Simple Renovation of Container Houses
The simple renovation of container houses should focus on structural reinforcement, functional improvement, and performance optimization, combining modular design and environmental protection concepts to achieve low-cost renovation.
1. Structural Reinforcement and Anti-Corrosion Treatment
The traditional container's bottom frame has large longitudinal beam spacing, which can lead to insufficient floor stiffness when used directly as living space. During renovation, C-shaped steel purlins should be added between the bottom beams to evenly distribute the load to the main beams, ensuring structural stability even when the container is stacked up to three layers. Simultaneously, the container surface should be shot-blasted to remove rust and then coated with zinc-rich primer and polyurethane topcoat to form a protective system, enabling the steel to maintain an effective service life of over 15 years in windy and temperature-varying environments. For example, Baotou Camp Container House Company has solved the anti-corrosion and load-bearing optimization issues of steel structures through such treatments.
2. Functional Module Integration
Container renovation requires the integration of living function modules, including water and electricity pipelines, doors and windows, and sanitary facilities. Modular design is adopted, with the main structure, interior and exterior decoration, and pipeline pre-embedding completed in the factory. Only simple hoisting and foundation connection are required on-site for use. For example, China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. prefabricates building modules in the factory and then transports them to the site for assembly to form a complete building; Mr. Zhou's renovated second-hand container includes an open-plan small kitchen, bathroom, and projection screen, achieving comprehensive functionality.
3. Performance Optimization
1. Thermal Insulation
The metal container wall has a cold bridge effect, and the conventional method of attaching insulation boards on the inside can easily create heat conduction channels at the steel frame. The improved solution is to adopt a broken-bridge lining structure, filling hard polyurethane foam between the steel frame and the interior wall panel, and adding rubber thermal insulation pads at the frame connections to reduce the heat exchange efficiency between the inside and outside of the container by about 40%. For example, Baotou Camp Container House has achieved an indoor temperature 8 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than the outside in winter without heating through such treatment.
2. Wind Resistance
The steel structure frame needs to be calculated and reinforced to withstand the impact of high wind speeds. For example, the steel structure frame of the Container Homestay Apple Cabin has been reinforced to meet the usage requirements of most natural scenarios; compliant container mobile homes need to pass wind and earthquake resistance certification, with a wind resistance rating of at least Grade 8 as required by the national standard GB/T 19001.
3. Fire Resistance
The national standard requires that the fire resistance rating of container mobile homes should be at least Grade B1. Compliant products use fire-retardant materials to effectively delay the spread of fire and buy time for escape. Non-compliant products often use flammable materials, with a fire resistance rating of only Grade C, posing safety hazards.
