shipping containers

According to Budget Direct, the average cost to construct a new house in Australia was nearly $314,000 in 2018. As construction prices are getting higher year-by-year, many people are looking for alternative building materials such as used shipping containers for sale. Apart from being storage units, they are also a popular repurposing material that has myriads of practical, innovative uses.

With the growing popularity of green premises all over the world, more people are opting for shipping container structures. There are countless unused containers available around the globe that can be used to create a home, office, apartment, school, emergency hospital and everything else.

If you are considering building a shipping container structure, there are a few pros and cons you should look at first. Keep on reading to educate yourself before you start building your own shipping container structure.

The Good Sides Of Shipping Container Structures

shipping containers

  • Robust Structural Qualities

Shipping containers are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions and bear heavy loads, and that’s why they are very safe for natural disaster-prone areas. Also, they are virtually indestructible and can be easily stacked upon each other to create multi-story buildings.

  • Portable Structures

With traditional structures, you don’t have the freedom to move your building from one location to another. Maybe you don’t want your home to stay at its original place permanently. Well then, building a shipping container house is what you should count on.

  • Quick to Repurpose

Building a traditional brick and mortar housing structure can take months. But this is not the case when you are constructing a structure using shipping containers. Most of these structures can be easily assembled within a few days and take roughly 2-3 weeks to get completed.

  • Easy to Procure

Another amazing thing about shipping containers is the fact that you can easily get them anywhere you want. Actually, a global system works for transporting shipping containers all around the world. Thus, they are easy to procure, making them an excellent choice for construction. Just a quick Google search can show you the nearest company that provides shipping containers for sale.

  • Cost-Effective

Repurposing shipping containers is a great way to save money as compared to traditional housing methods. They already have a suitable shape to be repurposed into houses. Thus, building a home out of them is a minimum of 30% cheaper than the same-sized brick and mortar structure.

  • Eco-Friendly

Doing something good for the environment is always noble. When you buy shipping containers from a company, you actually contribute to the environment by recycling and repurposing them. As most companies offer used containers, you are actually helping the environment by investing in such containers.

The Bad Sides Of Shipping Container Structures

  • Safety Issues

Sometimes it’s not possible to know what has been transported in a used shipping container. It can be anything from harmless goods to hazardous industrial materials. Also, shipping containers are not intended for human habitation and are made using elements like chromate, phosphorous and lead-based paints that are not suitable for humans. Thus, you have to ensure your container is free from these hazards before you start constructing your structure.

  • Insulation and Heat Management

As shipping containers are large steel boxes, they can easily absorb and transmit heat and cold. This makes them problematic for controlling the temperature inside the structure. Though you can use the correct type of insulation to reduce the effect, it can also further reduce the already limited interior space of the shipping container.

  • Refurbishing and Maintenance Work

Used shipping containers that are old and nearing the end of their life span tend to rust quickly. This is because they have been scratched and dented while transporting goods from one place to another. Therefore, such dents and scratches need to be repaired correctly before using the containers for construction.

Conclusion

Repurposing and constructing a shipping container structure can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. But it has both advantages and disadvantages. For instance, shipping container structures are cheap and portable, but they are not very well insulated. Before you buy a shipping container, just make sure you have the right amount of knowledge.

We hope this article has helped you make a fair comparison between the pros and cons of shipping containers and find out how good they are for your structural needs. In case you need shipping containers for hire or sale, Affordable Containers can help.

Author Bio: Huska Cehic is owner of Affordable Containers which was established in 2014.

We hope you found this blog post: The Good and The Bad Sides Of Shipping Container Structures, useful. Be sure to check out our post Transporting Shipping Containers by Various Means for more great tips!


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