home. For me, making wooden houses is not a viable environmental solution, since many countries (especially the US) cut millions of trees to satisfy a public, their crafts and homemade DIYs. They are also houses, wooden ones, easily destructive, be it by woodworm, fires, tornadoes, etc. I think that for young singles or young couples who want to have an affordable first home, it is a good solution. I think that a good design, functional and depending on the place (hot or cold climates) can adapt to all this.
@Mundo Gio Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular solutions are much more cost and space efficient...and safe. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/ Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution. For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they may have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life span. You have no idea. They may be a great solution and cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many , if any, advantages. In addition, lumber and properly-managed forests are a green, renewable resource. While recyclable, steel, iron, and all metals are a finite resource. YMMV
Excellent channel! It is a pleasure watching & listening to a real pro who knows what he is doing and can present himself clearly (possibly because it is the caffeine talking). But seriously, I hope your channel keeps you & your crews busy building quality container homes for years to come. You are certainly educating us all to think about going this route for affordable, sustainable living! A subscriber says thanks man...
@Alan McRae Read *paul simmonds* comments here and also my comments to *Sean Heim* There are A LOT of related costs that are not included here! And on a *Per Square Foot cost comparison basis* my experience is that traditional building methods are less expensive and MUCH more versatile in terms of design and in creating a comfortable and EFFICIENT living space! (I've tried it!) The paints that are used on shipping containers are toxic and would be banned from use in traditional living spaces. Most people (even this contractor) do not realize that shipping containers also use Highly Toxic glues to bind their laminated wood flooring (made from slash-and-burn exotic Amazon rainforest woods as well). :/ These types of adhesives and the container flooring are actually banned in Australia for this very reason. Do some research and you can confirm this for yourself. Used shipping containers will also have most likely transported many toxic or even radioactive cargos during their average 10-15 year lifespans. No thanks! I only discovered all of this after trying to build my own shipping container guest house. Caveat Emptor! Shipping containers were NEVER meant to be used as dwellings!
Yes! Very helpful indeed. I would like to build one in bc canada . A small no frills 20 footer. Is it possible to build within $15000 ?under their building code? Kindly advise
Good job. Informative. Was put off at first but stuck with it and glad I did. QUESTION: how did you and that monster hurricane fare? Hope you fared better than some...
Been checking out container homes and tiny homes for about two yrs. I just found your channel and I'm super happy that I found you. Great information and I appreciate it.
Wow, $500 for a mile away. I can’t imagine how much it will cost to transport from another state 100s of miles away. I love the innovative use of roof materials.
The Build is great. However, I'm confused when you say you paid very little in labor cost. Each time you said you had a worker who helped you when you constructed something. Did you not pay him? Also the drywall... did you pay $2000 just for material or did they hang and finish it for $2000. Remember if you hired people you paid for labor. Please explain.
I been watching all your videos, great work, great ideas, you are one of the pioneers here with this type of construction. I have a couple questions, Do you really need to install a roof? is insulation and siding necessary on the exterior? even on a new container? Thanks
Their previous cost video covered what minimums you could get away with, things like siding are optional, but unless you happen to be somewhere where the climate is always nice then I'm pretty sure the insulation, at least, is a must when trying to live in something that will essentially be a heat conductive steel box otherwise... Though, it can be just on the interior but that reduces available interior space and you'd have more insulation options for the exterior that can make it more cost effective... So, unless you need to keep it easily moveable the exterior insulation is usually the better option but you can also split the difference like they're doing with the 20' one they're working on now...
antonio sosa thank you for all the support! To answer your question, no you do not need the roof or the siding, you just need to make sure you insulate really well if you don’t because the metal gets super hot, but you can paint it with the product we were talking about and that helps drastically... then leave it!
@@ZeoCyberG @antonio sosa If you insist on using a shipping container to build your home, you must insulate it from the OUTSIDE so as to keep condensation and moisture on the exterior, otherwise it will rust from the inside out and/or have a high probability of developing hidden interior toxic mold. You must also have an interior/exterior fresh air exchange to keep condensation from breath and steam from hot showers, etcetera, from causing interior condensation. Shipping containers use highly toxic glues to bind their laminated wood flooring (made from slash-and-burn exotic Amazon rainforest woods as well). Do some research and you can confirm this for yourself. Used shipping containers will have most likely also transported many toxic or even radioactive cargos during their average 10-15 year lifespans. Shipping containers were NEVER meant to be used as dwellings! Read @paul simmonds and my comments to @Sean Heim as well.
Really appreciate the channel laying out shipping container reality from a general contractor perspective. I think too many people get all amped up watching DIY and luxury container homes and confuse the costs between the vastly different results. One question though; how much do you think the cost inflaites as you scale up containers? ie 2-3-5-etc. Obviously the cost would involve sourcing the containers, but how much more of your line items would you just “double per container”?
Thinking about adding a shopping container to my back yard as guest home to boost up property value or to rent out to bring in extra income. To you recommend?
@Samuel Boynes I tried to do exactly this. It depends on your location, but I would urge you to NOT DO this! Read @paul simmonds post regarding the toxic flooring, and my previous posts to @Sean Heim for more detailed information and reasons why this IS NOT a good idea!
its sooo expensive to do shipping/prefab/modular homes from ground up. (ON the grid)....Land alone is crazy expensive, and then permits can be $30k ALONE. Then foundation.... its really cheaper just to buy an existing house.
Is it just me, or there's no show of the actual house done. Like the bathroom done, kitchen and windows. Also would be nice to have camera going all around to see the final product.
