One of the biggest problems with shipping containers is the width. At only 2.4m wide, it makes for a very narrow room and leaves one pondering on how to find space in a container home. But there are ways around this problem and we have come up with a solution that works for us. You might think we cheated.
Other Solutions
For those people building container homes that will stay permanently in one place, the most common solution is to place two containers together, side-by-side. Then, the touching inside walls are removed, giving you a room that is almost five metres wide. Nice and spacious.
For people building a mobile tiny house using a shipping container, the above solution is not possible. These people usually come up with the coolest space saving ideas that involves things like fold away furniture, cupboards and drawers in weird places, ladders instead of stairs, etc. It must be so fun designing and incorporating all those ideas into your own tiny home.
Why We Want Space
Our biggest problem in regards to space, is with the bedrooms. We had the option of either fitting our bedrooms with double beds, or figuring out the best way to fit in a queen size bed. Most of our beds are currently queens and we don’t really wish to spend money on getting new beds, mattresses and linen. A queen size bed does fit in a shipping container, but it does not leave much space for walking around the bed, making it in the mornings or changing the sheets. It’s possible, but not the most comfortable for everyday living.
How To Find Space in a Container Home – Our Solution
Our solution for our home, was a bit of a cheat. If you recall, we’ve placed our shipping containers in a large rectangle. We, therefore, have a huge amount of space in the centre of the building. It is 12m x almost 9.5m in size. So, we stole some space out of the centre, so that our bedroom areas can be a little more spacious.
In short, we cut out a section of the original container wall and built a new wall about a meter out.
The concrete slab that we poured in the centre is a little lower than the container floor, so the first step was to build up the floor on the inside so that it matches the level of the container floor.
Then we built a frame out of our reclaimed crate wood and clad it with OSB (also reclaimed). The spaces between the panels we filled with insulation to help with temperature control and sound-proofing. The walls can be finished as per the rest of the interior cladding in the space.
And that is our solution on how to find space in a container home. Do you think we cheated?
It’s really starting to look like a building inside. And I think your solution makes very resourceful use of space.
It really is. Did you notice the 🛁 in the corner of the last photo?