When it comes to building a structure with a relatively short deadline and at a lower cost, the container home would undoubtedly come up in the conversation. What is a container home you ask? As the name suggests, these structures are unused or decommissioned shipping containers that have been repurposed to become small homes or offices. And while traditionally, these container buildings were unmatched when it came to the speed and cost in which they could be deployed, there is now a new competitor in town – IBS (Industrialised Building System) Construction – a system that we have covered here.

Today we are going to take a look at these two options and give you the advantages and disadvantages of both sides so that you can make the best decision.

What does it cost?

In terms of the cost, the containers itself are relatively affordable; used 40-footers can be found at around RM 5,000 to RM 8,000. However, this is just for the metal box and you have to factor in the modifications needed to turn it into a habitable space. That being said, it will still be cheaper to deploy one of these container homes as compared to building one with IBS construction.

Is it faster?

Naturally, because the frames of these container homes are already there it will be much faster to deploy a container home. However, with certain IBS construction methods, the installation could be also similarly quick depending on the design.

Flexibility in design?

Speaking of the design, this is where the IBS construction structures truly shine. When you look at a shipping container, it is designed with really strong corners as it needs to be stacked but the centre portion of the unit usually isn’t that sturdy. This limits what you can do in terms of design forcing the owner to work around these constraints. For an IBS construction, however, most of the design is modular and you will be able to have a much higher level of customisation. Because most IBS solutions now use some form of Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software, the reliability is also much higher as compared to a container home.

What about quality?

When it comes to IBS construction, most of the components are designed made expressively for a selected structure. Therefore you will find that with this method of construction, everything will fit perfectly and because of the testing done beforehand, it will also be more reliable.

On the other end of the spectrum, the container house is built out of something entirely different from its original purpose. This means that there will often be times where the solution to a certain design problem has to be compromised because there are already pre-existing constraints that have to be worked around (e.g. the weaker mid-section of the container, the fact that there are doors already on the sides, etc.).

In the long run?

Sure, if you need a building for 6 or 12 months the container option will suit your purpose just fine. However for something with more longevity the IBS-built structure wins again. A concrete wall will last a lot longer than a steel one. Additionally, when you want to expand or change the design, IBS construction will give you a lot more flexibility in the renovation.