Frequently Asked Questions...
When a shipping container is used as the structure for a house, one is re-using and repurposing a structure that would otherwise be sitting abandoned. For every shipping container that is upcycled we are saving around 3500KG of steel.
Are
Container Homes
Eco-Friendly?
Overall container homes do cost less than the traditional stick-built houses. There are several reasons for this. First, a big portion of the home is built in factory allowing for a controlled environment with economies of scale and less waste. Secondly, a container home tends to be smaller in foot-print, requiring less material overall. And finally, they are faster to build and more efficient.
Do
Container Homes
Cost Less Than
Stick-Built Homes?
Shipping containers are steel boxes that are designed to hold thousands of pounds, to be stacked one on top of the other, made to endure violent conditions at sea and by cranes, making them strong, durable, weatherproof alternatives for housing structures.
Are
Container Homes
Safe?
There are three main types of foundations: Pier, Slab and Strip. A Pier foundation is usually the cheapest and the fastest one to build. The piers are generally laid at each corner of the container. With a Slab Foundation, the weight of the container is spread over the entire slab, vs just the piers. However, because of the additional concrete used and the vast amount of space which needs excavating, slab foundations are significantly more expensive than pier foundations. A Strip foundation is just as the name implies: a strip of concrete which is laid to support the containers, is normally 1-2-foot-wide and 4-foot-deep and runs the perimeter of the container.
Do You Set A
Container Home
On A
Slab Foundation?
Cash, equity lines of credit and personal loans have been the more typical instruments until now. The challenge has been that banks tend to be reluctant to lend on a property not affixed to the land, like a house. However, as container homes are becoming a more popular permanent housing alternative, lenders are beginning to take notice. There are some lenders that will offer construction loans that can be rolled in to a 30-year mortgage. It is important to shop around.
Can You Finance A
Container Home?
Containers come 20, 40, 45 and 53 feet in length and 8 and 9.5 in height. Their width is always 8ft. KUBED LIVING prefers to work with the 9.5 ft ones called High Cubes. Containers, however are meant to be stacked and worked like Legos. Amazing designs are possible.
What Sizes Do
They Come In?
A container home is a type of pre-fabricated home, where certain components are built in a factory and then assembled on site. The home is meant to be permanently affixed to a foundation. Like a stick-built house, a modular home must follow the building codes of the municipality in which it will live. A trailer or mobile home is a structure that is built in a factory, is trailered into a parcel of land where it will either permanently or semi-permanently reside, and from where it can be moved. Mobile home refers to houses built PRIOR to 1976. After 1976, a mobile home following stricter HUD codes and standards, became known as a manufactured home.
What Is The Difference Between A Trailer,
Mobile Home,
Modular Home,
and Manufactured Home?
The Tiny home movement is one that stars small houses on wheels, or with the ability to be mobile. Even though Kubed Living and modular homes share many of the Tiny Home attributes, we are not Tiny Homes. We are small, efficient homes that are permanently affixed to a foundation. We are the small and efficient version of the big house.
What Is The Difference Between Container Homes
and
Tiny Homes?
Although we are based in Los Angeles, our manufacturer has facilities around the country, therefore we have the ability to service the entire continental US, Canada, and the Caribbean.
What Areas Do
You Service?
Container homes are basically steel frame construction. Most cities accept steel frame for their commercial projects. Little by little, the same cities are recognizing steel frame construction for residential projects. Overall the response has been very positive from most cities we have engaged with.
Do All Cities
Accept
Container Homes?
Our modular homes are transported via ocean, ground and rail. Once they arrive to their permanent site, depending on the accessibility, they are either craned or fork-lifted in.
How Do They
Arrive on Site?
Yes, we do! We opened the doors to our very first showroom in Sierra Madre, CA. On display we have a beautifully appointed one bedroom, one bath home. Potential customers, vendors and other interested parties are welcome to visit. Please call for an appointment.
Is There A Showroom Where I Can See Some Models?
Our container homes are insulated with spray Foam: (closed cell, 3" walls, ceiling, floor).
Are They
Insulated?
We offer a split system for most of our structures. A single unit is able to cool and heat an area up to 1000 square feet, making them efficient and cost-effective alternatives that are easily installed and serviced.
How Do You
Heat & Cool
Container Homes?
You can go as small as a 160 square foot home, like our Studio 160, or as large as your imagination and budget can take you. Because of their strength, durability, and inherent design, shipping containers are made to be stacked on top of one another, allowing for creative, exciting, and multi-story construction.
How Large of a Home
Can I Build?
Like any permanent structure, a container home needs a piece of land. Kubed Living structures are meant to be permanently affixed to a parcel of land and sit on top of a foundation. They can be placed in a backyard as accessory dwelling units, guest houses, secondary spaces or stand-alone homes on their separate parcel of land.
Where Can I Install a Container Home?
Usually the factory portion will take about 4-8 weeks. The structure then is trucked/railed to the permanent site, where, depending on the complexity and scope of the finish work, another 2-4 weeks will be needed to complete the bathroom, kitchen and detail work.
How Long Does it Take To Build A KUBED LIVING House?
What is Your Process?
An ADU is an Accessory Dwelling Unit, which means a smaller residential structure that exists on the same property as the main home. They can be attached or detached, they have a separate entrance, bathroom, and kitchen.
What is an ADU?