Shipping containers as building blocks - a cheap housing solution for Malta?

As rent in Malta goes up and up, and first time buyer’s capabilities of buying their first home becomes less and less tangible, is there a solution for the future in container homes? Referred to briefly in an earlier article about tiny homes, we talk more in detail on the subject of shipping containers as a realistic option.

Architects, designers and builders have more and more be finding ways to transform old steel shipping containers into beautiful and fully-functional homes. With proper planning, you can design and build a luxurious house for half the price of a “normal” house.  Basic costs to build per container are as outlined below.

There are two standard sizes for shipping containers: 20 x 8 x 8 ft. covering a surface of 160 sq. ft. and 40 x 8 x 8 with a surface of 320 sq. ft. A used 20-footer costs anywhere between €2.5K, whereas a 40-footer costs anything up to €4K.

Labour costs may be in the region of (about €35-€70.00 per hour) and likely modifications required to make the container liveable, overall costs in the region of around €13,000 per container.

Some prefabricated shipping container houses sold for as little as €12,000. A big and luxurious house made of shipping containers can cost significantly more than €250,000, but it’s still only a half the price for a high-end home of a similar size.

Shipping containers are flood- and fireproof, making them a great home-building material. Ranging in length from 20 to 40 feet, shipping containers are typically only used for 10 to 15 years, but they can last much longer. Estimates depict around 24 million empty shipping containers in the world that will never be used for cargo again. Why not create your very own eco tiny home?

This article has been abridged from the original website article, see here