Jimmy from Costa Rica contacted me about a new home he has developed for his business ContainerHome.net which we covered in a post back in July. There seems to be lots of container homes being developed lately, it’s good to see these used containers being recycled.
A 20ft standard ISO shipping container converted into a small apartment.
A shipping container with a giant unfolding door. The size of the opening of the unit can be done with several options depending on the client’s budget.
We will be installing the motor next month, so for now we are using a long cable and my truck to open the sidewall. A 12V wench should lift the 1000lb sidewall. This is the total weight of the cutout, the reinforced steel and the wooden deck. With this particular project, we are going with a pulley system most commonly used for small bridges and very large doors.
These small tiny homes sell for $15,000, not including international transportation.
The items included in the container home is:
- Insulation and wallboard.
- Electric connections and fixtures (240 volts)
- Finished Kitchen (sink, counter, shelves)
- Finished Bathroom( shower,toilet,sink)
- Glass sliding door.
- Louvered glass window
- Lights.
- Finished floor.
- Wooden deck
- Painted inside/outside
- All Labor and Local Taxes
The estimated time required to build this home is 6 weeks.
The future of our 20ft home is “Off the grid”!
- Solar power, Being used with low energy appliances and a conservative use of electricity. Propane refrigerator.
- Rain water catchment systems/ Water from air converters.
- Incinerator toilets/Composting toilets.
- Wind power.
- River water generators.
- Location of the container home to maximize wind exposure and minimize sun exposure.
- Placement of fast growing trees and Bamboo for sun protection.
- The use of high RV factor paint and proper insulation.
- A-frame roof system and space creation between insulation and wallboard to minimize the heat.
Thanks Jimmy for the update and good luck with your new product. For more information and pictures of this home visit Jimmy’s website Container Homes.
Jimmy gives you a video tour of the new model.
I’m drooling over Jimmy’s fantastic trailer homes! Theres even the Lot in Costa Rica for $60k with the Container home,I hope to be a customer in the near future!
is there a printed floor plan and can the plan be changed? How much to transport to site location?
I was poking around the site and found the floor plans here – if you look around more you’ll see the link for transportation costs. I didn’t go there, so no idea about that!
http://www.containerhomes.net/Designs-Containerhomes/Model_Designs.html
Very nice… looks extremely well put together. Love the deck. The ability to entirely close it, yet lower it easily would make it a particularly good seasonal place. Hope you market world wide some day…
Nice design, clean and airy. I like this.
You could always cut the deck in half, thirds or quarters to make it easier to move.
Check out this shipping container conversion from here in New Zealand, it is an upscale version of Jimmy’s and is to die for!
http://www.port-a-bach.com/
I’ve been a huge fan of theirs for a while now, and I have to say: simply living in New Zealand would be to die for, especially in one of these, w/compost toilet/solar panels you can wheel about. Thanks for the link, I’d not seen the shot with the tenting on it: gorgeous step, isn’t it?
Beautiful. A little fancy for me, but one would hope the option to un-Luxe it would exist/appear. I admire the sturdiness of container homes- but like some of the Tortoise Homes with their sliding glass entries, I have yet to live anywhere safe enough for a wall of glass. I know how I’d like my windows, for sure… but within Costa Rica, I am sure you’d want the louvered windows for cross ventilation. Beautiful.
Really interesting. I wonder how you tackle the problem of moisture in the walls and the possibility of condensation. Do you use a full vapor barrier?
Thanks
Michael
All of these are very appealing, but what they don’t tll you if you need the land $$$$ and you need water and power hooked up $$$$ and if you live in a cold climate you really need insulation $$$$$. Thes are not small investments, they are mortgages and high unlss you have mucho mony to put down and make them look like these