Building a Shipping Container Home: How to Plan, Start and Purchase

Did you know that more than 60% of millennials are interested in living in a tiny home? If you are a fan of the tiny home movement and interested in building a shipping container home, you are in the right place. We have put together this short guide to share everything you need to know about building these types of tiny houses.

Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of getting your container home started.

1. Planning and Permits

The first step is to plan out your build and also fill out the forms for the permits you need to start your container home build. Before ordering any containers you need to make sure you check with your local county to fill out all of the necessary building code permits and pay any fees associated with each permit.

We highly recommend working with a structural engineer and an architect during this process to make sure that the floor plan that you have in mind is structurally correct and safe. We also recommend finding an architect that has experience working with shipping containers because they are different from traditional house builds.

2. Purchase Your Container

Once your permits are approved you will want to find your perfect container or containers to start building. You can click here to find a container that fits your needs. One of the most popular shipping container sizes used for homes is a 40′, high-cube container.

This size will give you about 320 square feet of living space. Depending on how large you want your container home you can stack multiple containers as needed or build them side by side.

3. Prepare the Land

While you are waiting for your shipping container to be delivered you can prepare your land. Make sure that the ground is level and choose the type of foundation that you want to place your containers on in order to keep it elevated from being directly on the ground.

It is best to have a foundation in order to not have to deal with moisture from the soil. You can choose wooden support or a concrete foundation.

If you opt for a concrete foundation you might want to add embedding steel plates into the concrete where you will put the corner blocks of the container home. Doing this will let you weld the shipping containers right on the concrete foundation, giving you a more solid ground.

The other thing you want to think about is making sure that there is a clear path for your container or containers to be delivered. Clear any areas that will make it difficult to position your container where you want it to go.

Feeling Like a Pro About Building a Shipping Container Home?

We hope that now that you have read our guide above about building a shipping container home, you are feeling excited and confident moving forward with your build.

If this blog post helped you out, please continue browsing this section to make sure you do not miss any of our other home tips.