​7 container homes from South Africa

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
Pop Up retreat - Shipping Container living, Edge Design Studio Architects Edge Design Studio Architects Industrial style garden
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Like all things in life, architecture continues to evolve. And even though there’s something to be said for traditional building methods, one can’t deny the trends of home-building, especially not when they’re as unique as taking old, used shipping containers and turning them into brand-new houses!

South Africa, fortunately, doesn’t hold back in terms of building container homes. Even though the idea of container houses hasn’t taken off the way it has overseas, more and more locals are realising the potential of what can be achieved with an old shipping container (or two, or three… ).

Thus, whether you live in Cape Town or Johannesburg, or whether you’re interested in a single container structure or stacking a few atop one another, feel free to scroll through this list and see what some of our South African talents have achieved in terms of container houses…

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From one building method to another, let’s see A modern prefab house… to move into today!

Bonus info: The advantages of living in a container home

But what, exactly, is it that draws so many people (including professional Architects) to consider the concept of container homes here in South Africa? 

They are low-cost housing options: Building a container house is much more affordable than constructing a similar design out of traditional building materials (brick, steel, etc.). In addition, a shipping container already presents a structured and durable design when purchased. Thus, should you see a container home for sale in South Africa, rest assured that it’s already got a floor, for instance, and that you don’t need to spend additional expenses on getting it fitted (maybe just check if its insulation could do with an upgrade).

Bonus info: The advantages of living in a container home (part 2)

They are quick to construct: Where a traditional home can take anywhere from five months and upwards to be built, container houses can be constructed and finalised in under a month. And consider the fact that container homes are also constructed off-site, meaning the finished panels are simply moved to the appropriate property when done. 

Feeling inspired to try your hand at container houses? But first, see these 9 things you should know before building a container home

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