Commercial Container Homes
Design, Planning, Construction, Quality Control, Delivery, Installation
Design
Your housing needs
- Does any of the models on our website fit your needs?
- Do you need a custom design?
- How much space do you need?
- How many bedrooms? Bathrooms?
- Which appliances do you need?
- Special needs for disabled people?
- Do you want any of the optional features? (e.g. deck)?
Location
- Where will the unit be located? (State and County or Province and City)
- What's the type of terrain?
- What type of utilities are available (Electricity?, Sewer?, etc)
- List Item
And we are sure you will have your own questions for us as well!
If you require a custom design, we will give you a quote shortly after we start the design phase.
Deliverables of this phase are:
- Detailed plans of the unit to be delivered.
- Detailed list of the appliances and optional features.
- Total price for the unit
If you decide to go ahead with the project, we expect at this point a 35% down payment to place the procurement order for the containers.
Planning
Many different skills and activities are needed to build a house, and these activities need to be scheduled and coordinated. Just to give you a flavor, below is a summary list of the work areas:
- Metal structure
- Framing
- Doors and windows
- Plumbing
- Electrical installation
- Drywall
- Painting
- Flooring
- Finishing details
Construction
We have at this point the floor plans, all the necessary diagrams and the project plan that will be used to guide the construction process to completion. Below you can read a more detailed explanation of the different constructions steps:
- Metal structure: this involves cutting all the openings for windows and doors into the container, and also add a bump out structure if one is required.
- Framing: unlike a traditional construction where the wooden frame dictates the shape of the house and provides the structure, it is the container(s) that provide(s) the overall structure and shape in our container units. However, a wood frame is still required to accommodate the insulation, electrical installation, plumbing, and of course the drywall. Since the floor of the container was probably sprayed with some kind of pesticide, we replace the original plywood floor with new sheets of plywood to eliminate any possibility of harmful vapors.
- Doors and windows: openings have been cut during the ‘Metal structure’ step, here we install all the doors and windows into those openings
- Plumbing: we then install the pipes for the water supply system (fresh water) and the drain system (wastewater). The plumbing installation is tested under pressure while the pipes are still exposed, looking for any leaks.
- Electrical installation: we install all the outlets, switches and lighting boxes and wire them to a 100 Amp circuit breaker panel, and we also install and wire outlets for cable service. like with the plumbing installation, all connections are tested before installing the drywall.
- Drywall: gypsum board is applied over the wooden frame, covering the insulation and the plumbing and electrical systems.
- Painting: all interior walls are painted in white (surcharge for custom colors).
- Flooring: installation of laminated floor on the main areas, and vinyl floor in the bathroom
- Finishing details: installation of baseboards, lighting, kitchen cabinets and appliances, water heater, HVAC (optional), etc.
Quality Control
Quality is one of our main concerns, and as mentioned in the construction phase, we have already performed partial quality checks at different points. Additionally we carry out the following QC tasks:
- We make sure the whole unit is water tight.
- We check for leaks on all installed kitchen and bathroom appliances.
- We make sure all electric appliances and lights are working.
- We inspect finishing details on the carpentry and paint jobs.
Once the Quality Control is completed, you are expected to pay the balance of the unit before we proceed to shipping
Delivery
ring the Design phase we discussed the final location of the house and the terrain where the unit will be installed. Based on that, we can determine the type of truck and unloading equipment that will be needed, and we can help you select an appropriate trucking company.
Just be aware that a truck can normally carry one 40′ container or two 20′ containers, so if your unit includes more containers, you may need more than one truck.