Shipping container homes?

[Spork]

Found more pictures of the first house in this thread...

http://thechive.com/2011/07/26/unbelievable-home-built-out-of-two-shipping-containers-39-photos/

 

[containerhomes]

I'm sure you won't be around long since you are just spamming. I'm sure you will never be back either since you got what you wanted and that is for a few clicks on your web site link.

I have been in construction for half my life and rest assured I understand what it would take to make that building structurally sound. It was more of a exercise to see what a structure would look like. If I were to actually do one it would most likely be a pole barn style structure with several containers placed inside to create rooms.

Some thing like these

Ah you would be wrong about that then : )

No problem - I understand that a lot of forum and blog spam posting goes on so I understand your initial cynism - there are people however out there that do have an interest in following discussions in their field and offerring advice when they feel they can add value.

This 30 minute video I pointed to was free, when someone points to free resources its typically not considered "spam".

If you follow this space and you have a background in construction I am sure you can appreciate the over hype that this construction method gets.

Its just not as simple as 1, 2, 3 hey presto instant house and complex stacking is one of the biggest issues that offset the real world benefits of container homes.

Lastly whilst you might have a lifetime of construction knowledge you can apply, you are in the minority, most people don't have that experience and they look at your design and assume they are just stacked that way.

Pointing out that serious engineering would be required shouldn't be a issue.

Here is another free resource for anyone interested ( again giving away free stuff is not generally considering spam ; )

Free Book - 30 Most influential Container Homes ever Built.

 

[containerhomes]

Looks to be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. What's cost like?

Cost ? That's a great question

Many people don't understand why container homes haven't gotten more traction in poor and developinig countries and main reason is cost.

In many parts of the world container homes cost 2 - 3 times what a regular masonary home cost - why ?

Well the local labor force are not skilled in this construction method, they don't own the specialist tools required, the don't have easy access to transport infrastructure and containers cost just about the same everywhere in the world - like most global resources today.

I run a charity building group in Northern Thailand - Laos, Thai, Burma and we moved away from container solutions after building several prototypes because they where really expensive. We could build a solid cement soil brick house for the cost of the empty containers !

What they have the potential to do is save time - so where labor is expensive they can be very very cost effective.

Lastly remember we are really only talking about the frame of the house, the really cost is in the full fitout of the house.

More here in this free video if your interested -

http://www.containerhome.info/tutorial-1.html

 

[Badger]

Well I hope anybody with a half of a brain would know better then to just randomly stack them. Here in the states your building has to pass building codes. Before even starting construction you have to submit plans of your structure for approval to the local zoning board. If they don't deem it structurally sound you don't build. Anything I would build would go to an engineer first to make sure it was good to go.

As to cost I wouldn't be doing it to save money or time. I would be doing to do something different and that's it.

I also see you keep adding links to your posts. So your are heading down a slippery slope. Your first one was already removed so I'm sure your new ones will as well. Keep it up and you will be seeing yourself removed. It doesn't matter if it's free content or not your spamming the forum with links to your web site.

 

[containerhomes]

I have no problem not to invest my time in this if users like you are not interested in this content.

So let me get this right, just so there is no confusion on my part.

When someone posts a question on this forum about lets say....

"How do you deal with heat and cold given they are steel boxes?"

The idea of someone that is one of the World's leading expert's stepping in and providing a link to a free 30 minute video that addresses exactly that question - "insulation and container homes" you would consider that "spam" and "unwanted"

If that is what you are saying I have no problem withdrawing my comments. Why ?

Well I run the most popular site in the World on the subject, anyone that is serious about looking for information on that subject will find these materials, eventually all I am doing is trying to help them up speeding up the process somewhat. I am not running some two bit site, the site is THE AUTHORITY on the subject.

I dont want to get into a bun fight but anyone that knows about websites will recognise the telltales of how popular the site is.

So far in this thread I have tried to add value to the following.

1, Issues of stacking and modification - not a directly posed question I accept that
2, Price - the real cost of construction - a directly posed question from a poster.

and given people where sharing "photos" of example projects - I see this as a directly posed question - a free book that showcases 30 pf the World's best container homes.

Please clarify, that you feel anything that I post that addresses these "questions" - directly posed or not with quality, free materials from the leading site in the World on that subject is unwanted ?

What if someone was to ask about burying them ? or what type of foundation is best - you dont want to see a free resource for that ?

If you or other members want to ask questions like " how much do they cost" but don't want free resources posted that address the question exactly from expects then hey buddy no skin off my nose.

 

[Stephen]

Well I run the most popular site in the World on the subject, anyone that is serious about looking for information on that subject will find these materials, eventually all I am doing is trying to help them up speeding up the process somewhat. I am not running some two bit site, the site is THE AUTHORITY on the subject.

I dont want to get into a bun fight but anyone that knows about websites will recognise the telltales of how popular the site is.

I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but then I went to your website. I can't fault a man for wanting to make a buck, but the whole, "It's free! That is until you get to the actual, useful content. Then it's $47.99." is a bit of a turn off. It's the misleading that irks people. Plus, most of the stuff you've got on there is readily available on blogs and forums. For free. Really.

And what telltale signs am I looking for? Because to me it looks like a pretty cheap start your own business from home style website. Just saying.

 

[containerhomes]

I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but then I went to your website. I can't fault a man for wanting to make a buck, but the whole, "It's free! That is until you get to the actual, useful content. Then it's $47.99." is a bit of a turn off. It's the misleading that irks people. Plus, most of the stuff you've got on there is readily available on blogs and forums. For free. Really.

And what telltale signs am I looking for? Because to me it looks like a pretty cheap start your own business from home style website. Just saying.

