My next home

Energy & Sustainability
My next home
cargo-container.jpg
cargo-container2.jpg

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

10 thoughts on “My next home

  1. Ben says:

    “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.

  2. Gizmo says:

    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.

  3. gear head says:

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

  4. Jim Horn says:

    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)

    1. Colecoman1982 says:

      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.

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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