Very informative video thank you for this! Before jumping to the toor in the other video I wanted to ask, won't the aluminum roofing be very loud when it rains?
Let's say that I wanted to connect multiple containers to make a larger house, would I just multiply that base cost you provided or will there be some savings?
Unfortunately not at all, it gets exponentially more expensive when you get into multiple containers. We deal with this daily with clients trying to build 4000 sqft homes and we recommend they go conventional construction. There is a lot of cutting and welding required / restructuring and all of those trades are very expensive to preform. That is why most of our models try to keep as much of the original structure in place as possible
Great content & nicely list out! I wanted to have this too in Philippine but after consider the cost, we might buy a used house at cheaper cost & renovate it :(
If you had your workforce dedicated to the build with appropriate trade labor priced out as well, and factoring in a comfortable profit margin, approximately how much would you retail that container for?
Gavin Swick I was hoping to be able to build one similar for a price around 50k, but we are passionate about building affordable strong housing, I think most other contractors wouldn’t want to do it for anything less than 75k+ just based on industry standards
Thank you for sharing this knowledge. How much would this cost if you put outsourced 100% of the labor with independent contractors? Can it be done under 60k? Thank you in advance
Great commentary and video. Get tired of those media hypes of misinformation like “Build a Container home for $ 5,000.oo.!! Just soo wrong. We are in Australia so you can easily add 1/3 to that price to get the exchange rate in AUD terms. Another added cost is understanding and implementing thermal transference minimisation and I like Steel welded window and door frames and minimal penetrations like screws. So lots of welded lugs!. Big effort! Thanks.
@@ContainingLuxury Ah, I see. In Sweden where I live we do see a lot of rain and sometimes snow. Perhaps I should take extra care considering that also?
I have a standing opportunity to buy the 2 acres across the street from my current home. Toying with the idea of building a house using between 4 and 6 tin cans. (Us old school truckers call shipping containers 'tin cans'.) I just found your channel, and like with a couple others, I will be watching for new ideas to increase efficiency and cut building costs. Thanks for the great information.
HiredGun 05 - do your mean you are a retired trucker? If so, wouldn’t it be less expensive to hire a trucker to move a container for ya? $500 a mile seems aLOT!
@@kellymurphy2917- I'm not sure where you got the $500/mile rate from. I can rent my own truck and trailer and move them myself for $150/300 each total price (depending on location). I can probably hire it done for the same price, but I will be held captive by that person's availability. If I go the tin can route I can get one hauled up from a Savannah port for $500, but realistically I will be buying around Atlanta, so moving it will be about 1/3 of that cost. Thanks for your response.
HiredGun 05- I got the $500 from the video-that’s what the guy said. It sounded high to me, and you sounded like you knew what you were talking about so I asked the question. So would you suggest hiring a trucker to do it? Not going with a company?
@@kellymurphy2917 , if he has the equipment to move it for you, yes. Or maybe a small trucking company with the equipment and manpower. If the delivery of the tin can(s) are included in the price get an estimate and compare notes. Go with the deal that saves you the most money.
Joshua Rialto hmmm haven’t designed that way yet, but depends on where, most of ours are in such hot climates we don’t even think about anything but good insulation and a new AC :) but it may work, just make sure to water proof them really well
This only method was only trying to find a DIY method that would work without welding but it was a lot of work and pretty costly, it’s an easy weld if you use the angle iron method we show on the new video, and a heck of a lot cheaper / quicker
Big question brother. I want to do a 2 story build. should i mount my 2nd connex on top and frame everything out or should i frame everything then mount? Will the connex's be stable enough to cut out for framing with another on top?
Nice call out on the fridge! My dream house has under counter drawer refrigerators and they're $2300 a piece, getting appliances that match the aesthetic is a massive expenditure.
When not using closed cell phone on a shipping container I have seen many people having moisture issues. I’m curious to know if this container has moisture issues after the first year. Maybe the siliconized spray will help with that.
I live in Jamaica but I like these container houses here , it would cost me 5, 272. 320 not bad if we could've someone like you who knows exactly what is needed to make it complete. Thinking of coming to Jamaica look me up.
Every single video by this guy is a container home 400 level college course. So clean, informative and helpful. Wish there were more people out there like him. I hope he gets rich because he definitely deserves all the success. REEEESPECT!
A tour of finished container would have been nice.
Really appreciate your no-nonsense breakdown on these builds. Very informative and educational too. Thanks!
16:48 $32,952
Not all heroes wear capes! Thank you!
Thank you, mvp.
If anyone is interested in container home plans the best results that I have had was by following the Magic Container Plans (just google it) without a doubt the best course that I have ever followed.
There are several components to creating an amazing design. One place I discovered which successfully combines these is the Magic Container Plans (google it if you're interested) definately the most incredible info i've heard of. look at this great resource.
You the real mvp. Thank you.
People need to also factor in the property costs as well as the permit costs. In most areas you will have to obtain permits. With the property costs, there may be other associated costs too. Things like land clearing, well drilling, utility construction, foundation / pad, etc. While these can be cheap to build, I think its important for people to consider the other costs you didn't cover.
It sounds like a lot when you hear it, but realistically thats a whole house for less than the price of a new Toyota Tacoma haha. Plus there are certainly places where you could have trimmed the budget too. Overall great build!
@Sean Heim
WAIT! STOP! HOLD ON!
That TOTAL $$ amount is just the CONTRACTOR'S COST!!! And it is ALREADY at roughly $112/SqFt and does not include A LOT of other necessary items and expenses.
