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susan_spencer89

Design of a shipping container home of the south Coast in NSW

Susan Spencer
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Looking for land that the council will approve a shipping container home to be built on in Merimbula/Pambula area.

Then will start on my design.


Maison Conteneur - Container House · More Info


[Photo added for illustrative purposes only - ed]

Featured Answer
  • PRO
    Paul Di Stefano Design
    5 years ago

    Hi Susan, I'm all for interesting projects, however usually the design decisions need to come back to some form of practicality and cost reasoning and benefit/value in this regard ...following on from oklouise's comments above in order, to make an empty shell habitable and compliant with BCA requirements for Class 1 buildings (ie detached dwellings) considering the practical (trade/material) costs involved to achieve it (on many levels) arguably there are more cost effective (off the shelf) options available for you .........You get a cheap shell (the "stone") but it needs a hell of a lot of dressing (the "soup"), which will cost no different, and in some ways more than doing it alternatively for similar and likely better outcome......unless of course you plan to do most of the work yourself and have skill/experience in renovation, fit-out and customising a large steel box......

    My advice is make sure you have crunched the numbers and considered your options before you make decisions that could be leading you down the road of false economy.

    That's my reason - and as always, my comments and advice are always made with good intentions for people's project investments in the hope that will achieve good value outcomes....all the best with it :) PD

    Comments (25)

    • Lollylegs
      5 years ago

      Hi Susan, these sorts of houses have been approved here, mostley in millingandi, and other rural areas...

      Susan Spencer thanked Lollylegs
    • oklouise
      5 years ago

      first contact the local Council to clarify any special restrictions for using shipping containers and then check the real estate agents for available land...i believe any habitable dwelling must still satisfy the same building regulations and BASIX requirements as a standard house and building in an isolated or unusual area can also add additional costs related to power and water supply, sewerage management and fire and foreshore protection...we've recently had success with approval of a small dwelling based on an A1 rated steel shed which may also be an option to consider

      Susan Spencer thanked oklouise
    • PRO
      Paul Di Stefano Design
      5 years ago

      Shipping Container Build is the residential equivalent of Stone Soup


    • Susan Spencer
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      Your reason for that comment please ?

    • oklouise
      5 years ago

      from current experience the basic external shell of our building is only about 15% of the expected price of the whole project and, ignoring the standards costs common to any habitable dwellings, we decided that the advantage of a custom sized and shaped A1 steel shed is that it also includes the best roof shape, windows, doors, insulation, guttering and downpipes erected to "lock up" and ready for us to fit out internally and, site specific additions, like tank water and fire protection have been easily built into the design....as Paul suggested a comparison for all the options will be useful when designing your new home

      Susan Spencer thanked oklouise
    • siriuskey
      5 years ago

      Hi Susan, It sounds like you might have some knowledge in shipping container builds they can be exciting and challenging especially if you are looking do a floating floor design. Don't be dis heartened, do your research and it will be a very worth while project perfect for that coastline cheers

      http://coastalpods.com/

      http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-27/are-container-houses-a-solution-to-tasmanias-homelessness/9593260

      https://www.domain.com.au/news/this-excellent-shipping-container-home-was-built-for-less-than-27000-20150710-gi9f7x/

      https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/9499428

    • Lollylegs
      5 years ago

      Hi, I live in the area and I understand the soup stone reasoning, but the price of to build a home locally is very expensive. I have been told this is due to the expense of freight costs for materials, to build a comperable house here to say one in Canberra is approx 15% more. We have also as many have here gone down the “alternative “ route!

      Susan Spencer thanked Lollylegs
    • oklouise
      5 years ago

      my comments are specifically based on experience with difference in costs for building in different parts of NSW around Sydney, far south coast, interstate and in isolated areas

      Susan Spencer thanked oklouise
    • Susan Spencer
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      All this honest advice - I love it. I have been thru a very bad time over the last few years and have no job and no money right now and renting. I have to have some sort of goal to work towards. At 60 and having worked all my life my new reality is a bitter pill to swallow. I have to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnell for me and a shipping container home may be the only way.

    • ddarroch
      5 years ago
      Tiny houses have worked well in the US for people who don't have (or don't want to spend) the funds for an average house.

      Though this is very dependent on local rules for such dwellings, & local costs. DIY obviously reduces the cost significantly too.

      I've never been through this process, have no experience, but certainly do love a good tiny house build. Chocked full of ingenious space-saving solutions.
    • PRO
      Wild Bear & Co Hervey Bay
      5 years ago

      ddarroch raises an excellent alternative for you Susan... perhaps a tiny home might be more to your liking? Allows much more flexibility in building materials and aesthetics whilst still taking on a smaller footprint. I'm so sorry to hear you have been through such a bad time... hopefully having something like this to focus on, that's all your own, will give you something to feel positive, optimistic and happy about - I wish only the best as you move forward :)

    • oklouise
      5 years ago

      it's not fair to find yourself in such a difficult position but the harsh reality is discovering the cost for the most basic small home without land..FYI our small holiday cottage to be built out of an A1 colourbond steel shell with one bedroom, bathroom, combined living and kitchen, mudroom laundry and multipurpose space total 70sqm is expected to cost about $70,000 including the necessary hot water heating, space heating and appliances plus about $10,000 extra for water tanks and fire proof shutters...

