Shipping Container Construction Regulations

Piph

Hi all.
I'm at the beginning of planning a domestic extension and recently started toying with the idea of using shipping containers to facilitate a quicker and more economical project. I'm hoping to get advice here from anyone with knowledge and/or experience of finding the right containers, relevant building regs, limitations, pitfalls and any unexpected factors encountered. I'm also concerned with being as eco conscious as possible. Any and all comments welcome!
Thank you.

looksee

Once you start carving holes in the container it starts to lose its integrity. I honestly doubt that Planning and Building Regs would be all that entertained either.

Gumbo

Piph wrote: »

Hi all.
I'm at the beginning of planning a domestic extension and recently started toying with the idea of using shipping containers to facilitate a quicker and more economical project. I'm hoping to get advice here from anyone with knowledge and/or experience of finding the right containers, relevant building regs, limitations, pitfalls and any unexpected factors encountered. I'm also concerned with being as eco conscious as possible. Any and all comments welcome!
Thank you.

Google Building Regulations and Technical Guidance Documents. The same regs apply to whatever you use as a construction material.

You also have the CPR, Construction Products Regulations.

You have to weigh up the cost to make a shipping container comply with regulations, the cost to employ someone capable of doing this and the cost of a professional willing to design and certify the container against the cost of just using traditional methods.

peaceboi

Please watch this, v informative regarding your query
https://youtu.be/i7yEDz6bCfU

Gumbo

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/best-of-2017-seven-shipping-containers-become-a-family-home-1.2983804%3fmode=amp

Relatively recent container build home in ringsend.
Owner ran out of money and couldn’t finish it. Only built 2 out of the 3 stories. Ended up costing more than a traditional build.

Darc19

Gumbo wrote: »

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/best-of-2017-seven-shipping-containers-become-a-family-home-1.2983804%3fmode=amp

Relatively recent container build home in ringsend.
Owner ran out of money and couldn’t finish it. Only built 2 out of the 3 stories. Ended up costing more than a traditional build.

But you can stay in it and see what it's like
https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/17920490

Anything unusual is always going to cost higher as everything about it takes longer.

If container homes were built regularly, prices would drop, but until then more traditional ways will be cheaper

Gumbo

Darc19 wrote: »

But you can stay in it and see what it's like
https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/17920490

Anything unusual is always going to cost higher as everything about it takes longer.

If container homes were built regularly, prices would drop, but until then more traditional ways will be cheaper

Exactly. The OP is trying to build an extension and trying to save costs and time by going the container route. It can’t be done IMO while saving time and money.

happyoutscan

Gumbo wrote: »

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/best-of-2017-seven-shipping-containers-become-a-family-home-1.2983804%3fmode=amp

Relatively recent container build home in ringsend.
Owner ran out of money and couldn’t finish it. Only built 2 out of the 3 stories. Ended up costing more than a traditional build.

Builder says in the article that 'a more conventional approach on a site like this could have cost twice the money'.

OP, have a look on Facebook (I know I know) where there is a page entitled 'Self-Build and Renovations Ireland'. Some fantastic information to be found there and you will get loads of advice etc (and the odd asshole). There is a search bar on the page as well to make it easier to find what you want.

Best of luck.

Muttley79

All probably looks lovely on Pinterest or grand designs but I'd be very dubious to containers used as actual structures to homes

sydthebeat

happyoutscan wrote: »

Builder says in the article that 'a more conventional approach on a site like this could have cost twice the money'.

OP, have a look on Facebook (I know I know) where there is a page entitled 'Self-Build and Renovations Ireland'. Some fantastic information to be found there and you will get loads of advice etc (and the odd asshole). There is a search bar on the page as well to make it easier to find what you want.

Best of luck.

im on that site...

take at least 50% of the "advice" on there with a large grain of salt.
its full of bar stool professionals giving, frankly, bad advice, shills trying to sell their wares and others trying to give advice as to how to "get round" legalities.

if you want to know where people got their granite kitchen top, its good.

if you want to know how to convert a shipping container to comply with regulations, its absolutely not.

BorneTobyWilde

looksee wrote: »

Once you start carving holes in the container it starts to lose its integrity. I honestly doubt that Planning and Building Regs would be all that entertained either.

It's okay in every other country on the planet, but yea probably not okay in Ireland

sydthebeat

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

It's okay in every other country on the planet, but yea probably not okay in Ireland

its not....

what causes a structure to fail does not change just because you cross a national boundary.

do some reading on the subject, you may be surprised and educated at the same time.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.containerwerk.com/en/

If they're okay to use in Germany then should be okay in any other country.

Del2005

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

It's okay in every other country on the planet, but yea probably not okay in Ireland

Someone posted it being done a few posts back. So it can be done in Ireland but to be legal and comply with regulations there are no cheap ways.

the_pen_turner

sydthebeat wrote: »

im on that site...

take at least 50% of the "advice" on there with a large grain of salt.
its full of bar stool professionals giving, frankly, bad advice, shills trying to sell their wares and others trying to give advice as to how to "get round" legalities.

if you want to know where people got their granite kitchen top, its good.

if you want to know how to convert a shipping container to comply with regulations, its absolutely not.

i agree/
there was a post a few days ago asking about skirting board internal corners and 75% of the posters were giving wrong advise and saying the guy was a cowboy.

i would take everything on a site like that with a grain of salt and back up the info somewhere properly

Vestiapx

sydthebeat wrote: »

im on that site...

take at least 50% of the "advice" on there with a large grain of salt.
its full of bar stool professionals giving, frankly, bad advice, shills trying to sell their wares and others trying to give advice as to how to "get round" legalities.

if you want to know where people got their granite kitchen top, its good.

if you want to know how to convert a shipping container to comply with regulations, its absolutely not.

This is the issue, I'm a carpenter and sometime a "builder" whatever that is. I don't post on forums about this becausewhy would I. The people paying on these alternative construction forums have agendas.

sydthebeat

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

https://www.containerwerk.com/en/

If they're okay to use in Germany then should be okay in any other country.

no one said they werent ok to use in ireland??

you seem to be having an argument with yourself here??

Deeec

Darc19 wrote: »

But you can stay in it and see what it's like
https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/17920490

Anything unusual is always going to cost higher as everything about it takes longer.

If container homes were built regularly, prices would drop, but until then more traditional ways will be cheaper

Why did the family move out ? I wonder if the house didnt live up to expectations.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117440953#Comment_117440953

It depends on if you have any experience using shipping containers to build houses or if you can borrow the expertise of someone who has. In other countries it is more common, like for example

a datacentre + office built out of containers.

Of course if you land up to your stereotypical Irish builder who drives a white Renault Master with ladder on the roof, fag in mouth and breakfast roll in hand he is going to say something like "Ahh jaysus now boyo I could build it alright but I'm going to charge you an extra €100,000 for being such an eccentric oddball and also to help cover up for any f*cukups I make along the way due to my own lack of experience"