03. Category 1: An Off the Grid Home

If you are considering options for an off the grid home, then you should really consider what a house is. Any house is essentially a foundation with 4 walls, a floor, a roof. There is usually a door and a few windows, a living area, a kitchen, a bathroom and bedroom. The architecture of the internal configuration depends upon the intended number of people the dwelling is for. After that you’re going to want to be proof from the elements, insulated against being too hot or too cold. You’re going to wanted to be leak proof and fireproof. Then you need to have it wired for electricity, plumbing and optical connections for the Internet. That is essentially what house is. All the extras, such as lighting, cabinets, furniture, paint are added as life goes on. These window dressings reflect the individual personalities of those who live there, and they turn a house into a home.

Why should a house put you in debt for most of your life???

There is absolutely nothing about the construction of a house that needs to be insanely expensive. There is no reason that you should have to get a mortgage and be a slave to debt repayment for the next 30 years. The greatest expense in owning a house comes from paying over priced construction teams to build it for you. Many of us look to move into a house someone just moved out of, simply because we don’t how easy it is to build our own home.

Container Homes as an Elegant Solution

I started to research low-cost housing solutions and I was very surprised at what I found. Apparently people have made a thing out of taking used cargo containers and reconfiguring them into housing blocks. The most basic and common versions of this look like a permanent RV and are quite unattractive. However if you have a larger family, or if you’d like to have more space, then it is a simple matter to connect 4 or 5 of these containers and interesting configurations and create a very modern and very respectable house.

Generally a used cargo container can be purchased for $2,435 and insulation will go for around $1234. If you are looking for the end price of a small container home, it would cost a total of 10k to 35k to purchase and retrofit. A larger multi container home would be more in the 100k to 175k range (this includes all external fixings as well). More space, more storage, free standing structure that you actually own (aka not a bank allowing you to live there as long as you keep up with payments). And if you ever need more space, just buy a few more containers and have a team weld them on the original structure or create a second structure on your low cost undeveloped land lot. Consider this as a viable living option against purchasing a small apartment in the down town core of a city. No options to expand your space, you’re locked into a financial arrangement for a significant amount of your life, and there is no guarantee that you’re going to get along with your neighbours.

As an added bonus container homes are considered temporary structures, so building permits are usually a nonissue. However once you put together 2 to 5 containers in a multi-storey complex, and with exterior panelling, you are going to have something that looks indistinguishable from modern smart home. Except without the cost.

Consider the following guide from a fellow who has 14 years experience putting together container homes. The button below will link you over to a guide that will provide you with invaluable info saving you years of trial and error and a pile of money in useful tips and tricks. If you are seriously considering container homes, click the button below.