Today there is the opportunity to build a cozy, beautiful house of modules. Frame houses have long won their niche in the market. Today, a different technology is being developed. Container houses are slowly gaining in popularity. This is due to the simplicity of the construction work, as well as an acceptable cost. What is housing from containers will be discussed below.
general characteristics
Container houses (photo below) are a relatively new technology in our country. In Western countries, this practice has long been popular. Given that the cost of housing today breaks all records, this option is quite acceptable. It is also worth noting that European and American practice has proved that housing can be built from sea freight containers that will meet modern requirements.
Such buildings today can be installed even in cold climates. For this, a full insulation of the container is carried out. Such houses are installed in cottages as suburban housing. If you combine several containers into a single system, you can create a full, spacious cottage.
Today, construction companies are just beginning to master the presented construction technology. At the same time, existing norms and rules for the placement of container platforms near residential buildings, requirements of existing standards are taken into account. Therefore, these apartments are cozy, safe and spectacular.
You can buy containers at an affordable cost. To build one full-fledged house, it will take about 5-6 boxes. If you want to build a small summer cottage, you can limit yourself to one container. Almost everyone can buy such housing. If you put two containers at a short distance from each other, you can cover them with one roof. This will create additional living space.
If you entrust the creation of the project to a professional designer, he will create an original building out of several containers. Unique authoring can decorate any site. At the same time, the cost of construction will decrease by at least 30%, when compared with conventional housing.
Project
It is worth noting that in our country at the moment it is unlikely to be able to find a finished house project from containers. Therefore, it is rather a creative work. There are no standards for the installation of container sites. From residential buildings, they can be located in close proximity. Such buildings, if properly designed, will be able to decorate the landscape.
This idea became popular thanks to the work of the American architect Adam Culkin. He built the first container house as a creative experiment. This idea quickly spread around the world. Especially it became popular in France. Today, container house construction is a lucrative business. It is mastered by domestic companies.
Finished projects first appeared in Western countries. Factory production of container houses has been established. In this case, a project is created by which a semi-finished product or model is executed. It pre-laid electrical communications, heating, rough floors and walls. There are also windows and doors.
In this form, models are delivered to the object. Here they are collected in a single house. This significantly reduces the construction period. In the future, in Western countries it is planned to establish the production of universal semi-finished products for container-type houses. This will further reduce the cost of such housing. It is worth noting that there are no standards for installing a container site from residential buildings. This is a full-fledged housing that obeys standards, SNiPs, etc.
In our country, this has not yet been practiced, but this niche will soon be occupied and will actively develop. Currently, you can order an individual project of a house from containers. It will be a creative, authorial work. These similar homes also attract buyers.
Benefits
Different designs of container-type houses have identical advantages. Therefore, their popularity is gradually increasing. This is a reliable design, which is characterized by high strength, durability. Moreover, the internal space is enough to equip a comfortable room.
Other advantages of such housing are reasonable cost, non-susceptibility to attacks by rodents and other pests, as well as resistance to various adverse environmental influences. Even hurricanes and earthquakes are not terrible for such a house.
Modular or frame houses of container type are being built very quickly. At the same time, such a structure can be installed on sites of almost any type, regardless of the type of soil. If you plan to build a small structure, you do not need to create a foundation.
From containers you can build a house in several floors. When transporting sea cargo, such containers are installed one on top of the other. The number of rows can reach 10 pieces. From such material, you can create both temporary and permanent housing. Containers go well with other building materials.
Dimensions and cost
When designing a container house, the architect must take into account the dimensions of each individual structural element. They are standard. Containers can be of two types. The first category has an area of 15 m². These are twenty foot containers. The second type of structure has an area of 30 m². These are forty-foot containers.
You can combine these two types of modules. They are combined in accordance with the designer's idea. The placement options for such containers can be very different. You can install them one on top of the other. This is how multi-storey buildings turn out. Each container is a new building module. You can supplement them with other building materials. Thus, full-fledged rooms, terraces, balconies, etc. are obtained. The ceiling height is usually obtained about 2.7 m. Width can vary from 2.5 to 5 m.
The construction of a container house will be relatively inexpensive. The price depends on the area of the future structure. On average, the cost of one square meter is approximately 32.5 thousand rubles. At the same time, the price includes foundation building, installation and construction work, as well as decoration on the outside and inside the facility.
This cost corresponds to the construction of a house that is completely ready for people to live in it. For comparison: the cost of an apartment in a new building without finishing is an average of 68 thousand rubles. per square meter. For a country house, the cost is 58 thousand rubles. per unit area.
Construction process
Modular container houses are building fast. First, one or more modules are purchased. It depends on the project drawn up by the architect. A layer of old paint is removed from the container. For this, a sandblasting apparatus is usually used. Next, the container is repainted. When the layer dries, the structure is installed in the space provided for it.
The hardest thing, according to builders, is to fit and create an interior inside such a box. If desired, you can trim different parts of the structure. At the same time, integrity is maintained. If you overdo it with such a fit, you can ruin the container. To prevent this, you need to remember that the module must always be at 4 corners.
If the customer needs a medium-sized house (about 60 m²), its turnkey construction will take 2-3 months. Housing from containers of 90 m² can be built in 3-4 months.
Foundation
There are a number of recommendations on how to strengthen the foundation of a container-type house. If it is very small (change house from one module), you can not create a base at all. Just carefully leveled and rammed the soil. The larger the structure, the stronger the foundation it will need.
