Shipping container houses are transforming the housing sector in Kenya today with more people choosing homes as opposed to the traditional brick and motor houses. There are different factors that make shipping container an attractive option for potential home owners. Shipping container homes are affordable and take significantly shorter period of time to construct. In addition, recycling used shipping containers to construct container houses helps to enhance sustainability making shipping container homes an eco-friendly alternative to traditional homes.
Platinum Container Fabricators is one of the leading companies offering shipping container fabrication services in Kenya. We have over 8-year experience in construction of container houses as well as fabrication of shipping containers to shops, offices, classrooms, ablution blocks, storage units and clinics among others.
In this article we will explore the process of construction of a 3-bedroom container house. We will explore;
- Design of a 3-bedroom shipping container house
- Steps in construction of a shipping container house
- Ground preparation for a container house
- Transportation and installation of shipping containers
- Use of multiple containers to make a spacious container house
- Insulation of shipping container house
- Ceramic tiling and fittings
- Cost of a 3-bedroom shipping container house
- Design of a 3-bedroom shipping container house
Platinum Container Fabricators work with a team of architects and designers who make it possible to come up with quality shipping container house designs. In doing this, consideration is made on the client unique needs as well as the desired budget for the shipping container house. The following is a sample design for a 3-bedroom house we did in Mwihoko, Kiambu county.
Steps in construction of a shipping container house
Once the design has been done and agreed with the client, the next step is implementation of the project. The following steps are critical in construction of shipping container house;
1. Ground preparation for a container house
The first step when building a shipping container house is ground preparation. Stability is critical when building shipping container house hence the need to ensure that containers are placed on stable ground. Depending with the type of soil and the land orientation, ground preparation can be done through construction of reinforced concrete pillars or the use of pre-cast pillars. Once containers have been placed on the pillars, walling is done round the containers to cover the space underneath. Use of pillars ensures stability of the house and is also economical compared to a slab.
2.Transportation and installation of shipping containers
After ground preparation, the next step is delivery of the shipping containers that are to be used in the construction of the shipping container house. We use crane mounted trucks for the delivery of shipping containers and installation at the client’s site.
In building shipping container house, it is important to ensure that containers used are in good condition. Containers that are extremely dented should not be used as this increases the risk of leakages. Platinum Containers sells both 20FT and 40FT shipping containers that are in good condition and well documented.
3.Use of multiple containers to make a spacious container house
One of the challenges in the use of shipping containers for housing is space. Containers come with fixed dimensions of 20FT and 40FT length as well as 8FT width. The height of a 20FT shipping container is 8.6FT while the height of a 40FT high cube shipping container is 9.6FT. These dimensions make it challenging to construct a spacious house.
However, several units can be combined to make a bigger and more spacious shipping container house. In this case for instance, three 20FT shipping containers were combined to make a 3-bedroom house. Another alternative would be to combine two 40FT shipping containers or one 40FT container and one 20FT container depending with the desired size and budget.
Arrangement of the containers depends with the specific design of the shipping container house. In this case for instance, two 20FT shipping containers were placed side by side for the bedrooms with a 16FT space between them which was used for the sitting room and open kitchen. The third 20FT container was hoisted with reinforced concrete pillars for the third bedroom which is upstairs.
A common roof is done to cover all the containers hence creating a spacious 3-bedroom house. The design in this case included a rooftop deck on one of the containers with a staircase inside the house and guard rails round the deck.
4.Insulation of shipping container house
Another important step in the construction of shipping container house is insulation which helps to control temperatures. Shipping container houses can get extremely hot during the day and cold at night. To overcome this, we insulate shipping containers with Styrofoam and gypsum boards which ensures that the house is always at room temperature.
To prevent excessive heat in shipping container house, it is also important to ensure that the house has enough aeration with big windows and ventilation.
5.Ceramic tiling, fittings and paintwork
The last step in construction of a shipping container house is ceramic tiling and fitting with toilets, wardrobes, cabinets, interior doors, sinks and hand-wash basins, electrical fittings as well as curtain rods and bathroom accessories among others. The house is then painted with colors of client’s choice.
Cost of a 3-bedroom shipping container house
The average cost of a 3-bedroom shipping container house is Ksh3,200,000 to Ksh3,800,000 which depends with the size and design of the house. Cost is also determined by the preferred fittings by the client.