If you are not your own contractor, most GC's will not even consider a project like this unless it yields them AT LEAST a $10,000 profit in ~2-3 weeks, and likely MUCH MORE.
LAND/PROPERTY COSTS:
Purchasing Property or Renting/Leasing a home site??? $$$$ Also factor in annual Property Tax expenses.
BUILDING PERMIT COST:
This expense was not mentioned at all, and costs vary by municipality. You most likely will also need an Architectural Engineer to inspect, potentially modify, and approve the design & construction. $$$
NO SITE PREP WAS INCLUDED:
Grading, Driveway & Access, and FOUNDATION costs were NOT included. This is usually a Substantial Cost of any building project. It will depend on the existing site, the locale, and what the local building codes require for a shipping container home. Check your local city & county requirements PRIOR to starting your project.
NO UTILITIES or HOOKUPS:
Just the installation of a WATER METER can be $5k-$9k if it's not already installed at your site and you plan to use city or county water. You cannot do this installation yourself. It is done by an approved city or county contractor.
THEN you need the Fresh Water Supply run from the water meter to the house (Trenching, Pipe & Fittings, Labor, etc.). The distance and complexity or type of site will determine this cost...it could be $200, or $2,000+.
If you are lucky to have a safe potable water well or spring water, you will still need to get it plumbed to your house, obtain a certified water test, and have the plumbing permit signed off.
THEN you'll need a SEWER hookup (more trenching and pipe) or have a Septic System installed on your building site, unless you can live with a composting toilet. HOWEVER, check with local building codes if they will even allow this. There are also regulations on how your "grey water" is handled.
ELECTRIC SUPPLY & CONNECTION:
You will need an Electrical Service Connection run to the service entrance panel on the home from the local utilities. This can be costly, especially if your home will be a fair distance from the nearest power pole or underground service. If there is already another home on the property, its existing utilitiy service connection is most likely not adequate to supply both dwellings. Check the availability and cost at your planned building site.
INSURANCE (HOMEOWNER'S & FIRE/EARTHQUAKE):
In order to obtain Insurance, most municipalities require that there be a Fire Hydrant or significant accessible water supply within 600ft of your property. Check your city & county requirements. In addition, some companies may be reluctant to insure shipping container-based homes. Check with your available providers.
OFF-GRID ELECTRICITY:
It's crazy, but some municipalities do not even allow this. :/ But if you plan to be OFF-GRID, you will probably need to spend AT LEAST $10,000 for just a minimalist system that will adequately power all of your appliances and *maybe* a small HVAC system for a short period. And that's for a janky system.
A more realistic cost for solar and/or wind power would be $20k-$30k depending on how/where you source the components, and depending on who does the installation. ...And that is with Federal & State rebates. And you will need a permit and sign-off for this installation as well.
DELIVERY COST and PLACEMENT:
What will it cost to transport, place, and secure the finished container home ON YOUR SITE (if it is not built at your location in-situ)?
FENCING:
Will you need to install fencing to contain pets or secure children from nearby roads, etc. This can be a considerable cost depending on the size of your lot if it is not already in place or needs repair. Some municipalities have minimum requirements for this.
CREW/LABOR COSTS:
It depends on your personal skills and abilities. You most likely will need to hire at least several different tradesmen or subcontractors to complete your project. Make sure that ANYONE that you hire is Licensed, Bonded, and Insured. There are a growing number of people especially in the construction or "handy-man" trades who make a full-time living off of personal injury claims. :/
I'm sure that I'm overlooking a few other things as well.
I don't want to be discouraging or the Debbie Downer, but there will very likely be Significant Additional Expenses incurred in order to complete this type of project which will at least DOUBLE THE COST when everything is said and done.
DO THOROUGH RESEARCH FOR YOUR SPECIFIC REGION AND FOR YOUR PROPOSED HOME SITE.
@@bbfoto7248 I agree with most of that, but minimalist living and off-grid setup is less about the upfront cost and more about the long term benefits of a dependable, independent system. I have been in the process of drawing up plans for a few months now combining shipping container architecture with the 'earth ship' style features. Still going to be an expensive build, (a little less than or equivalent to a typical single-family home of that region) but long term self-sustainability cuts on costs in the future. Plus i have an intermediate level of construction experience, I am confident in being able to build probably about 65% of the house myself given I have the time, which will also cut down on costs.
@@TheCampingCrusader
Sounds good. 👍
I just wanted you and others to understand that there is A LOT MORE involved in this process besides just building and paying for The Structure Itself. ;)
This particular video was specifically focused on the *Minimum Cost* to CONSTRUCT a decent Shipping Container Home, and not necessarily on the long-term cost or environmental benefits, so my comments were aimed towards that and the additional expenses that will most likely be incurred which were NOT mentioned or included.
Building your home yourself will obviously allow you to end up with exactly what you want and need instead of a generic cookie-cutter home or someone else's design that might have features or space(s) that are a waste or inefficient.
For reference, my original custom-designed (by me) ~1,500 SF 3-bed/2 bath traditionally-built Spanish Colonial courtyard style stick-frame home cost $55/SF to build 25 years ago (that was a bargain price because I was close friends with the GC).
The undeveloped 5-acre property was approximately $26k at the time, located in the high-desert/foothills ~1.25 hours drive North of downtown Los Angeles. It's a semi-rural area where most of the properties are between 2.5-10-acres.
