7 reasons why shipping container homes are a SCAM

Check out my latest follow-up video to this one where I elaborate on some of the points and address some comments

Shipping container homes are glamorized all over social media but are they everything they are marketed as? In this video, I uncover 7 reasons why you should stay away from shipping container homes.

Since the early 2000s, shipping containers have captured the imagination of designers and home builders worldwide. They fit in with the very popular tiny house movement that advocates living simpler and in smaller homes. The corrugated metal exterior of shipping containers gives it a trendy, industrial look. Thousands of shipping containers are discarded every year. So, there is a sense of being socially responsible and environmentally conscious when one rescues a shipping container from a junk yard and converts it into a home.

First issue: the size constraints. Standard shipping containers are 20 feet and 40 feet long and 8 feet wide. Most of these containers are 8.5 feet tall but you can order custom ones that are 9.5 feet tall.

Second issue: A metal container works as a system, the idea that every part of this box is structural is false. Every single cut that you make for plumbing, windows, doors, roof openings into its structural frame or corrugated metal siding compromises its strength so you have to reinforce it with metal or wood.

Third issue: the thermal conductivity of steel. It’s not a good insulator, so you can expect the inside of these containers to get very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

Fourth issue: the health risks that come with buying old shipping containers. You can track the locations that the container has been to around the world, but you can’t track exactly what it has carried. It could have carried toxic chemicals such as pesticides or fumigants and the contents might have leaked into the wooden floorboards.

Fifth issue: this type of building is not the best for all locations. It might make sense in coastal regions near port cities where a container is readily available. If you are inland, the cost to transport it all the way to your plot of land is not logical. Also, building with native materials is the most eco-friendly and cost-effective method.

Sixth issue: the idea that you are saving the environment when you use shipping containers and that is a highly sustainable practice. Another important thing to consider is the carbon footprint of your container home. Steel construction is not as environmentally friendly as wood.

Seventh issue: the idea that shipping containers can be the solution to the housing crisis in the world but, this crisis is not a technology problem, it’s far more complex. Purely from a financial aspect, it would be cheaper to build a homeless shelter with wood than build a complex shipping container building. This type of building can maybe be 20% cheaper, not more. The modifications that you need to make a metal box livable aren’t cheap.
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Disclaimer: This video was created for educational/informational purposes and qualifies as Fair Use. If you are the creator or own the footage featured in this video and have reservations please notify me via Youtube comments or email and I will accommodate you.
#shippingcontainer #home #scam #automation #buildingconstruction #ecofriendly #mythbuster

[BelindaCarr]

I address some comments that I received on this video.

[kevinh]

The problem with the whole "sustainablility" movement is when marketers realized that people are willing to spend more if they think they are saving the planet. Tons of counterintuitive products have been far more costly to the environment than what they were marketed to solve.

[tankwfw]

As a kid I remember being made fun of for living in a trailer, and now hipsters are doing it to be trendy

[NotBrianStelter]

I don’t know why this video was recommended to me, but it was oddly fascinating. Very clearly explained.

[shiloh]

When the average cost of a home is 700k+, container homes start to look real good.

[frodobaggins]

Before people started using shipping containers for homes they cost anywhere from $250 to $850 dollars each. Now they cost upwards of $5, 000 each. The manufacturers will just continue to raise the cost of them as demand grows.
When they were inexpensive it made sense to use them as housing alternatives because the cost to fortify them was offset by the cheap initial investment. Now, the cost per square foot of living space is prohibitive.

[Liwaaaah]

I really thought she would say “to add insult to insulation” that one time

[MayaNirwan]

You know what is scam... Mortgage, debt ridden life... That's a scam..

[robkamanda]

I lived in an unislated shipping container home for over 14 years. I was in a coastal city though. With the exception of some minor rust from salt air and periodic molding from humidity due to the tropical humidity, I thought it was a comfortable and manageble spot to live. I would totally recommend their use to help combat homelessness in big cities.

[nihtgengalastnamegoeshere]

It seems like a shipping container would make a terrible home. They would be ideal for use as storage on one's property, but at the price they sell for you'd be better off just buying a shed.

[kurzor]

My father is an engineer and I asked him for his take on using shipping containers as a building materials for home and office space, he told me that his engineering firm actually studied this and concluded that it's a niche solution because the added costs needed to make them viable would make them actually cost more than structures built with traditional materials

[charlespratt]

I lived in a dumpster once. It's the tiny house version of a shipping container.

[XtomJamesExtra]

There are several inaccuracies in this video, let's go over some of them.
1) Shipping containers do require some reinforcement, but recycling even a one time use shipping container into a permanent structure is environmentally sound, and even if you do use steel reinforcement the steel used for that reinforcement is relatively inexpensive. The reason why it's environmentally sound is because one time use shipping containers are actually very common. This video doesn't touch on shipping practices and there are many good containers that end up being stacked in some warehouse field that are destined to rot because they'll never be shipped out again.
2) You can use 1x1 framing on the interior and exterior with environmentally friendly spray foam insulations (which have been available for nearly a decade now) thus preventing sweating, reducing interior space loss, while reducing overall frame out costs and cladding costs.
3) Under US law, the contents of a shipping container and its full history must be disclosed. So not just where it's been, but what it contained. Shipping containers that are damaged or have been exposed to chemicals that may or are known to cause health issues aren't allowed to be sold to the general public. This is regulated under the EPA.
4) Interior shipping costs for a shipping container are actually far lower than you might think. In almost every state in the US you can buy a shipping container for under $2000 and if you're within 100 miles of the seller's location, they'll ship it to you for free.
5) The exterior paint may contain some carcinogenic or hazardous chemicals (anti-corrosives), however, new sealant layers can prevent leeching, and is generally recommended anyways to prevent rusting.

Overall container homes are actually a valid and inexpensive way to construct a shell for a home or building. They repurpose an otherwise wasteful and carbon intensive material (steel boxes) into something with longevity after their useful life as a shipping container is complete.

[migfredcastillo]

When this concept started, it was a great idea. As soon as self centered designers and greedy people got a hold of the idea it became a bad idea.

[tehmorninstah]

"Reinforcing the walls" was enough as a reason, because essentially the whole point of those containers is to avoid building walls.

[cedric]

Video should be titled, Things to consider before purchasing a "container home". Using the word "scam" is over the top.

[andreidemian]

I would still spend 20k building a container house than spend 100k building a normal house

[EbeJay]

"Homelessness is not a technology problem" - Amen Belinda!

[RegebroRepairs]

The most environmentally friendly way to deal with shipping containers is to recycle them. It's steel. It melts. It's super-easy to recycle.

[kiprandom]

They're cool to look at but as a guy that moves em around goes in and out she's totally right.
90 outside 120 inside -10 outside -10 inside.