How to Expand a Container House

The methods for expanding the actual usable area of a container house mainly include spatial expansion design, stacking design, integration with old buildings, and internal customization design, etc..

Spatial Expansion Design: Adopt a dual-wing expansion box structure. During transportation, the spaces on both sides are folded in. Upon arrival at the usage site, the wings on both sides are unfolded, significantly expanding the indoor usable area. For example, a 20-foot dual-wing expansion box, when unfolded, has an indoor usable area of approximately 36 square meters. During transportation, it only occupies a small space. Upon reaching the destination, a larger usable area can be obtained through the unfolding operation.

Stacking Design: Utilize the spatial stacking techniques of containers to achieve space doubling through staggered placement and steel frame reinforcement. For example, a structure composed of four 20FT high cube containers arranged in a staggered manner can provide additional usable space, such as a rooftop platform and a covered parking area at the bottom, suitable for small families to live in while maintaining a high level of living quality and a minimalist style.

Integration with Old Buildings: In the expansion of old buildings, the characteristics of containers, which are easy to install and dismantle and highly customizable, are fully utilized. For example, a family farm in South Africa chose to expand its house using containers. The new container building was connected to the rear of the old house, with a steel frame used to keep the new and old buildings at the same level. They were connected by a panoramic glass corridor. The new container building included a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and a spacious bathroom, capable of independently meeting living needs.

Internal Customization Design: Customize and renovate the interior of the container house according to personal needs, adding facilities such as a study, gym, or swimming pool. For example, an expandable container house has a combined size of 363m (widthlengthheight) and an expanded size of 5.563m (widthlengthheight). The indoor area expands from 18 square meters to 33 square meters. It can also be internally renovated according to needs, featuring basic functions such as a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.