I am going to pull you up on a couple of points.

Not a single resource I have directed anyone too is not available completely free.

And that is fair - ask about stacking containers and I have directed you to free detailed video on that

Talk about "inspirational images" and again I have directed you to a free picture book.

There is NOTHING misleading in that process, the fact that I have additional parallel paid content does not undermine the value of the material that addresses that question.

You go on to say that you have to pay to get to the good stuff, I disagree completely.

The overwhelming most asked question we get about containers home from 1000's of surveys is ...

How much can you modify a container and still be safe ? At what point do you typically need to call in the structural engineers ?

In other words we answer the number one question people ask right up front and for free !

Number two is about insulation. - Guess what also have free resources available - no link posted.

That's hardly hiding the stuff that people want to know behind the members area.

As far as the balance of the site goes...

You couldn't find valuable free stuff ? This is what we make available for free.

1, The book - its basically a 120 page "coffee table book" of container homes - not the most valuable item on the list I totally accept that its total eye candy

I would agree 100% you can find many of these houses profiled on home design blogs this is more about compiling them together in one place

2, The free 3D container home design software - this is value - its not a trial or a tester its full functional software without a time or use limit - there is another upgrade that is free for members that does more stuff.

3, There are 4 x 30 minutes ( 120 minutes in total ) of free videos.

I will not link to them here as someone will like think it spam

There is not 120 minutes of real "how to type" content on any blog anywhere.

To answer your question directly

Yes after you check out the 120 page book and try the free design software and watch 2 hours of free videos we have a members area -

Let me say that again - I give away 2 hours of free videos and design software ( lets forget the book ) for free - for everyone.

And that irk's you ? Damn haha

I will refrain from going near your comments about the look and feel of the site - its enough to say I am a builder not a graphics designer so its probably fair to say that it could be more polished but at the end of the day its a content site about "building your own house" not some multi national corporate brochure.

In the spirit of actually "answering questions" - ie you asked the question.

My comments refer to traffic - for example my Alexa rank - ( a crude measure of "eyeball time" and less than perfect but one that many laymen know) is 300,000 ie the 300,000th most visited site in the world today

Take away all the stuff the internet is famous for + all the big sites all the banks and schools and government site etc and balance that against the tiny niche we are talking about and the bottom line is that is an amazing about of "eye ball time". Most importantly compare that to any other site on the subject and they are a long long long way behind numbers anything like that.

( and for anyone that knows the faults of Alexa - as I said its not perfect however the only true comparison is between two sites serving the same market - its not right to compare my ranking 300,004 against something like this site at 641,000. It would only make sense to compare that ranking against another 4wd type forum.

That said o put 300,000 in a context that 4wd fans might understand the warn.com site is alexa 249,000 - There are few 4WD accessories companies that wouldn't kill for that eyeball time.

My whole point behind all this commentary.

If you see anything on shipping container homes on other blos its a good chance they have "borrowed" the content from me not the other way around.

Lets just put it down to this...

If you don't watch the free 30 min headline video about stacking containers and say to yourself...

Wow that guy knows his stuff I want to watch more, then watch the additional 3 free videos, then hey that's cool, your not my audience.

At the end of the day I am the authority site on the subject I am not trying to leverage a bigger audience here - just trying to add value to a conversation that was started by a member and as happy to leave it at that.

Thanks for your consideration.

 

[Badger]

I will say I watched the first video you linked to. It had nothing I found informative. It was pretty much all common knowledge to anybody with some common sense. Anybody with even the slightest bit of construction know how would know what you explained in it.

Again over all you are here to pimp your site and get people to go to it. I'm sure you do have a good eyeball time rating and it's because of you hammering sites like this with you posts and links back to your site.

Where have you provided any useful information toward this conversation? All you have done is try to prove why you are the most informed person on the subject and (again) pimp your site/videos.

 

[containerhomes]

I will say I watched the first video you linked to. It had nothing I found informative. It was pretty much all common knowledge to anybody with some common sense. Anybody with even the slightest bit of construction know how would know what you explained in it.

Again over all you are here to pimp your site and get people to go to it. I'm sure you do have a good eyeball time rating and it's because of you hammering sites like this with you posts and links back to your site.

Where have you provided any useful information toward this conversation? All you have done is try to prove why you are the most informed person on the subject and (again) pimp your site/videos.

So you watched the video and found no value I genuinely don't have any issue with that at all.

The value is there for people or its not - the great thing is people can make up thier own minds. That's the real point of these types of threads - people ask questions and others try to answer those questions.

I feel the fact that I make videos like the one you refer to free to watch and review and "critic" if you don't like them is the entire point.

That said you are are missing a few points

1, The only value to me and my business in someone visiting my site from a link on a place like this is if they take the next step and become a member

You dont seem to understand anything else, any other outcome - actually costs me money in time, energy and even bandwidth.

And that is just NOT going to happen, people are not going to take the next step if they dont like and value the free content I am providing.

If people dont like the free content then they dont become members - No business can be fairer or more transparent than that.

2, Your being critical of a small business that is actively looking for people asking questions about their subject of expertise and engaging in that dialogue ?

Buddy I hate to break it to you that's considered world class service levels.

If you don't think every major multi-national in the world doesn't have teams of people that are engaging in social media in exactly this way then you awfully naive.

The difference is spam - its not adding value to the conversation.

If you watched the video and didnt see value ( as you didnt ) them I see why you would see it as spam, just as the next person along says wow that just what I am looking for.

I have no issue holding my head up and saying there is value there for the largest part of any interested audience whilst I respect your position ( everyone is entitled to one ) you are missing a lot of points including the fact that your from the construction industry, what you take for granted or already know most don't know or understand.