Your thoughts on a Container home

[RoamerRV428]

you obviously know to check zoning and all permitting etc. before buying land to be sure what you have in mind is legal.


I think a container home is a great idea.

I take it you mentioned solar so you are not digging a septic field etc....you are going with a compost toilet situation?

One consideration is don't put in a skylight. They are absolute possible leakers for the near future Don't cut a whole in your roof, an extra side window should be good enough for good light I would think.....hey just me probably on the skylight situation, I hate them, I never had one that hasn't failed me at some point. lol

Another is foundation. You probably want a solid foundation to put this on so consider it, maybe a large graveled area or ? to keep ya off the ground and contain rusting situations plus if a bit bigger than your footprint you can have an instant patio area included with your home and contain mud situations etc.

I like the idea if this is what you want to do. Key is walk thru all the steps and see where ya land. I remember an episode of Homestead Rescue on tv where they converted a small container into a home for the homesteaders. They put in an underground 'ac' cooling system, it was very interesting seeing what was done to make a home for them in a hot location. AZ? not sure, can't remember location etc but I found what they did to make the container home livable was very cool. Just google container conversions, make sure land purchase is up to snuff and go for it

Love for ya to keep us informed what goes down with your decision. I would love to hear about your future conversion etc as you proceed. best of luck

 

[coastnalong]

We had our CONEX delivered on site for $2500. The guy brought it behind a F350, with a slide off trailer, he basically put it exactly where I wanted it. It was an 8500# steel container on a 3000# trailer behind an 8500# truck, so keep this in mind for soft ground/sand.

In pricing containers $2500 was the price I came up with. Thank you for the confirmation.

 

[coastnalong]

yes very few people use forklifts anymore on Conex containers.  like Kelly said they haul them around with 1 ton trucks and slide off trailers and yes they can set them exactly where you want them.

couple of things about Northern Nevada,

do you know what Nevada means in Spanish?
Snowy Place
Sierra Nevada means high snowy place but just plain old Nevada means snowy place.  there is a good reason for this name.

Northern Nevada can be inundated by blizzards stopping all travel even on I-80.  your more remote areas can have travel cut off for months.  unimproved unplowed roads are treacherous when covered with ice.  if you think black ice is scary on pavement,  try it on a off camber two track.  may I suggest you spend a wet winter in the area before buying land.  make sure you have plenty of food for an extended snow in.

does anybody know the reason for the checker board land ownership that basically follows the I-80 corridor?

highdesertranger

I appreciate the information on Nevada. I lived in Northern Idaho once and am not crazy about snow. If I find suitable land I plan on checking it out in the winter and not just buying it in the summer.

 

[coastnalong]

I worked for a container shipping company. If I were to do it, I would buy a reefer container. They are insulated a bit and usually have stainless steel inside walls. You can unbolt the reefer machinery and install a wall on the front end. These usually have smooth outside walls so installing windows and such would be easier than a plain shipping container.
That being said, I would not want the hassle of modifying it. If you pay someone for the cutting and welding, it would have been cheaper to stick build a building.
Usually the reason that you do not see something done often is it is uneconomical or a real pain to do. Yes it can be done, no I will not help you do it. A 28' cargo trailer would be a much better build. Nye county in Nevada is large, and they are pretty lenient with mobile living. You can live in a RV for 6 months out of a year, and if there are no complaints from neighbors all year long. Home Depot sell sheds that are big enough to live in, And you can always tell the county it is a storage shed. Park an RV next to it. a shed can be moved if it isn't too wide.
BTW in Nye County you can build a 200 sq' shed without a permit.

 

[coastnalong]

All good information. Thank you for the reply.

 

[coastnalong]

you obviously know to check zoning and all permitting etc. before buying land to be sure what you have in mind is legal.


I think a container home is a great idea.

I take it you mentioned solar so you are not digging a septic field etc....you are going with a compost toilet situation?

One consideration is don't put in a skylight. They are absolute possible leakers for the near future Don't cut a whole in your roof, an extra side window should be good enough for good light I would think.....hey just me probably on the skylight situation, I hate them, I never had one that hasn't failed me at some point. lol

Another is foundation. You probably want a solid foundation to put this on so consider it, maybe a large graveled area or ? to keep ya off the ground and contain rusting situations plus if a bit bigger than your footprint you can have an instant patio area included with your home and contain mud situations etc.

I like the idea if this is what you want to do. Key is walk thru all the steps and see where ya land. I remember an episode of Homestead Rescue on tv where they converted a small container into a home for the homesteaders. They put in an underground 'ac' cooling system, it was very interesting seeing what was done to make a home for them in a hot location. AZ? not sure, can't remember location etc but I found what they did to make the container home livable was very cool. Just google container conversions, make sure land purchase is up to snuff and go for it

Love for ya to keep us informed what goes down with your decision. I would love to hear about your future conversion etc as you proceed. best of luck

 

[coastnalong]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]So far the comments on the project have not been encouraging. The comments are horrible weather in Northern Nevada, zoning and permitting would be a big hassle, lots of rules to follow to build a container home, etc. On the other hand Bob Wells says travel trailers are cheaply made and I could get into costly repairs down the line. After people, myself included, read the comments here one has to wonder if staying in sticks and bricks is the best option.[/font]

 

[WanderingRose]

The truth sucks, sometimes, but better to hear it now, it would seem.

