Can I get a mortgage on a shipping container home?

Versatile, functional, and cost-efficient – it’s easy to see why you’d want to live in a shipping container home. Once you’ve read up on the rules around planning permission for your container home (hint – it’s easier than you think), you may start thinking about how to finance it. As always, the devil is in the detail – and we’re here to make sense of it all. In this post, we outline if and how you can get a mortgage for a shipping container home, and what other financial considerations you need to take account of. n

Mortgages for shipping container homes 

nIt’s possible to get a mortgage for bespoke container conversions turned into homes, but it depends on a couple of factors. Generally speaking, you’ll be able to get a mortgage for a container home as long as it’s considered a ‘permanent structure’ (i.e sitting on permanent foundations) and it’s on land you own. In this case, the mortgage can cover both the cost of the container and the land (if you don’t own it already). nnIf your container home isn’t considered a ‘permanent structure’ or is going to be placed on rented land, then unfortunately you can’t get a mortgage for it. That being said, you can still finance it through a personal loan. nnIf you’re still baffled by how to finance your new container home, we’d recommend speaking to a mortgage advisor. They’ll be able to assess your specific situation and offer the most suitable financing options. n

How much does a shipping container home cost? 

nThis depends entirely on how ambitious you want to be with the design. One-container studio homes start in the region of £20,000, whilst more elaborate designs can run into the hundreds of thousands (we’re sure this eight-container home designed by Costa-Rican architect Maria José Trejos cost a pretty penny to construct). Either way, these sturdy steel boxes still offer value for money when compared to their brick-and-mortar counterparts. n

Container home running costs 

nApart from being cheaper than houses in the first place, it costs less to run a container home. As long as they’re kept in good condition by their owners, containers are very energy efficient, helping to drive down electricity and gas bills. Given the simplicity of their design – an insulated steel box – they’re also very cheap to maintain. nnFor those looking to get ‘off-grid’, or anyone to experiment with designing their own home, shipping containers are a fantastic option. Not only are they hard-wearing and versatile, they can also save you quite a lot of money. And there are various ways to finance them – either through a mortgage or a personal loan. nnIf you’re looking to create a shipping container home, get in contact with UnitHire. With a range of new and used containers, and able to modify according to your own design, we’ll be able help in the construction of your container home.