Evelyn Moore
The main purpose of Shipping Containers is for transporting materials and goods. Their invention completely changed how we transport on ships across oceans. The most common types are 20ft, 30ft, and 40ft. The material that is mostly used is Corten steel also known as weathering steel.
Easy availability, cheapness, mobility, and easy installation process of shipping containers turned them into popular building materials. They are used for housing, offices, backyard sheds, garages, and outdoor storage.
If you have a backyard and plan to buy a shipping container probably the first question that comes to your mind is "do I need a permit to put a shipping container on my property legally"?
Legislature and Building Acts for shipping containers are different in every state. In some states, they may be completely the same but it's your duty to contact building authorities and check with them for your state before buying one. The laws are different depending on the use of the shipping container (storage or housing).
Are Shipping Containers safe?
If you are ordering new shipping containers you can just specify to the factory that they don't use hazardous paint.
But since most of us for our backyard is going to buy used containers you need to check:
- if wooden floors are treated with chemicals such as pesticides
- if some shipping materials and construction parts are coated in the paint which contains hazardous chemicals.
Are Shipping Container Hurricane Proof?
You could see some photos after hurricane Katrina where we had a bunch of completely destroyed wooden homes and intact containers. They are designed to be filled to the full with a very heavy load so we can say that they are hurricane proof.
If you still don't believe us you can check how New York is testing shipping container-style modular homes in preparation for future natural disasters on this link