Water meter installation was ~$5k, and there was county water and a fire hydrant near the property. There was also a pre-existing local utility power pole at the front of the property to service the existing house across the street. Otherwise, at the time it would have been $22.50/ft to have power pulled to the site from an existing utility pole/source. I'm sure that price is much higher now!
Being Off-Grid negates this expense, but then you also don't contribute to the world at large by supplying your excess power to the local grid in order to reduce the production of "dirty power" that is produced by traditional utility companies.
The home is completely powered by a 12kw 23ft diameter 3-blade Bergey Excel wind turbine system on a 100ft high guy-wired lattice tower and produces a minimum of 130% of our family's monthly electricity use.
That system cost roughly $25k to purchase & install after subtracting the combined Federal, State, and SoCal Edison rebates at the time (which paid for nearly 50% of the total cost of ~$48k). It took about 7 years for the system to pay for itself and for our electricity to be completely free from then on.
At the time of installation, wind power was at least 50% more cost-effective compared to solar PV panel installations. Of course, you need wind of at least 6-7mph to start the turbine, and 4mph to maintain rotation, and a large enough property to accommodate it.
The advantage of wind power over solar PV is that it produces power At Night AND on Rainy/Cloudy Days as well...at least 50% more production potential. You must also get written approval from all of your adjacent neighbors and submit those documents to the county to obtain the installation permit for the system.
And there have been very minimal maintenance costs. It's a simple, proven direct-drive turbine generator.
The only real maintenance to perform are replacing the front & rear shaft bearings (guaranteed for at least 7 years of high-duty cycle use) and the pivot bearing & electrical contacts at the turbine's mounting point to the tower. Mine have not needed replacement yet!
There's also occasional replacement of a clear protective tape that's applied to the leading edge of each blade (5-year guarantee, $35 for the tape & $150 tower-climbing fee to replace it.) That's been done twice in ~25 years.
Oh, and if anyone is curious, I have not discovered a single dead bird resulting from my wind turbine in 25 years! And there are LOTS of birds in my area...ravens/crows, owls, hawks/falcons, turkey vultures, pigeons, doves, quail, cactus wrens, hummingbirds, road-runners, and sparrows/common yard birds, etc.
The property in this area remains at roughly the same price, but new home construction would be roughly $120-$180+/SF in 2020 (all-inclusive except for the land).
Many 1st time buyers/builders also overlook the importance of their home being a long-term investment in terms of resale value and market desirability.
You'll get the best ROI and resale potential by building a minimum of a 3-bed/2-bath home, as that is what 80% of the market NEEDS, even if it is a small SQ FT design.
A shipping container home will never increase in value to the same rate or level of a traditional home. This is especially true as the options for newer technology that are more versatile, efficient, and cost-effective come to market every year. IMO shipping container homes will become less & less desirable over time.
Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful and very impressive shipping container homes out there. But I would argue that these are the exceptions and were At Least As Expensive to build compared to traditionally-built homes of equal square footage (assuming the container home is built to "proper" standards).
I think that current and future options such as the modular, pre-fab, fold-out *Boxabl* type homes are the way of the future for affordable and efficient housing. They have their limits as well, but not nearly as many restrictions as building with shipping containers.
www.boxabl.com
IMO & from personal experience, shipping containers are a horrible, inefficient, and space- & design-restrictive ''base'' to build a home from. I've actually tried it when I decided to build a small guest house/granny flat from a shipping container to accommodate my many visiting relatives in the U.S. and Australia.
Due to the building codes in most locations, you basically have to do way too many modifications to the container, which results in having to basically build a stick-frame type structure within & around the already tight confines of the container(s).
That new, one-trip shipping container I purchased in order to build a guest house is now serving as my wood & metal shop + extra seasonal storage. ;)
I used SIPs and ordered simple, engineered-truss roof components to construct a very basic but efficient and comfortable rectangular detached guest house. The orientation, roof overhangs, and eaves were maximized for both winter and summer solar gains & rejection.
I designed all of the exterior dimensions to be multiples of the full-size measurements of common lumber & sheet-goods building products to minimize material use and waste. The money saved here was put towards nicer finish details and fixtures.
I'm confident that I built a more comfortable, energy-efficient and space-efficient living space for the same cost (or less) compared to using my shipping container, even with the need and cost of the flatwork...i.e. installing a concrete slab-on-grade foundation.
@@bbfoto7248 slow down man. He only gave you cost to build. Clearly said it. Lets Don't twist it. Of course there are other costs. You just wrote a book that obviously anyone with common sense will know when building a shipping container home.
@@TheCampingCrusader it's not even 1/4 of a house...
I have been trying to downsized for the last 9 yrs ,have gone to different tiny houses events and the prices have gotten ridiculous. I have been researching the shipping container homes for the last 2 years been looking for builders and everyone has been out of Florida was supper ecstatic coming across your page. I have sent an email about having a container built by you if possible once this covid19 is over. I'm in the frontlines of health care. I really want to meet with you and have my dreams of owning my little piece of heaven happen. Thank you for your information and looking forward to hearing from you.
@aileen cruz
Look into *Boxabl* and other modular/pre-fab options as well. IMO, homes based on shipping containers are not the most cost-effective and efficient way to go. Read my other comments/replies here to Sean Heim and check out
www.boxabl.com/
ruclips.net/video/i7yEDz6bCfU/видео.html
I used ceramic beads that add to my exterior paint...it lowered my external temp by 7-9 degrees...it is manufactured in cocoa,fl.. I think the name is hy-tech...
jim s I will have to check that out!
