Hello from a scared clueless fool...

[FtypeMark]

Hello all. Found this site purely by accident, but hopefully it'll be a god send.

Moving from Kent to Devon or Cornwall, we really dont care which, as long as its away from London and its surrounding counties.

Here to get advice on a self build using shipping containers like the guy on GD.

I actually contacted him, but to be brutally honest, he was busy and wasnt that helpful.

What I am trying to find out is, if after we build the place, will anybody be able purchase it from us, as heard banks wont give mortgages on them.

Edited June 19, 2020 by FtypeMark

[joe90]

I am on the Devon Cornwall builder and will have a container for sale soon!!,!, (just joking, but I do!). You may well find banks shun non traditional building methods and the planners round here HATE anything non traditional.

[Russdl]

Hello @FtypeMark (I presume another Jaguar fan?) 

 

This is definitely the place for scared clueless fools. I was, now I’m not so scared (but still a bit) and not so clueless (but still a bit) and that’s almost entirely down to the wealth of information here and help that is available. 
 

In answer to your question, I don’t have a clue but I’d guess it may be a struggle. I suspect insurance may be problematic as well. I also suspect none of it is insurmountable and a wise wo/man will be along to help soon. 

[Russell griffiths]

I’m not convinced containers is the way to go, I think they are constricting in size and require a huge amount of work to insulate, all they bring to the party is a box and it’s not hard to build a box. 

I would think a simple steel frame with timber panels installed in between could be far simpler. 

[Ferdinand]

I am probably with Russell on this.

 

A shipping container is designed to be a strong monocoque as a unit without holes in it, and projects I have seen seem to go across the grain of that principle  ... unless they can leverage the precise dimensions and really  minimise work.

 

F

 

 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Ferdinand

[kxi]

A few years ago I worked for a while in a 4 storey shipping container 'office block' 

https://turner.works/works/view/pop-brixton/ 

and the containers were an excellent solution here - enabled very rapid construction of a multi-storey building with multi-purpose units on a brown-field site, only intended to be used for about 5 years (though I expect it will continue for much longer than planned since Pop Brixton is such a success).

 

But as noted above, there were limitations I think would mean it's less appropriate for a long-term residential structure and almost certainly other construction methods would last longer and be more pleasant to live in, and I'd imagine resale would be extremely difficult.

 

While thinking about how you'd build it is the fun part, I think you'll need to start with finding a location you can build at and then what you can build there. But, perhaps building a quick 'short-life span' house on a brown-field site might be a way around this problem? Maybe councils are keen to find short-term uses for brownfield sites they have lying about? This might not be what you had in mind though.

 

Unfortunately Pop Brixton is currently shut due to COVID, so you can't go and see what it's like. Despite having supported it at the planning consultation stage, I'll admit I was snooty about it when it opened - but ultimately it was too awesome to resist. As a working space it was fun, but there was some secret relief all round when a water leak and collapsed ceiling meant we all had to go and work in a vast, airy, Victorian corn warehouse in Loughborough Junction for a few weeks.

[NSS]

Why bother with shipping containers. Old (and even fairly new) 747s and A380s will be cheap as chips for the foreseeable and come with leather seats, first class beds, a bar, toilets, kitchen...

 

What more could you need?