      Susan Spencer thanked oklouise
    • siriuskey
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      A very tough position at your age which makes it so much harder, when you are ready would you be able to purchase a small home on a small plot of land, even i it's old you would immediately have somewhere to live as against building, keep us posted on what you decide you can do, good luck

      https://www.bermaguirealestate.com.au/property/225/nsw


      Susan Spencer thanked siriuskey
    • PRO
      Paul Di Stefano Design
      5 years ago

      I normally wouldn't comment further, but I feel for your here Susan and sorry to hear you've had a difficult time. I suppose with that all as a backdrop my advice remains probably even firmer in that it's about making sure you are 100% about the path you choose with this in regards to potential and realistic building costs. It's about a long term investment and it needs to be viable and whatever you do you need to be balancing your needs/requirements against the available budget. Rather than make decisions right now about exactly how you are going to achieve something, perhaps start with writing down what you particular requirements and a budget that is viable for you, and then work through the options to see if you could bring the two together one way or another and keep an open mind about the options/formats that will achieve those requirements that you need. Whilst I operate in quite high end, there is ALWAYS a budget involved and more often I find people what people think they want/must have (at the beginning) is different to what they are eventually happy to let go of and accepting to live without when push comes to shove with understanding of the costs involved. It sound like in your case this is primarily about achieving some independence and having something you can call your own, rather than it being specifically one thing or another. So bring it back to the numbers and see what your practical options are...Sincerely best of luck with it Susan PD

      Susan Spencer thanked Paul Di Stefano Design
    • Susan Spencer
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      If I could atleast get a small block of land somewhere , even farmland it would help. I guess thats where I have to start...... Than ks for your comments. I am taking them onboard.

    • siriuskey
      5 years ago

      Hi Susan, that's what I would be aiming for and preferably one with a cottage on as it will hopefully have power and water already connected which saves a lot of money, it doesn't have to be special but having somewhere you can call your own to sleep a toilet, hot water, heating and cooking available is a big plus.

      Sadly there are more & more older Australians in this situation and I believe women are the majority.

      Do you watch "River Cottage Australia" which is made in the area you are looking at, it's a beautiful area and so many interesting people working at being self sufficient. Never give Up. cheers

      Susan Spencer thanked siriuskey
    • siriuskey
      5 years ago

      Hi there Susan, is that a photo of you and what is the name of the book,

      Susan Spencer thanked siriuskey
    • Susan Spencer
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      Lol - Yes that's a photo of me - but its not a book its just a "Toni Tails Frame "

    • siriuskey
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      Hi, sorry I had never heard of that, it just reminded me of the American CBS Journo with the same name as yours. ABC Australia also had an amazing Journo with the same name.

      cheers

    • siriuskey
      5 years ago

      Love the photo and the hat.

      Susan Spencer thanked siriuskey
    • PRO
      User
      5 years ago

      Hello Susan

      We have actually built complete 4 bedroom / 3 bathroom shipping container home designed to be fully transportable for a R+D project we were designing some time ago.

      As a builder we had a fair idea of what we were going to face as we set our goal of building a 'pure' shipping container home... ie the whole home built out of nothing but containers as opposed to building a home around a couple of them as most do.

      Having read your posts I would not recommend this option for you both from a financial and a technical aspect.

      The suggestions above of a tiny house would be a great place to start.

      Cheers

      Susan Spencer thanked User
    • PRO
      Dr Retro House Calls
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago


      Susan, if you are looking to build on a tight budget be very cautious of cheap farmland. Often these properties have no infrastructure such as town water, sewage, gas, electricity or landline. If you want these basic necessities in your later years you will need to pay for the expensive connections, or live off-grid. Which ever way you go there are substantial costs which will reduce how much you can spend on your new build.

      Best of luck,
      Dr Retro
      of Dr Retro House Calls

    • PRO
      Deirdre Avenell
      5 years ago

      Hi Susan,

      My husband and I have just completed a tiny house build, and I can definitely recommend it. The price works out much cheaper than a shipping container house according to my research ($60,000 as compared to close to $100,000 fully finished) and you can easily enough rent a parcel of land to live on rather than buying to build on, at least initially.

      Obviously you need to carefully research council restrictions for wherever you decide to live, but this could be a much easier and cheaper option for you. Depending on the size, setup and local zoning, tiny houses generally don't need DA approval. Instead you register it as a caravan and if you rent a parcel on someone else's land where there already is a permanent dwelling, you're generally fine to live there (though I'm certainly not an expert on the legalities). Then if, in the future, you're able to buy your own block, you can hitch it up to a ute or 4WD and move it with you.

      Something to consider anyway, and starting from scratch with a tiny house on wheels can actually work out a lot easier than retrofitting a shipping container with internal framing and walls, insulation, windows, doors, etc. But as everyone else has suggested, make sure you do your research properly and do what will work best for you in the long run.

      Susan Spencer thanked Deirdre Avenell
    • JE C
      5 years ago
      Hi some friends of mine bought an old transportable off eBay or gumtree for very little, then redecorated it nicely for their young adult son to live in on their block as he needed more space and independence. It looked lovely after their work. If you are open to renting land initially if needed that may be another option. Good luck.
      Susan Spencer thanked JE C
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