Contentar · The build

How a container becomes a home, stage by stage

Nine stages, from the container set down by crane to the project at the câmara municipal (town hall). A T1 (1 bedroom) from two 40 ft containers (2×40) costs €54,550 to €73,802, VAT included and without land.

1. The container arrives. A one-trip, grade A container, set down by crane. It is the part everyone budgets for, and the cheapest part of the build.
2. Foundations. Concrete pads at the corners and in the middle. Without them the steel sits on damp ground, rusts from below and the project does not get past the câmara.
3. Cuts and reinforcement. Every opening takes stiffness out of the container, so every cut gets a steel frame welded around it. Cut little, and cut well.
4. Insulation and cladding. Uninsulated steel is an oven in summer and a freezer in winter. Continuous insulation, a membrane and timber battens on the outside.
5. Windows and doors. Thermally broken frames and double glazing. This is where the budget stretches most: every metre of glass counts.
6. Water, power and sewage. Services, partitions and the bathroom. The most forgotten slice. If the plot has no utility connections, it grows even more.
7. Flooring and kitchen. Floating floor and a fitted kitchen. The kitchen alone costs almost as much as the whole container.
8. Furniture. Bed, sofa, table, storage. In 56 m² every piece is made to measure or chosen to the centimetre.
9. Project, permits and fees. Architect, engineering projects and municipal fees. Paperwork that costs more than the container itself.