Today there is an opportunity to build a cozy, beautiful house from modules. Frame houses have long won their niche in the market. Today, a different technology is being developed. Container houses are gradually gaining popularity. This is due to the ease of construction work, as well as reasonable cost. What constitutes housing from containers will be discussed further.
General characteristics
Container houses (pictured 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 proven that it is possible to build housing from sea cargo containers that will meet modern requirements.
Such buildings today can be installed even in cold climates. For this, a full-fledged warming of the container is carried out. Such houses are installed in summer cottages as suburban housing. If you combine several containers into a single system, you can create a full-fledged, spacious cottage.
Today, construction companies are just beginning to master the presented construction technology. At the same time, the existing norms and rules for placing container sites near residential buildings, the requirements of current standards are taken into account. Therefore, such apartments are cozy, safe and effective.
You can buy containers at an affordable cost. To build one full-fledged house, you will need about 5-6 boxes. If you want to build a small country cottage, you can limit yourself to one container. Almost everyone can buy such a home. 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 from several containers. Unique author's work 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 ready-made house project from containers. Therefore, it is rather a creative work. There are no regulations for the installation of container sites. From residential buildings, they can be located in close proximity. Such buildings, if properly designed, canbeautify the landscape.
This idea became popular thanks to the work of American architect Adam Culkin. He built the first container house as a creative experiment. This idea quickly spread around the world. It became especially popular in France. Today, building houses from containers is a profitable business. Domestic companies are also mastering it.
Ready-made designs appeared for the first time in Western countries. Factory production of container houses has been established. In this case, a project is created, according to which a semi-finished product or model is performed. It pre-laid electrical communications, heating, subfloors and walls. Windows and doors have also been installed here.
In this form, the models are delivered to the object. Here they are collected in a single house. This significantly reduces the construction time. 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 should be noted that there are no norms for installing a container platform from residential buildings. This is a full-fledged housing, which is subject to standards, SNiPs, etc.
In our country, this is not yet practiced, but this niche will soon be occupied, will be actively developed. Currently, you can order an individual project of a house from containers. It will be a creative, author's work. These houses also attract buyers.
Benefits
Various house designscontainer type have identical advantages. Therefore, their popularity is gradually increasing. It is a robust design, which is characterized by high strength and durability. At the same time, there is enough internal space to equip a comfortable room.
Other advantages of such housing are reasonable cost, resistance to attacks by rodents and other pests, as well as resistance to various adverse environmental influences. Even hurricanes and earthquakes are not afraid of such a house.
Modular or container-type frame houses are 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 will not need to create a foundation.
From containers you can build a house with 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 work 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 20 foot containers. The second type of structures has an area of 30 m². These are forty-foot containers.
You cancombine these two types of modules. They are combined in accordance with the designer's idea. Options for arranging such containers can be very different. You can install them one on top of the other. This is how multi-storey buildings are obtained. Each container is a new building module. You can complement them with other building materials. This is how full-fledged rooms, terraces, balconies, etc. are obtained. The height of the ceiling is usually about 2.7 m. The width can vary from 2.5 to 5 m.
Building a container house is relatively inexpensive. The price depends on the area of the future building. On average, the cost of one square meter is approximately 32.5 thousand rubles. At the same time, the price includes the creation of a foundation, installation and construction work, as well as finishing outside and inside the object.
This cost corresponds to the construction of a house, 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.
Building process
Modular container houses are being built quickly. 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 sandblaster is usually used. Next, the container is repainted. When the layer dries, the structure is installed in the place allotted for it.
The most difficult thing, according to the builders, is to fit andcreate an interior inside such a box. If desired, you can cut off different parts of the structure. This maintains integrity. If you go too far with this fit, you can ruin the container. To prevent this, you need to remember that the module must always stand on 4 corners.
If the customer needs a medium-sized house (about 60 m²), turnkey construction will take 2-3 months. 90 m² container housing 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 quite small (change house from one module), you can not create a base at all. The soil is simply carefully leveled and rammed. 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 strip reinforced foundation.