Great work, your channel has added a large deal to assisting myself in designing a container home. Keep it up! Very knowledgeable and informative
I really wanted to see a tour of the inside,. The outside of the home looked awesome.
It follows just after this video in the next video.
i think there is a link in the description
ruclips.net/video/BNgvdfmrTz0/видео.html
What does a foundation cost? Can we connect two or three to pass zoning square-footage restrictions?
Plus there is the cost of the land, utilities hookups & compliance costs with local land use regulator authorities. It was EXTREMELY helpful to get some construction cost parameters. Thank you for making this vid!
This was a great help! If I can build a container home for less than my car which is $60,000, sign me up!!!
It’s all bullshit. I looked into container homes about 5 years ago and found that it would cost at least $150,000 to just build a low end 1200 sqft model that would be shit to live in. Avoid these snakes who claim to build anything for $35,000.
great Video man. thank you for all the details. I find it very useful.
How do you ground something like that though if it gets struck by lightning you're basically toast right?
Terrific work thanks. It will be interesting to follow you through to mass producing container homes.
After U have been a contractor for awhile, say 30 or 40 years.. After U have acquired a greater knowledge and number of contacts, U are going to look back at this project.. U are going to easily see the ways that you can build this project WITH LABOR.. LARGER IN FACT! Planning and timing have to be almost perfect. It can be done for much less.. Good job.
No tienen masvarato queheso
It's not actually double though if you do 2 40 foot containers together? I want to do 5 together.
As a general contractor I don't feel that's bad and it's actually a decent amount. Hell, I think anything under $50K is good. Enjoyed the video.
Have you ever considered wraps like they do on cars? Like what about a wrap around the house that looks like the White House or a mansion or a log cabin or the Millennium Falcon, for example?
Okay, red dog is adorable. And the white one laying on ground is cute too. Thanks for going over the costs on a container home. It's good information.
This would have been cheaper then me remodeling my dad's existing house. My husband and I did the majority of the work ourselves. We put in new PEX plumbing and rewire the entire house. Remove rotten wood and built it back up. Removed wall panels and sheet rocked over the shiplap. Flooring, paint interior and exterior and new roof. We pretty much have a new house. If we do another project containers are the way we want to go. Thanks for sharing!
@ladybugcdl
I'm sure that your remodeled house has At Least DOUBLE the SqFt of a single shipping container home, though, right?
ALWAYS compare cost in terms of Price Per Square Foot of USABLE living space.
Another thing to consider is resale value and market desirability. Any home must always be considered as a long term investment and a hopefully appreciating asset.
If you look into it, due to most local building codes, building a home from a shipping container requires that you basically build a traditional stick-frame type construction within and around the confinements of the container.
IMO, there are just too many "work-arounds" that become expensive because traditional building practices and supplies will not work easily.
THE most expensive aspect of home building (any type) is LABOR. There are some newer solutions that minimize this cost.
YMMV, but look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/
Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution.
For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea.
Shipping containers may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages.
@@bbfoto7248 thank you for your reply. That is a good point regarding what could have been shipped in those containers. It would cost to much to do a chemical clean and add a Faraday cage interior before installation and sheetrock if that is possible.
The house remodel has cost over 60,000. I probably still could have built a newer eco friendly house with what we put into it. It turned out really nice being that it is on cedar post. It will due for now.
this is very interesting , but how much do you pay for the piece of land where you settle the container , and where and how do you get water ?
Man I was amped at the begging of this video... thanks a lot Blackout coffee, you got me over loaded!
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else is searching for best container homes try Jadonite Shipping Container Buddy (do a google search ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my partner got great results with it.
Awesome informative videos dude !!!
i just stumbled onto this series. As a former Union Commercial Plumber here in CA, I really appreciate the cost break down.
BUT the video is not dated, and its now May 2021. Things are in short supply and the pandemic has totally disrupted supply chains. I DO happen to be very near the Port of Oakland..containers are very abundant .
I can weld and use a plasma torch,,am familiar with building in general, have lots of tools. Still...if you giys happened to run a short in -person school " apprenticeship..Id be super interested.
I learned some good tips just by watching this video..such as the aluminum cladding for the window frames..impact windows..and the Stay Cool Spray stuff.
Im now 64, and my daughter and I are looking for property that has enough room to build an ADU for me in its yard.
Being in the Bay Area..there are sources of all different kinds and it is possible to locate some supplies at reduced prices.
I lilked you style of presentation and your expertise. Not boring, technical enough but not so foreign that non-construction people would be turned off.
one " constructive criticism" id suggest..SHOW the finished product . During the video,,i would have liked to see some more shots of each item as it was mentioned.
This is so brilliant! you absolutely makes me inspired! As a single mom I feel like picking up my powertool and actually learning this.
Why would you need to install an awning? Wouldn't the sealed roof be good enough? Is it for watershed, insulation, or both? If you want to save on cost, is it necessary?
Very informative, high-energy content, and cool shades! Thanks!
Appreciate the real dollar amounts. 👍🏻
It's very interesting and clean build, but I don't understand what's the profit in using container? Without it you'll don't have the constrains on the length and height.
This video was amazing! Really informative and insightful like the rest of your videos.
Would you consider creating shipping containers that need to remain transportable? Maybe removable siding, off grid setup...? Your thoughts?
Danielle oh for sure that is in the plan and design, it’s just hard to find affordable removable solutions but we are working on it!
@Danielle
Honestly, ask yourself how often you would want or need to move your shipping container home???
