My next home

Hot Topics:

By Gareth Branwyn
Posted 2009/04/02 @ 11:29 pm
Category Energy

I LOVE this cargo container home, spotted on New World Geek. I could so live in that thing, provided I owned all the land beyond that window and my property was protected by a high fence, ’cause otherwise, it’s curtains (which would blown the whole effect). Exhibitionist Estates — coming soon to a development near you.

Recycled cargo container buildings

In the Maker Shed

Gift Certificate

Makey Makey Standard Kit

Telegraph Decoder Kit by Spikenzie Labs

MAKE Rovera 4WD Arduino Robot Kit

5 Responses to My next home

Ben on April 3rd, 2009 at 5:43 am said:

“provided I owned all the land beyond that window and my property was protected by a high fence”

…Or you could just get some discrete blinds.

Reply ↓
Gizmo on April 3rd, 2009 at 6:10 am said:

Or you can convince yourself that everyone wants to see you nekkid and stroll around in the buff all day.

Perhaps charge admission.

Paint the interior all blue, paint your body with orange and white stripes and pretend you are a fish.

I prefer my dark basement. And _my_ house has more than _one_ view.

Reply ↓
gear head on April 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 am said:

I could live in that place, but I’d need another 5 of them to store all my junk.

Reply ↓
Jim Horn on April 3rd, 2009 at 10:40 am said:

Good grief – perhaps in San Diego or other places that are balmy and have no weather.

But in most of the world, the energy efficiency of that much glass will be terrible. I suspect that the insulation in the rest is mediocre as well. And the volumetric efficiency (ratio of surface area to internal volume) is low as well. Finally, there will be energy loss through the floor when it is suspended up in the air like that.

Plus, if form follows function, what will the snow load and ice dam induced potential for water leakage through the roof be where snow abounds?

Looks nice. But no, thanks.

(from up in Washington State in the Cascade mountains)

Reply ↓
- Colecoman1982 on April 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 am said:
  
  Yea, I always wonder about the build-up of water and snow on the flat roof. Will the weight cause the roof to leak? Will the stagnant moisture lead to rust? I think I’d have to look into some kind of slanted roof system if I were to build a container house.
  
  As for insulation, yes that much glass would leak heat like crazy. On the other hand, there is no reason the rest of the house can’t be well insulated considering the advances we’ve made in insulating material. I know Bob Villa did a whole series of web shows (that can be found on his site) showing the construction of a, more traditional looking, cargo container house which used a spray on ceramic insulation (called something like siltherm) that worked like the tiles on the space shuttle and provided a high insulation value for a very thin coating. Not sure how much it costs though.
  
  I wish someone would put up a site with information such as DIY building techniques and common problems with local zoning laws.
  
  Reply ↓