Built my own house with 42,350 $

As living space becomes scarce and house prices remain high, living in a container has become a popular option. The trend to furnish minimalistic homes is not only the logical consequence but also the perfect solution. Added to this is the desire of many people to live more sustainably. Converting a container into a residential building is a great idea for how you can respond to all of these circumstances. A professional design can transform a disused shipping container into a cozy studio with an unobstructed floor plan. This allows you to make the most of your tiny container house. If you're interested in building a container house yourself, then you should definitely read on!

If the container home is not right for you: Here you can find beautiful houses made of exposed concrete .

Before you can start the conversion, you will of course need to organize a container. The containers made of Corten steel are extremely sturdy, as they are designed to withstand long sea voyages on freighters where they are exposed to wind and weather. For this reason, the overseas containers are also fairly weatherproof and hardly rust at all. 20- and 40-foot containers are suitable for the conversion to a mini house. The former has an area of just under 15 square meters. If that is not enough for you, you can also make yourself comfortable in just under 30 square meters and choose the next larger variant. With a bit of luck, you can get new containers for around 3,000 dollars. If scratches and dents do not bother you, you can also use used models, which are cheaper. Both variants are suitable as a starting point for the pocket container.

Once you have found the container you want, it is unloaded and set up at the desired location using a truck and crane. Stefan Brandt sees many possible uses for the one-room apartments. Be it as a holiday home, as an additional children's room, student accommodation, office space or hobby room. The mini-house can be used independently as a separate room or can be connected to the existing living space with an appropriate opening and sealing. With a little skill, several containers can also be connected, but special attention must be paid to the sealing.

Behind the idea of the pocket container is a DIY manual. As with the topic of helping people to help themselves, Stefan Brandt offers step-by-step instructions for converting an overseas container into a micro-house that can be built almost entirely by yourself. It is important to know that the delivery does not include any materials; only the 370-page digital construction plan in the form of a CD is included in the price of $63. Like the container, you have to get all the materials you need yourself, but you can get everything easily from hardware stores and specialist retailers. The expert estimates a price of around $10,000 for the container, insulation made of special polyurethane foam, wood and windows, and the folding terrace. Fully furnished, with a bathroom and toilet, and self-sufficient operation, an additional €10,000 is required.

Let's now take a look at the floor plan of a 20-foot container. The instructions for the pocket container also describe how to make the window cutouts on one of the front sides and the opening for the terrace. It's best to get help from a specialist for these cutouts, but laypeople can do the rest of the work themselves. The windows can be fitted with flaps made from the actual container wall, which means they are optimally protected, for example, if you are away for a longer period of time. Depending on how it is used, a bathroom can also be integrated into the container: a shower, sink and toilet can be found on one of the front sides of the container, and the toilet is fed with rainwater. You can of course put a normal-sized bed in the new living space, but a cleverer way is to use multifunctional furniture, as we will see later.

Now we finally want to know what the finished container will look like! After successful expansion, the tiny apartment is wonderfully airy and extremely modern. The floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors provide the container with daylight and fresh air, and light wood panelling on the ceiling gives the micro-house a homely feel. Materials for the walls and floor can be freely selected according to taste and budget. Recessed ceiling spotlights ensure space-saving lighting. The electricity required for this comes either from the conventional grid or from solar cells installed on the outside, including a buffer battery. The container can be heated with a small central heating system and a 40-litre hot water boiler, which makes it comfortable to live in. During summer, the windows can be opened for ventilation, while in winter, additional ventilation must be used to prevent the CO2 content from rising too much, which can cause the resident to have a restless sleep.

The furniture is of course a matter of taste. However, due to the limited space, it is advisable to use space-saving and multifunctional furniture. In Stefan Brandt's private container, which we see here and in which he is always working on his ideas, he uses an armchair that can be converted into a comfortable bed in just a few steps. For his workstation, he opted for an extremely narrow secretary with a fold-out tabletop, as well as a rolling container with upholstery that offers storage space and a seat at the same time.

Once removed, the sea container lasts for about 25-30 years and can then be easily disposed of, as all materials are recyclable.

You can find out more about living in a container here; Everything You Need To Know About The Container House Living Trend