Usually, by that time, you, and/or your family's needs have changed and the shipping container home no longer satisfies your needs.
It's often not always a "simple" process to move a shipping container home. Think about plumbing, gas, sewer, and electrical hookups.
Depending on the building site, this can be a complicated and very expensive process to disconnect and then reconnect at a different site that has a completely different layout or requirements for utility connections. This could easily be $2,500 at each location, but more likely $5,000+.
If you do need a "portable" home, I would look into the Tiny Home trailer-based homes. If you look, there are LOTS of these on the market, both new and used.
A LOT of these come up for sale at drastically-reduced prices when couples or families outgrow them or become disenchanted with living in them long-term.
Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular home solutions are much more cost and space efficient...and safe. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/
Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution.
For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea.
They may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages.
YMMV
@@bbfoto7248 you have to have ûtf
@@bbfoto7248You definitely make valid points. Especially the likihood of poison within the shipping container. That would be a deal breaker.
a 40 ft container for 30k is an amazing price tbh.. these can have huge return on investment as airbnb etc etc
But if it was a 20x16 at that price though.
The Tiny House movement’s supposed to be about “affordable housing “. But too many people are doing this AirBnB thing and pushing the prices out of too many people’s reach. And $1200 for a mini-fridge bought by a guy with a contractor’s license???!!!! Criminal!
@@heyzeusghoti1483
@#Truth is Treason
Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular home solutions are much more cost and space efficient, safer, and a better ROI. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/
Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution.
For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they most likely have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life spans. You have no idea.
They may be a great solution and a cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many, if any, advantages.
YMMV
I am an architect and always looking for construction materials in balance with the environment. I think containerized housing is a good solution for those people who cannot afford the cost of conventional construction. Since the payment of a credit for this type of construction is more flexible than the financing and payment of the credit (for life) to a bank, for a classic home.
For me, making wooden houses is not a viable environmental solution, since many countries (especially the US) cut millions of trees to satisfy a public, their crafts and homemade DIYs. They are also houses, wooden ones, easily destructive, be it by woodworm, fires, tornadoes, etc.
I think that for young singles or young couples who want to have an affordable first home, it is a good solution.
I think that a good design, functional and depending on the place (hot or cold climates) can adapt to all this.
@Mundo Gio
Personally, I think that recent pre-fab and modular solutions are much more cost and space efficient...and safe. Look into *Boxabl* and similar products. www.boxabl.com/
Read my previous comments here to *Sean Heim* for details and further info on why I don't think shipping container homes are the way to go, even as a short-term solution.
For one, unless you buy a new and expensive "one-trip" container, they may have shipped very toxic and even potentially radioactive materials over their ~15 year in-service life span. You have no idea.
They may be a great solution and cash cow for a CONTRACTOR looking to expand his/her business, but for first-time home buyers I honestly don't think there are many , if any, advantages.
In addition, lumber and properly-managed forests are a green, renewable resource. While recyclable, steel, iron, and all metals are a finite resource.
YMMV
LOOKS GOOD. VERY DETAILED WITH WHAT IT COST YOU. THANKS FOR SHARING. 🇺🇲✌️👍
Excellent channel! It is a pleasure watching & listening to a real pro who knows what he is doing and can present himself clearly (possibly because it is the caffeine talking). But seriously, I hope your channel keeps you & your crews busy building quality container homes for years to come. You are certainly educating us all to think about going this route for affordable, sustainable living! A subscriber says thanks man...
@Alan McRae
Read *paul simmonds* comments here and also my comments to *Sean Heim*
There are A LOT of related costs that are not included here!
And on a *Per Square Foot cost comparison basis* my experience is that traditional building methods are less expensive and MUCH more versatile in terms of design and in creating a comfortable and EFFICIENT living space! (I've tried it!)
The paints that are used on shipping containers are toxic and would be banned from use in traditional living spaces.
Most people (even this contractor) do not realize that shipping containers also use Highly Toxic glues to bind their laminated wood flooring (made from slash-and-burn exotic Amazon rainforest woods as well). :/
These types of adhesives and the container flooring are actually banned in Australia for this very reason. Do some research and you can confirm this for yourself.
Used shipping containers will also have most likely transported many toxic or even radioactive cargos during their average 10-15 year lifespans. No thanks! I only discovered all of this after trying to build my own shipping container guest house. Caveat Emptor!
Shipping containers were NEVER meant to be used as dwellings!
Yes! Very helpful indeed. I would like to build one in bc canada . A small no frills 20 footer. Is it possible to build within $15000 ?under their building code? Kindly advise
Really good video with all the detail. Thank you.
It is helpful. It gives me idea. Thank you
Bro,, amazing info.. Truly appreciate you guys taking the time to help people out with this ...!! will be visiting your factory soon !!!!
Good job. Informative. Was put off at first but stuck with it and glad I did. QUESTION: how did you and that monster hurricane fare? Hope you fared better than some...
Have you ever traveled or would you be willing to travel if contracted outside of Florida?
So informative!!! I just went from curious to planning stages a few days ago and seeing your channel was confirmation for me. Great video.
Only serious cost breakdown I've seen. Subscribed.
Been checking out container homes and tiny homes for about two yrs. I just found your channel and I'm super happy that I found you. Great information and I appreciate it.
Wow, $500 for a mile away. I can’t imagine how much it will cost to transport from another state 100s of miles away. I love the innovative use of roof materials.
I live in VA so I'm a couple hours from the beach, I expect to spend a couple K in shipping alone.
