Kanada

Has anybody had any experience in this form of construction, if so how do you think about it now?

peterfc

Hi Kanada

I take it you mean shipping containers?

Peter

EMR

They have been remarkably unsuccesfull in the Algarve.
Companies who have tried to sell them have failed.
It could be that the local councils are not pro them and that the people are put off by the regulations involved.

macliam

If it is container-based construction we're talking about, the local planning authorities definitely don't like them and put many blockers in the way.

One local businessman I spoke to last year said that he used the "bank holiday window" to finalize construction without a license and then paid the resulting fine to license the build....... because it was cheaper than all the hoops he had to jump through to get up-front permission.

EMR

Really, are you sure, the usual sanction is that an illegal property has to be demolished.

Second hand info is worth the guarantees that go with it.

macliam

In Portugal, I don't think there is any such thing as the "usual sanction".

Perhaps it depends where you are - I have no reason to disbelieve my source and I know he has used containers for a few commercial buildings here. As he's a local businessman, he's likely to know where he can and cannot bypass regulations, but I wouldn't suggest that any expat tries it.

liveaboard

A steel framed house was recently built in my village. It was a proper job by a contractor with all permits [apparently].
It was for a Portuguese guy [not local] who owns about 20 small houses fairly close together here, that he's converted to a high class hotel.
I asked the owner why he'd chosen the unusual construction; he said he just wanted to try it.

The base is concrete. Frame is pressed galvanized steel. insulation is sheet polystyrene foam. External walls are thin stucco, and the roof is standard clay tile, so now that it's done it looks exactly like a traditional house.

Advantages are thinner walls [more interior space on the existing footprint], more insulation, and it's really very safe in an earthquake.

Disadvantages; we have to wait and see if there are any. Corrosion could be a problem down the line, or not.

He told me the cost was similar to a traditional build. It went up pretty fast.

It's 'casas do minho" in Odeceixe. If you really want to do your research book a night there and talk to the boss about the steel frame house.
They'll have to show you which one it is, because you can't tell by looking.

Moses2013

Can't comment about Portugal but I don't see any reason why steel frame homes wouldn't be allowed, as there is no difference to a traditional home and any design is possible. People often mix them up with container homes but most modern builds actually use steel frame instead of wood frame for example and it's been around for years. It's quick and certainly a good option. In Spain modular housing has become very popular and no need to spend months on a building site anymore.

Fredbargate

A house near Serpa built from steel covered foam sheets by a commercial fridge company from Seville for a Portuguese owner photos 2006

Knoxy_UK

In the post 2nd world war era, the British government called for 'non-traditional' houses to re-home families.

The British Iron and Steel Federation designed a BISF home, and HOWARD designed one too. They still stand today and. Ironically insulation was used to product the steel from fire, rather than keep the houses warm. Mortgage companies struggle to value them, so only specialised mortgage companies will lend on them.

But 70 years on none have been replaced on an estate called Paulsgrove (Portsmouth) they stand facing the sea on a slight incline, so rust has not caused them any severe problems.

The point is, if they could be built in the 1940's and still survive then modern steel is so much better (look at how rusty cars used to get)

Paul

liveaboard

I've built all steel houses on my barges; one was 100 m2, 12 tons of steel, and over 1000 meters of weld [I built it single handed]
Steel cost is about 0.8 euros per kilo [last I checked a few months ago].
Rust is a big problem; steel rusts unless it's kept coated. few coatings can withstand full exposure to weather for more than a few years.

But for houses on land, the standard is thin rolled sheet, screwed or riveted together.
It's light, strong, and cheap. but tricky; if the job isn't perfect, water will get in. just the tiniest little dribble will cause a big problem within a year or two.

However, as with all alternative construction systems, the stumbling block is planning permission.
In all of Europe and North America.