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We are convinced there is no better way for cheap super strongbuildings that require the least effort & investment.
Yeah sure, but try and build one to suit your regulations here in Australia and that won't always be the case. If you are going to build your shipping container home here in suburban Australia you will rapidly come to the understanding that the whole appeal of the venture; being cheap, affordable or economical will be instead be quite surprising once you have constructed it to adhere to relevant codes and regulations. Sure the rumpus room or play room would be easy enough, but the home is a whole different issue. I think you would be battling even at the planning permission stage and tearing your hair out as they make you change it to make it look like it's conventional neighbors (more unnecessary cost).
Not only will you be battling to keep the costs within that threshold (that first tickled your fancy) but you will also be dealing with a lot of community backlash as the vast majority of the public do not find the image appealing.
As for ‘super strong’ you can only really say that for the 20 footers. As experience has had it the 40footers can sometimes be quite problematic.
In developing nations shipping containers have been used over and over again, I’ve built many units (ranging from staff dwellings to titration huts to gold rooms) for the major mining corporations in PNG and although they are a great starting point their biggest appeal is their ability to be shipped anywhere. Toward the end of it it was actually cheaper to construct something from scratch than it was to find, purchase and deck out a container shell.
The only (REALLY) successful Australian project was Skinner’s Playground by Phooey (‘foo-ee’) Architects (Melbourne) and that got some pretty good reviews and that was done on a very thin budget.
Although they can be stacked high you will also find that once you consider your mechanical and hydraulic services your costs would actually come close to the scenario if you were to actually start from scratch – so be a bit mindful that because they piece together well doesn’t automatically make them the ultimate candidate for high density. The shell is about 50% of the entire architectural composition.
I’ve put many proposals and competition entries together working on similar lines and for a solid 12 months all of my projects at uni were based around the modular unit or the shipping container. The truth of the matter is until these middled aged “I deserve everything” suburban stereotypes curb their attitude and become less obsessive about their socio-economic imagery and status, Australia will have no place for modular homes of this sort. At least on a level that they are affordable and economic and a decent DIY project. And if anyone is going to use the whole ‘green’ wishy washy bullshit then they need to think it all through again; the issue is entirely with attitude and understanding not about finding solutions that might work with the current attitudes.
In the meantime they will serve as great emergency shelters, excellent mobile plant rooms (gensets, fire pumps, compressors) and the occasional novelty dwelling but with regard to the context of suburban Australia it's a classic case of; if it was that easy everyone would do it.
Transfer
but I think the price is a bit stiff..