The going rate for a hotshot to run one from Houston to San Antonio is $550-$600.
Can't beat $35k home these days, Especialy what's going on in this crazy world. Great home most defenitely great work.👍
This video is been very helpful and it's very nice of You to break down the cost like that for us.
The Build is great. However, I'm confused when you say you paid very little in labor cost. Each time you said you had a worker who helped you when you constructed something. Did you not pay him? Also the drywall... did you pay $2000 just for material or did they hang and finish it for $2000. Remember if you hired people you paid for labor. Please explain.
I been watching all your videos, great work, great ideas, you are one of the pioneers here with this type of construction. I have a couple questions, Do you really need to install a roof? is insulation and siding necessary on the exterior? even on a new container? Thanks
Their previous cost video covered what minimums you could get away with, things like siding are optional, but unless you happen to be somewhere where the climate is always nice then I'm pretty sure the insulation, at least, is a must when trying to live in something that will essentially be a heat conductive steel box otherwise...
Though, it can be just on the interior but that reduces available interior space and you'd have more insulation options for the exterior that can make it more cost effective... So, unless you need to keep it easily moveable the exterior insulation is usually the better option but you can also split the difference like they're doing with the 20' one they're working on now...
antonio sosa thank you for all the support!
To answer your question, no you do not need the roof or the siding, you just need to make sure you insulate really well if you don’t because the metal gets super hot, but you can paint it with the product we were talking about and that helps drastically... then leave it!
@@ZeoCyberG
@antonio sosa
If you insist on using a shipping container to build your home, you must insulate it from the OUTSIDE so as to keep condensation and moisture on the exterior, otherwise it will rust from the inside out and/or have a high probability of developing hidden interior toxic mold.
You must also have an interior/exterior fresh air exchange to keep condensation from breath and steam from hot showers, etcetera, from causing interior condensation.
Shipping containers use highly toxic glues to bind their laminated wood flooring (made from slash-and-burn exotic Amazon rainforest woods as well). Do some research and you can confirm this for yourself.
Used shipping containers will have most likely also transported many toxic or even radioactive cargos during their average 10-15 year lifespans.
Shipping containers were NEVER meant to be used as dwellings!
Read @paul simmonds and my comments to @Sean Heim as well.
Watching from Philippines.., Wow so amazing! Detailed and informative.
Maybe a video on how much it would cost if you had to put it on some kind of cement footing. Great videos. Thanks
Yea we need to see a tour to see the finish plus I want to thank you for this video you are the greatest
Really appreciate the channel laying out shipping container reality from a general contractor perspective. I think too many people get all amped up watching DIY and luxury container homes and confuse the costs between the vastly different results.
One question though; how much do you think the cost inflaites as you scale up containers? ie 2-3-5-etc.
Obviously the cost would involve sourcing the containers, but how much more of your line items would you just “double per container”?
What would you expect to pay for a one trip 40’ high cube container?
Thinking about adding a shopping container to my back yard as guest home to boost up property value or to rent out to bring in extra income. To you recommend?
Samuel Boynes sure thing! Air B and B that thing!
@Samuel Boynes
I tried to do exactly this. It depends on your location, but I would urge you to NOT DO this!
Read @paul simmonds post regarding the toxic flooring, and my previous posts to @Sean Heim for more detailed information and reasons why this IS NOT a good idea!
its sooo expensive to do shipping/prefab/modular homes from ground up. (ON the grid)....Land alone is crazy expensive, and then permits can be $30k ALONE. Then foundation.... its really cheaper just to buy an existing house.
Is it just me, or there's no show of the actual house done. Like the bathroom done, kitchen and windows. Also would be nice to have camera going all around to see the final product.
How much for one full made? All costs. 100% I'm ready to buy 2 or 3.
Very informative video thank you for this! Before jumping to the toor in the other video I wanted to ask, won't the aluminum roofing be very loud when it rains?
How did you solve the condensation within the walls for living in Florida.?
Let's say that I wanted to connect multiple containers to make a larger house, would I just multiply that base cost you provided or will there be some savings?
Unfortunately not at all, it gets exponentially more expensive when you get into multiple containers. We deal with this daily with clients trying to build 4000 sqft homes and we recommend they go conventional construction. There is a lot of cutting and welding required / restructuring and all of those trades are very expensive to preform. That is why most of our models try to keep as much of the original structure in place as possible
@@ContainingLuxury Thanks. That's very helpful.
Any chance you're hiring? Im in Miami Gardens amd would love to learn the trade. I really believe in what you're doing with alternative housing.
Correct me if I'm wrong, did he mentioned that he's a general contractor?
Great content & nicely list out!
I wanted to have this too in Philippine but after consider the cost, we might buy a used house at cheaper cost & renovate it :(
Do you have 4 pcs 40 ft container, 3 bedroom. 1st floor 2pcs 40 ft continer, 2nd flloe 2 pvs 40 ft. Container.
If you had your workforce dedicated to the build with appropriate trade labor priced out as well, and factoring in a comfortable profit margin, approximately how much would you retail that container for?
Gavin Swick I was hoping to be able to build one similar for a price around 50k, but we are passionate about building affordable strong housing, I think most other contractors wouldn’t want to do it for anything less than 75k+ just based on industry standards
Here is an idea, build one the cheapest way and meet all the coding. I would like to know how that will work? Thanks and good job!
Thank you for sharing this knowledge. How much would this cost if you put outsourced 100% of the labor with independent contractors? Can it be done under 60k? Thank you in advance
Good question! Check out our new video for 2022 total cost!
