Image from: Steelhaven
Are you interested in building a home with a small footprint? Consider joining the trend of living in shipping container homes. Despite the limited space, these dwellings offer surprisingly versatile floor plans. To maximize the interior of your storage container home, take your time in planning the final layout. Check out our guide for creating cozy floor plans on a budget-friendly 40′ used shipping container and learn more about the benefits of container living.
Advantages of Living in Shipping Container Home
If you’re considering converting a shipping container into a residence, you can anticipate enjoying the advantages of small living.
- The affordability of living in a shipping container allows many individuals to enjoy a mortgage-free lifestyle, with lower expenses for utilities and home maintenance.
- The energy efficiency of tiny homes reduces carbon footprint, and utilizing repurposed shipping containers instead of purchasing new ones can also contribute to environmental sustainability.
- Shipping container homes have a rapid construction time, typically taking only a few weeks to complete, which means you can move in more quickly than with traditional home builds.
- The advantage of portability is that it allows container homes to be relocated easily to new locations, providing flexibility and freedom of movement to homeowners.
- Shipping containers are renowned for their toughness and resilience, designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, making them a secure and long-lasting choice for constructing tiny homes.
- Customizability is one of the significant advantages of shipping container homes, allowing individuals to personalize their living spaces with unique floor plans and custom interior design details to fit their particular preferences and lifestyles.
Prioritize Practical Needs When Planning
Before designing your shipping container into a tiny home, it’s important to consider the logistics of daily living. This means taking into account key factors such as:
- Select a suitable place for your container home and decide on its placement on the property.
- Plan out the placement of doors and windows carefully as it can affect the stability of the container home when holes are cut out for these additions.
- Including a pitched roof in your container home design is recommended to prevent water accumulation.
- Consider the most effective type and amount of insulation your container home will need based on location.
- When designing your container home, decide whether to connect it to local utilities or embrace off-grid options such as solar panels and rainwater catchments.
Creating 40ft Shipping Container Home Floor Plans
The most exciting part of choosing a container home is planning out the interior. When designing homes from shipping containers, floor plans need to make the most of every available inch of space.
Standard plans for a container house typically involve using a single 40’ x 8’ container, providing 320 square feet of living space. But, you can increase the area by merging multiple containers into a single dwelling; you can position them beside each other and/or stack them on top of each other.
Option 1: The Single Story
This design features a single-story layout, complete with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. The main entrance is at the end of the container, with large windows on either side.
Image from: Steelhavenhome
Option 2: The Split Level
This design features two stories, with the living room and kitchen on the ground level and the bedrooms upstairs. The container is split in half, with a set of stairs connecting the two levels.
Image from: homedit
Option 3: The Loft
This design features a lofted bedroom, accessed by a set of stairs located at the end of the container. The remaining space is used for the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
Option 4: The L-Shaped
This design features an L-shaped layout, with the living room and kitchen on one side and the bedrooms on the other. The container is split in half, with the L-shape adding some additional space and dimension.
Image from: contemporist
Option 5: The Expandable
This design features a clever expandable design, where the width of the container can be doubled using a sliding mechanism. The main living space is located in the wider section, with a bedroom and bathroom in the narrower section.
Image from: Shipping Container Homes & Buildings
Here are some additional tips for optimizing the space in your shipping container home
- If you’re looking to maximize the interior space of your shipping container home, a high cube container may be a good option to consider. High cube containers are similar in length and width to standard containers but have an additional foot of height, providing extra volume and ceiling height.
This additional space can be beneficial if you plan to incorporate features such as lofts or mezzanines into your home, or if you simply want to create a more spacious and open feel. High cube containers also provide more natural light and ventilation options, allowing for greater flexibility in design.
- Create a lofted area for your bedroom to free up the floor space below.
- Choose furniture pieces that have built-in storage, such as a couch with a bench seat that lifts up or stairs with built-in drawers that lead up to a loft.
- Install a Murphy bed to maximize your living space and turn your sleeping area back into a flexible daytime living space.
Conclusion
In conclusion, living in a shipping container house offers a range of advantages, including affordability, energy efficiency, and low-maintenance living. The customizability factor allows homeowners to create a personalized living space that meets their unique needs and preferences.
When having a house plan to construct a shipping container home, it’s important to prioritize practical needs to ensure comfortable daily living, including careful selection of location, placement of doors and windows, and appropriate insulation.
Designing plans including dynamic floor plans that maximize available space is another key factor in building successful shipping container homes. By keeping these considerations in mind, you can create a beautiful, sustainable, cost-effective, and incredibly functional home from a simple shipping container.
At On-Site Storage Solutions, we understand that each individual has their own specific shipping requirements. This is why we offer a wide range of shipping container dimensions and types to meet a variety of needs. Whether you require a standard or specialized container, our vast selection has got you covered.
We take pride in our committed customer service team, who are always available to assist you in finding the perfect container to suit your unique specifications. If you’re interested in any of our services or have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 888-405-8772. We’re excited to help you streamline your cargo container house plans with our top-quality shipping containers.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Shipping container homes can be designed to be energy-efficient. With proper insulation, ventilation, and sustainable energy systems, such as solar panels, these homes can greatly reduce energy consumption. However, it’s essential to work with an architect or designer experienced in container home construction to maximize energy efficiency.
The cost of building a 40ft shipping container home can vary depending on various factors such as location, design, finishes, and construction materials. On average, the cost can range from $10,000 to $150,000, excluding the cost of land and site preparation.
Yes, one of the advantages of building a shipping container home is the flexibility in interior layout customization. Shipping containers can be modified and combined to create various spaces, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and living areas. Working with a professional architect or designer will help you create a layout that suits your needs and preferences.
Like any other home, shipping container homes do require ongoing maintenance. Regular inspections for rust, leaks, and structural integrity are recommended. Additionally, maintaining the insulation, plumbing, electrical systems, and exterior paint will help ensure the longevity and durability of the container home.
