Hi ,I am 43 starting over houses are so expensive i am thinking of building a house using C-containers ,I have been doing research and it can be done just don't know what laws in WA are like . any ideas out there ?
I would imagine that inside any metro area you might be pushing your luck,
country shires or outback could be easier.
some minesite dongas are converted shipping containers, and can be comfortable if done right.
Where abouts are you wanting to build
stephen?
Fellow built one in Victoria Canada, and the building codes there are at least as complicated. Plans and pics etc are at zigloo.ca
I followed it a bit when it was happening, think it ended up costing 180 a square metre, so not exactly cheap, but he was happy with it.
Best of luck with your project, I personally like building from scratch but that is just personal preference.
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Select to expand quotewindywander said..
Fellow built one in Victoria Canada, and the building codes there are at least as complicated. Plans and pics etc are at zigloo.ca
I followed it a bit when it was happening, think it ended up costing 180 a square metre, so not exactly cheap, but he was happy with it.
Best of luck with your project, I personally like building from scratch but that is just personal preference.
$180 a square metre is cheap for anything, I don't think you can build a house for under $1000 a sqm and I have a lightweight hiking tent that cost more than $180 a sqm 
www.cubemodularhomes.com.au/residential-homes/
Apparently there is a home in Fremantle somewhere ...
if you ring their council and ask for the engineering department..
they can probably tell you were it is..
You can build them but as they are a new thing..
your best idea is ring the council you want to build it in and go from there.
They are usually more interested in what the facade is going to look like from the street
and if it's double storey you need alot more engineering specifications done.
Unless you ring them about a financial problem,
I find all councils willing to help with information
Thats what I did...and they are extremely helpfull
councils helpful......wow things must be very different over there.
we've had a da in since january and they have been anything but helpful, in fact quite the opposite. and actually being able to get a hold of the relevant person is proving absolutely impossible.
I've designed a few concepts and hope to one day build a container home on a small block. I started with the idea that it was very 'green' to build with a recycled container, but have since realised that there's a lot of 'embodied energy' that goes in to the completed home, although most homes have a high embodied energy rating.
Cost-wise they work...& coolness factor rates high also!
Sailhack & others;
Coolness - yes, cool, but in a cold temperature way! And Hot... Needs good insulation, internally.
Embodied Energy - yes, very high.
Rust - yes they will rust out. Make sure there is no water ponding on the roof, or add a roof, or add a thick bitumen paint membrane to increase the longevity.
Light - obviously a steel box is a dark box, so they need to be heavily modified to fit windows, doors, etc.
Internal finishes - needs insulation, plaster, paint, windows, ceiling, lights, bathroom, kitchen, etc etc.
I'd have thought the only benefit of these things would be if they were done on a reasonable scale with most of the fit-out and modification done in bulk off site and just assembly onsite.
If you're just planning to ship in containers and do it as a one off with all work done onsite, I can't imagine they'd be much (any?) cheaper or environmentally friendly than a lot of other options around?
If you want cheap I'd be more inclined to do straw bale house. Having 500mm thick walls rendered makes a ridiculously energy efficient house.
Can't imagine how much it would cost to cool that steel box with heaps of windows and no shade.
Note the O.P has not come back and given his username I don't think it was a question, rather marketing / awareness??? 
The only advantage I can see to having a sea container home would be the ability to disconnect it from services, crane it onto a truck and have it shifted to the next place you want to live.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said...
If you want cheap I'd be more inclined to do straw bale house. Having 500mm thick walls rendered makes a ridiculously energy efficient house.
Can't imagine how much it would cost to cool that steel box with heaps of windows and no shade.
Note the O.P has not come back and given his username I don't think it was a question, rather marketing / awareness???
Wrap a sea container in straw bales?
theyd be hot! you would need another roof for insulation. kindA looses cost effectiveness
We use them in my school as classrooms, only advantage being cost and possibility to move.
In winter they're freezing cold and steaming hot in summer (even with an extra roof)
last time we were flooded all the floors popped up !! 
The reason we went for that system is you don't need a "construction permit" locally as they are considered as light removable structures.
Look into kit homes...Very affordable and you can pretty much build them yourself,trades for specialized work still needed.
