Building Your Dream Apartment

Don't Build A Shipping Container Home Until You've Employed These 2 Contractors

15 March 2017

Julian Caldwell

Shipping containers are fast becoming a mainstay in the residential building industry. They're quick to build, incredibly strong and provide many different configurations for a unique home. Because they're a completely recycled product, they're also high on the sustainability scale, which is an important consideration for many Australian homeowners.

While it is possible to design and construct your own shipping container home, if you want a safe, functional and attractive home, it's best to work with a team of professional contractors to ensure the best outcome. Here are two contractors that can help you to build your dream shipping container home.

1. A structural engineer

No matter the type of building, engineers should be consulted. Shipping containers are strong, but they're also incredibly heavy. A structural engineer will make sure that your home's footings are designed to safely take the weight of the shipping containers you use to form the structure of your home.Using the services of a structural engineer is also incredibly important if you're planning to stack your containers to create a multi-storey home or cantilever the containers to create a modern and edgy design.

Often the construction of a shipping container home involves cutting out sheets of steel to make space for windows and doors to be installed. This can affect the structural strength of the container, and an engineer can advise you whether you'll need to add structural support to preserve the integrity of the home.

2. An architect

Although there are many websites and blogs that are dedicated to providing ideas and plans for shipping container homes, using an architect to design your home is a wise decision. They can help you develop a design that meets your family's needs, fits your building site like a glove, meets building regulations dictated by your local council's planning department and looks visually stunning at the same time.

One of the many appeals to a shipping container home is the enjoyment of the geometric shape of the containers and the spaces that are created in, around and under the layout. An architect can help to create a layout that offers clever use of spatial voids and provides appealing vistas through the home and into the landscape.

Creating a visually attractive yet practical and structurally sound home can be a difficult task without the right professional help. Engaging the services of a structural engineer and an architect is the best way to ensure your new shipping container dream home becomes a reality.

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