If you’re planning housing for a job site, you may have noticed the trend in modular housing from recycled shipping containers. While an industrial shipping container may not be your first choice when you’re planning a livable job site, shipping container solutions are actually a sustainable and inexpensive way to create quality housing. As you plan your next job site, here are four reasons to consider constructing with repurposed shipping containers.
Shipping Containers are Durable
Even though containers are designed to last about a quarter of a century, most are retired after about 13 years of use. Still, conex containers are made from steel and can withstand anywhere from 100 to 175 mph winds.
Repurposing is Good for the Planet
Experts estimate that there are over 20 million unused cargo containers on earth. These are made from recycled steel, and they can be completely recycled and reused once they’ve en demolished. Shipping container solutions are a great way to reuse old materials that would otherwise have been melted down, saving about 8000 kwh of energy per container.
Shipping Containers are Inexpensive
Compared to the cost of building on-site cabins or bringing in trailers, shipping containers can be produced in 20% of the time and at half the cost. In addition, shipping container solutions last four times as long as traditional wooden or vinyl structures, which breakdown after about five years.
They’re Spacious
A standard 40 foot shipping container has nearly 3,000 cubic feet, or about 300 square feet of modular housing. To put that into perspective, you would be able to fit nearly 8,500 shoe boxes in one container alone. They can also be retrofitted and stacked to increase living space, allowing you to customize your containers as you see fit.
Even if environmentally-friendly housing doesn’t top your list of priorities, finding affordable solutions always should be. Using recycled modular housing is inexpensive, durable, and will be easy to take down once the work is done. Investing in a quick and reliable housing solution for your job site allows you and your contractors to focus on what really matters: the project at hand.