Building a home using a refrigerated shipping container

These wonderful boxes ship temperature-controlled goods all over the world.

They are also known as reefer containers, refrigerated.

The question is “Can we build a shipping container home using the reefer container”?

A refrigerated shipping container is already insulated, lowering the construction costs.

The walls and ceiling have 3” of insulation, covered by a thin sheet of stainless steel, unlike the traditional shipping containers that are made of corrugated steel.

The stainless panels that sandwich the insulation has a thickness of 1.25mm.

In most used refrigerated shipping containers, there are plenty of dents form the fork lift banging into the walls over the years. These walls are made of a stainless steel and when they are dented they present a poor appearance. This could be covered up, but that will increase the costs. Also, the electrical system in a standard shipping container home are encased inside the walls. Whereas the refrigerated shipping containers the electrical system is on the outside of the wall, exposed.

The majority of refrigerated shipping containers is the 9’6” height. This is also called high-cube. The additional height allows the builder to install ceiling fans.

However, even though you are gaining some additional height for your home, the refrigerated shipping container has a motor on the far end consuming approximately 2ft of inside and floor space.