Containers have a fairly large mass. This must be taken into account when planning construction. Sometimes it is required to create a monolithic foundation. To do this, they buy cement grade M400. It is mixed with water and sand in order to obtain a homogeneous concrete. They make it the foundation.
To make the foundation of the house last longer, special plasticizers are added to the concrete. You can purchase a dry mix, in which all the necessary components have already been added at the factory. In this case, you only need to add water and achieve the correct consistency.
In accordance with the construction plan, formwork is being erected from boards. Concrete will be poured into itsolution. Reinforcing mesh is made from metal rods. She is placed in a trench. Next, you need to prepare the solution using a concrete mixer. Gravel, sand are poured into the trench, a layer of waterproofing is lined. Next, the cement is poured. When it dries (not earlier than after 3 weeks), you can proceed to the subsequent work on the construction of a container residential building.
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 minium 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 processed with red lead. The final stage is the coating with a special heat-resistant paint. After processing, the module is installed on the foundation. The containers are fixed to each other by welding. When the structure is firmly installed on the base, exterior and interior decoration is carried out.
The partitions and 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 insulating material is placed outside the container. Otherwise, the interior space of the house will decrease. Next, the container is sheathed on the outside with siding. The house will not only be warm, but also beautiful.
To fasten several containers togetherspecial 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 must be at least 2 mm. Similar reinforcing structures are fixed to load-bearing walls.
Work to strengthen the frame is carried out inside and out. In this case, additional windows and doors can be cut. To do this, you just need to use the grinder. The edges formed during the cuts are processed using special tools.
Insulation
Container houses can be insulated. In this case, they can be operated all year round in different climatic conditions. If you plan to receive guests only in the summer, you can do without warming. However, the presence of thermal insulation will have a positive effect on the indoor climate.
In addition to insulation, soundproofing 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 so on. It is soundproofing that will make staying indoors comfortable.
When creating insulation, it is worth considering that metal is a cold material. Even with the optimalheating system inside will be cold. 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 practically necessary. Along with this, you will need to consider the ventilation system.
Container houses are insulated with different materials. Most often it is polyurethane foam or mineral wool. The thickness of the layer must be sufficient for the insulation to perform the functions assigned to them.
When choosing mineral wool, it is better to give preference to materials in slabs. They are more rigid. Polyurethane foam is a relatively new type of insulation. It qualitatively protects the house from heat loss. It is also good soundproofing. The cost of insulation with polyurethane foam is high. Its application requires special equipment. However, the high price pays off in the process of operation. The useful life of polyurethane foam insulation is at least 20 years.
In some cases, you can save money and finish the container surfaces with Styrofoam or Styrofoam. The second option is preferable. These are inexpensive materials that can also be used as insulation and sound insulation. It is necessary to choose the right sheet thickness to avoid heat loss in winter.
Sheet materials are attached to surfaces with plastic pins. The clamps are pre-screwed into the container. After creating a layer of insulation, it must be covered with waterproofing. It can be ordinary plastic wrap.
Exterior trim
Container houses can be finisheddifferent materials. Preparatory work is being carried out. First you need to build a crate. It is made of a metal profile or wooden slats. The first option is preferable. Sheets of OSB or moisture-resistant 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 finish them with artificial or natural stone.
The appearance of a container house can be very different. The author's imagination is almost unlimited here. Each of the above materials for decoration provides a wide field for creative imagination. Available in different textures and colors.
The outer surface is pre-primed. Then it will be possible to mount the appropriate lining on it. It can be natural or artificial stone. The layer is fixed with cement mortar or special glue.
You can finish the facade with plaster. To do this, use spatulas of different sizes. After hardening, an interesting texture forms 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 finish indoors, you need to level the surface. It will be possible to mount the desired finish on it. Drywall sheets can be used for interior cladding. They can be wallpapered, painted or plastered. Almost allmaterials for interior decoration will be available in this case.
Since the ceiling height will not be too high in a container house, you should not create multi-level structures in such rooms. You can install a stretch fabric, finish the surface with drywall. In the latter case, the surface can be painted or plastered.