Great commentary and video. Get tired of those media hypes of misinformation like “Build a Container home for $ 5,000.oo.!! Just soo wrong. We are in Australia so you can easily add 1/3 to that price to get the exchange rate in AUD terms. Another added cost is understanding and implementing thermal transference minimisation and I like Steel welded window and door frames and minimal penetrations like screws. So lots of welded lugs!. Big effort! Thanks.
You should have gave us a walk-through tour listen to all that and didn't even get to see the finished product it simply beautiful from the outside
My dream. Someday hope sooner!!
80 man hours for additional help, how many hours of labor did you personally put in?
This is excellent!!! A whole house for less than $40,000.
Thanks for the breakdown. I am planning on building a container home.
Another great video and break down on container building clearly your ministry. Realistic data and still I will need labor assistance. OUTSTANDING.
Great video! I would love to see one focusing on exterior roof. I didn't think that I needed to do anything more than paint/seal.
Mikael you don’t need to we just wanted the additional over hang for rain and sun protection here is south Florida!
@@ContainingLuxury Ah, I see.
In Sweden where I live we do see a lot of rain and sometimes snow. Perhaps I should take extra care considering that also?
I have a standing opportunity to buy the 2 acres across the street from my current home.
Toying with the idea of building a house using between 4 and 6 tin cans. (Us old school truckers call shipping containers 'tin cans'.)
I just found your channel, and like with a couple others, I will be watching for new ideas to increase efficiency and cut building costs.
Thanks for the great information.
HiredGun 05 - do your mean you are a retired trucker? If so, wouldn’t it be less expensive to hire a trucker to move a container for ya? $500 a mile seems aLOT!
@@kellymurphy2917- I'm not sure where you got the $500/mile rate from.
I can rent my own truck and trailer and move them myself for $150/300 each total price (depending on location).
I can probably hire it done for the same price, but I will be held captive by that person's availability.
If I go the tin can route I can get one hauled up from a Savannah port for $500, but realistically I will be buying around Atlanta, so moving it will be about 1/3 of that cost.
Thanks for your response.
HiredGun 05- I got the $500 from the video-that’s what the guy said. It sounded high to me, and you sounded like you knew what you were talking about so I asked the question. So would you suggest hiring a trucker to do it? Not going with a company?
@@kellymurphy2917 , if he has the equipment to move it for you, yes. Or maybe a small trucking company with the equipment and manpower.
If the delivery of the tin can(s) are included in the price get an estimate and compare notes. Go with the deal that saves you the most money.
HiredGun 05 thanks for the input, good to know!!
Would you ever utilize those whirly turbines for the roof of a container for cooling and air circulation? Say like two for a 20 foot container home?
Joshua Rialto hmmm haven’t designed that way yet, but depends on where, most of ours are in such hot climates we don’t even think about anything but good insulation and a new AC :) but it may work, just make sure to water proof them really well
Hi guys, thanks for the great videos, can you please post the contact info for the staycool paint and the roofing deal please, thank you in advance!
Do you think, now after the fact, it is cheater for the aluminum cap or actual wielding for the frames? And which is for better quality?
Jackie-O Nichols welding for sure with the new method
This only method was only trying to find a DIY method that would work without welding but it was a lot of work and pretty costly, it’s an easy weld if you use the angle iron method we show on the new video, and a heck of a lot cheaper / quicker
In another youtube video, the guy mentioned having to sand blast the interior of the containers. Is that necessary?
Big question brother. I want to do a 2 story build. should i mount my 2nd connex on top and frame everything out or should i frame everything then mount? Will the connex's be stable enough to cut out for framing with another on top?
Can you give an estimate of the labor costs you would charge if you were building this for someone else (who is not getting a friend discount)?
Really Beautiful!!! Thanks for detailing all the prices!
Way to keep folks working 🙌🏼💪🏼🙏🏼🖖🏼
Awesome info , got me excited
You sound like seth Rollins the WWE wrestler.
Keep up the good work. All the best.
Thank you so much for these videos! Awesome Job! You gave me a lot of good insight and now I can be more realistic about the cost and build!
If you were local to me, I would volunteer a few days in order to gain experience in maintaining my place.
great video. question did you seal the original floor to prevent chemical leaching and gases escaping into the container home?
Nice call out on the fridge! My dream house has under counter drawer refrigerators and they're $2300 a piece, getting appliances that match the aesthetic is a massive expenditure.
I would like to see if you could put multiple containers together or on top of one another and how sturdy it would be.
It wouldn't unless you'll put extra reinforcement, because walls are structural and there are holes there now.
Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing this with me 😁👍👌
When not using closed cell phone on a shipping container I have seen many people having moisture issues. I’m curious to know if this container has moisture issues after the first year. Maybe the siliconized spray will help with that.
So the big question, how much does this unit sell for pre-foundation? Awesome work brother
I think 50-60k is really fair
@Triple Bottom Line
In that case, for a non-DIY'er, a *Boxabl* home becomes much more attractive.
www.boxabl.com
I live in Jamaica but I like these container houses here , it would cost me 5, 272. 320 not bad if we could've someone like you who knows exactly what is needed to make it complete. Thinking of coming to Jamaica look me up.
We are willing to ship to Jamaica. Give us a call or email daniel@containingluxury.com to discuss further.
Dude this gets a thumbs up just for the promised content!
If you have the skills you can shave some off that price. Though many towns require you to have a contractors license
Seriously, apts. In other countries...wow! So inspiring for pets!