Many are being driven to alternative forms of housing because of rising costs, but good to look before you leap as there are always expenses and obstacles you don’t anticipate.

Since you are not looking for nomadic living at this point, perhaps look into radically downsizing your living space to cut costs, and see if you may be eligible for Section 8 or other subsidized housing,

Good luck to you.

 

[B and C]

Moving to a small town in a state where the living expenses aren't so great might be the way to go.

 

[coastnalong]

Don’t know if you are on Section 8 or just recommending it to others. Personally I would rather live in my car than get into that situation.

I have considerable more admiration for people who are living in their vehicles than just giving up and becoming a ward of the state.

I am sure I will be able to find some type of structure on my own property and am not destitute. There are people, like myself, who do not want to continue pumping money into an overburden unsustainable system.

I would never recommend people give up and jump on Section 8 when there are so many other options for freedom. I thought that was the whole concept of cheaprvliving.

 

[geogentry]

After people, myself included, read the comments here one has to wonder if staying in sticks and bricks is the best option.

But aren't you basically building a S & B?
I thought the comments were helpful. Facts you need to consider.

If you live in a fixed location you will have snow in the winter in the north, high heat in the summer in the south. Research till you find what you want.
Every county is different. Some have no zoning restrictions. They don't care if you live in a cardboard box. Others have so many rules and restrictions it would make the angels weep. You find land that is a  possible location call the country to find out restrictions. More research.
Trailers will have problems. So do houses. Things wear out and need repairs. All things.
Either you do the research and make the effort to find out what's what or you pay a premium to have someone else do it for you. Really depends on whether you have more time or more money

Oh, please stop quoting entire messages. That real burns up data on phone plans to have to read a message twice.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

 

[lenny flank]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif] one has to wonder if staying in sticks and bricks is the best option.[/font]

For the vast majority of people, it is.

That is why most people live in a sticks n bricks, and not in an RV, trailer, or shipping container.

The romantic fantasy life is wonderful. But reality is a harsh mistress.

 

[lenny flank]

becoming a ward of the state.

ALL of us are a ward of the state. The state builds the roads that we travel on. It owns the BLM land that most of us sleep on. It enforces the traffic laws that keep us all safe when we travel, and also the rules and regulations that make our RVs safe to occupy (and insures we can safely dispose of our waste without being a danger to everyone around us). The state protects and guarantees the sources and transportation of the fuel we use to move around. Also of the clothing we wear and the food we eat. 

All of us, everywhere, are absolutely incapable of living a modern life "on our own". None of us, anywhere, is an independent island that exists in isolation. Everything we have, all of it, was made someplace else by somebody else and brought to us by the joint cooperative efforts of billions of people worldwide. We are all absolutely interdependent upon everyone else for our very existence--just as much as any city-dweller is.

Our "independent lifestyle of freedom" exists only insofar as it is subsidized, supported and made viable by the larger world society around us. We are utterly dependent upon it and cannot survive without it. It's a nice fantasy to pretend otherwise, but it remains just a fantasy. We can no more live as a "rugged individual" than a honeybee can. We are absolutely dependent upon the entire hive.

 

[WanderingRose]

Don’t know if you are on Section 8 or just recommending it to others. Personally I would rather live in my car than get into that situation.

I would never recommend people give up and jump on Section 8 when there are so many other options for freedom. I thought that was the whole concept of cheaprvliving.

I am not on Section 8, but am familiar with the program and it’s benefits to those struggling with housing costs, as well as to private renters.

It provides an income dependent housing subsidy, alleviating some of the financial burden, but does not make one a ward of the state.

https://www.hud.gov/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8

It sounds like you have more options than many, and I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[RVTravel]

Build out a cargo trailer is prob what bob would say.

 

[MrNoodly]

Another question about cheap land is how well you like being alone. I mean totally alone for long periods. No neighbors within visual distance. Maybe none for many miles? Because, as I wrote earlier, cheap land is cheap because no one wants it.

 

[highdesertranger]

"Build out a cargo trailer is prob what bob would say."

that is what I would do. that way you could go north in summer and south in winter, like the birds.

highdesertranger

 

[coastnalong]

Another question about cheap land is how well you like being alone. I mean totally alone for long periods. No neighbors within visual distance. Maybe none for many miles? Because, as I wrote earlier, cheap land is cheap because no one wants it.

Absolutely love being alone for long periods of time. Have done it before, lived miles from neighbors, and loved it.

 

[coastnalong]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]I see a 36 foot cargo trailer on eBay for $16,675. A 40 foot shipping container usually costs $2,500. I don’t plan on a lot of travelling.[/font]

 

[HoboBerg]

It can be done! Been in mine for more then two years. Spray foam is a must.