Now that you’ve made up your mind that you want to buy a shipping container home, you need to get over the next hurdle; finding out how to buy one. Fortunately, the process itself isn’t as complicated that what most people would anticipate. The main difficulty lies in installing utilities into the home, such as plumbing and electricity. Everything else, in a sense, is secondary. Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy a shipping container home.
Finding out where to buy shipping containers
There are shipping container providers that have the capabilities of operating on a global scale, but it’s not always wise to engage their services. Depending on your country of residence, you could potentially rack up hundreds or even thousands of dollars in transportation fees. That’s not what you want. Instead, you should always start by searching for a shipping container provider that operates locally.
For America’s population, you have shipping and transportation directories that can assist you on your quest. Sea Box and America Mobile Office are two popular choices that operate within this space. Your best bet is to check out what they have to offer.
Tips for selecting shipping containers
Not many people know this, but you can refer to a container’s ID number to get a good estimate on the age of the prospective shipping container. It’s ideally better to get one hasn’t aged.
It’s also wise to opt for bulktainers. They’re mostly used to store and transport dry goods, which eliminates the chance of you getting a container that’s been tainted with poisonous chemicals and harmful substances.
Designing your shipping container home
Now that you’ve got the hassle of purchasing a shipping container out of the way, you can finally focus on actually designing it. There are companies all around the world that specialize in this area, and it’s usually a better idea to consult these experts.
Alternatively, you can always make use of a container home designing kit. It’s not always recommended, which is why it’s probably better for you to engage a professional instead.
Constructing your shipping container home
The entire construction process is fairly simple since shipping container homes make use of a modular design. Everything can be connected seamlessly. The difficult part, once again, lies in the insulation and utilities. Any mediocre architect will have the capacity to have all everything installed for you, but you’ll always have the option of ordering a shipping container that has everything done up for you through Sea Box.
Permits and legalities
There are certain areas that prohibit the use of steel for home construction, which makes it paramount for you to verify whether your area permits container homes. You don’t want to have everything completed already only to realize that you can’t live in it.
Final thoughts
It’s absolutely exciting to buy shipping container homes, especially your first one. But don’t let that excitement distract you from the important details that you should be paying attention to. Other than that, building the shipping container home of your dreams should be a piece of cake.
