There’s a meme on Facebook of a guy at a desk. On the front of that desk is a sign that makes some claim. Underneath the claim are the words Prove Me Wrong.
I feel like I’m that guy when it comes to what I think is a shyster fad of making one thing—a shipping container—into another: a home.
Yet, there is now code language from the ICC, according to the Builders’ Show. “Repurposing shipping containers as building materials is a growing trend in construction,” commented Code Council CEO Dominic Sims, CBO. “The new guideline will provide communities with the tools they need to ensure that repurposed shipping containers are used in a safe and responsible manner.”
I mean, you still have to stud out and insulate the can. It still needs paint on the exterior and you have to trade in your circular saw for a plasma cutter. Foundation? Plumbing? HVAC?
And how do you flash the penetrations?
If you want to live in a cube, you could frame something faster. And maybe then it doesn’t have to be a cube.
So my rant is stretching the bridge to tools pretty thin, but the point is, if you have a shipping-container job coming up, there will be code for building a small, skinny house inside an expensive steel box.
