Container Renovated House - Two Floors

It is feasible to renovate containers into two-story houses, and there have been many successful cases. The following introduces the renovation methods, design points, and actual cases:

Renovation Methods:

• Vertical Stacking: Stack two or more containers vertically and fix them through welding or bolting to form a two-story structure. This is the most common renovation method, which can fully utilize the modular characteristics of containers and quickly build multi-story houses.
• Staggered Stacking: On the basis of vertical stacking, some containers are staggered to create a well-arranged spatial layout. This method can increase the sense of hierarchy and three-dimensionality of the house while creating more terrace or balcony spaces.

Design Points:

• Structural Safety: During the renovation process, ensure that the structural strength of the containers meets building requirements, especially the connection parts need to be reinforced to withstand the weight of the upper floors and external forces such as wind and earthquakes.
• Space Utilization: Reasonably plan the internal space, and achieve convenient passage between the upper and lower floors and effective utilization of space by removing some non-load-bearing walls and adding stairs or elevators.
• Thermal Insulation and Ventilation: The metal material of containers is prone to heat conduction, so effective thermal insulation measures need to be taken, such as adding thermal insulation layers and using thermal insulation materials. At the same time, a reasonable ventilation system needs to be designed to ensure indoor air circulation and improve living comfort.

Actual Cases:

• Two-story Residence Renovated from Four Containers: This residence is composed of four containers and forms a two-story structure through staggered stacking. Large windows and wood decorations soften the hardness of the steel frame, creating a warm and comfortable living environment.
• Container House of Changshu Yazhi Modular Building Co., Ltd.: This house uses two containers to plan the first and second floors, and creates balconies and sunshades through vertical placement, increasing the selectivity of space utilization.
• Container Mansion Built by Two Sisters: The two sisters used a 12-meter container to build a 30㎡ mansion villa, which not only has a reasonable internal space layout but also adds an open-air balcony and outdoor leisure areas, improving the living quality.