If you plan to create a two- or three-story house, it is best to install the structure on a tape reinforced foundation.
Containers have a rather large mass. This must be taken into account when planning construction. Sometimes it is required to create a monolithic foundation. To do this, buy cement grade M400. It is mixed with water and sand in order to obtain homogeneous concrete. They make it the foundation.
To make the base of the house last longer, special plasticizers are added to the concrete. You can purchase a dry mixture in which all the necessary components have already been added to the plant. In this case, you only need to add water and achieve the correct consistency.
In accordance with the construction plan, formwork is constructed from boards. Concrete mortar will be poured into it. Reinforcing mesh is made of metal rods. It is laid in a trench. Next, you need to prepare the solution using a concrete mixer. Gravel, sand is poured into the trench, a layer of waterproofing is lined. Next, cement is poured. When it dries (not earlier than after 3 weeks), you can begin the subsequent work on the construction of a container house.
Installing Modules
Container-type houses require proper processing of the material of the box itself. Coloring is carried out in several stages. After removing the layer of the old coating, iron red oxide is applied to the surface. This is necessary so that the material does not collapse under the influence of adverse environmental factors.
After that, the container is treated with lead minium. The final step is to cover with special heat-resistant paint. After processing, the module is installed on the foundation. Between themselves, the containers are fixed by welding. When the structure is firmly installed on the base, external and internal decoration is performed.
Partitions and the floor of the container house are built as in conventional structures. The walls are usually sheathed with drywall. First you need to install thermal insulation with foil on them. A thick layer of insulation material is installed outside the container. Otherwise, the interior of the house will decrease. Next, the container is sheathed outside with siding. The house will be not only warm, but also beautiful.
To fasten several containers together, special corners or pipes are used. Such elements are mounted both outside and inside the structure.
If there were partitions in the container before, they are removed. This is necessary to create an interior in accordance with an existing project.
If the structure will consist of more than one floor, then it will need to be further strengthened. For this, profiled pipes, channels are used. The material thickness of such additional structural elements should be at least 2 mm. Such reinforcing structures are fixed to the supporting walls.
Work on strengthening the frame is carried out inside and out. In this case, you can cut additional windows and doors. To do this, you just need to use the grinder. The edges formed during the slices are processed using special tools.
Warming
Container-type houses can be insulated. In this case, they can be operated year-round in different climatic conditions. If you plan to receive guests only in the summer, you can do without insulation. However, the presence of thermal insulation will have a positive effect on the indoor microclimate.
In addition to the insulation, sound insulation will be required. Metal transmits sounds well from the outside, so it is advisable to pay due attention to this issue. Even in a quiet area, people in the house can be awakened by the sound of rain, wind, and more. Soundproofing will make your stay indoors comfortable.
When creating insulation, it is worth considering that metal is a cold material. Even with an optimal heating system, it will be cold inside. Also, the metal heats up quickly if the sun shines on the house. Therefore, a layer of high-quality thermal insulation is not only desirable, but also practically necessary. Along with this, you need to think through a ventilation system.
Container houses are insulated with different materials. Most often it is polyurethane foam or mineral wool. The layer thickness should be sufficient so that the heaters fulfill the functions assigned to them.
When choosing mineral wool, it is better to give preference to materials in the plates. They have more rigidity. Polyurethane foam is a relatively new option for insulation. It protects the house from heat loss. It is also good soundproofing. The cost of warming with polyurethane foam is high. Its application requires special equipment. However, the high price pays off during operation. The useful life of a polyurethane foam insulation is at least 20 years.
In some cases, it is possible to save and surface the container with foam or polystyrene foam. The second option is preferable. These are inexpensive materials that can also be used as insulation and soundproofing. It is necessary to choose the correct thickness of the sheet to avoid heat loss in the winter.
Sheet materials are attached to surfaces using plastic pins. The latches are screwed into the container in advance. After creating a layer of insulation, it must be covered with waterproofing. It can be a regular plastic film.
Exterior finish
Container houses can be finished with different materials. Preliminary preparatory work. First you need to build a crate. It is made of metal profiles or wooden battens. The first option is preferable. Sheets of OSB or moisture-proof plywood will be fixed on the crate.
Exterior finish can be done with siding, decorative plaster, block house or plastic. Some owners of such structures trim them with artificial or natural stone.
The appearance of the container house can be very different. The author’s fantasy here is almost unlimited. Each of the above finishing materials provides a wide field for creative imagination. There are various textures and colors on sale.
The outer surface is pre-primed. Then it will be possible to mount the corresponding cladding on it. It can be a natural or artificial stone. The layer is fixed with cement mortar or special glue.
You can finish the facade with plaster. For this, spatulas of different sizes are used. After solidification, an interesting texture is formed on it. It will be possible to paint the plaster in any color.
If you need to install any panels (for example, siding or block house), you will need to pre-mount the crate.
Interior decoration
To make the finish indoors, you need to level the surface. It will be possible to mount the desired finish on it. Plasterboard sheets can be used for interior cladding. They can be pasted over with wallpaper, painted or plastered. Almost all interior materials will be available in this case.
Since the height of the ceilings will not be too large in a container house, it is not worth creating multilevel structures in such rooms. You can install the stretch fabric, finish the surface with drywall. In the latter case, the surface can be painted or plastered.