Container Houses – Affordable Homes And A Lot More

As we all know, building a home out of shipping containers is cheaper and faster than conventionally built homes with same dimensions. Buying a prefabricated container home makes it even easier for average consumer since the majority of the construction is made off-site. Container homes are definitely becoming the mainstream of affordable housing, but since almost anything can be built out of these steel Lego blocks, why should one settle only for getting a living space?

Shipping Container Guest House

The simplest container living space can of course be done by using a one single container. There are numerous examples of these container micro homes that are also presented in our articles. People wanting to build larger homes use to spend more money by hiring an architect agency to make them do the drawings for a container house manufacturer. Today thanks to Google, we can avoid those service costs by using Google’s Sketch Up program to make them ourselves. That money can be spent perhaps for a container garage, sauna or even a swimming pool.

Container swimming pool could be a nice DIY project. Stefan Beese, An experimental architect set us an example by turning his New Orlean’s backyard into a luxurious swimming zone. He used a 30 cubic shipping container, added some pumps, filters, linings and did all the necessary operations. He only used about $5,000 to $7,000 to do that. You can read his whole story through this link.

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Saunas are a necessities in some countries. For example in Nordic countries a saunaless house will most likely not get sold. For now the container sauna market is not that large and there are only a few suppliers of prefabricated container sauna manufacturers. One of them is Canadian Castor whose 8 ft sauna containers have a really high-end price tag of $ 41,000.

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Luckily shipping container houses are modular and flexible in every way. They can be shipped and built in relatively short time frames. They can also be easily adjoined to existing buildings. Therefore for consumers it could be a reasonable option to buy a custom manufactured container house and save pools, saunas etc. later as DIY projects.

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In Shanghai Metal Corporation we custom-manufacture container houses according to customers’ requirements. We also offer various indoor kits that you can see on our web page. We also sell various kinds of shipping containers worldwide. If you have questions related product categories, you can send your questions through this form. We are also active on these social media platforms. Follow us to get future updates.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Gizmag, Nola, my-container.co.uk, Inhabitat, Viralnova

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In Container Homes Winter Is Always Outside

Shipping containers are a superior building material and the mainstream for affordable housing. As a form of prefabricated construction, shipping containers houses can to huge extent be built elsewhere than in their final destination. In order for shipping containers to become livable homes, they need a makeover including a proper insulation.

Shipping containers are usually described as an optimum construction material for areas with relatively high temperatures. The reason is that there are well know techniques on how make shipping container houses naturally ventilated. For instance the shipping container cruise terminal in Seville is designed to resist high temperatures during hot summers.

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Shipping containers are also suitable for places where winters are long and cold, and where it snows a lot. Originally shipping containers were designed to resist rough weather in the seas during shipping and therefore shipping containers later became an excellent building material. It seems that shipping container architecture was invented like Coca-Cola – by accident.

There are examples of shipping container winter homes that are suitable for Northern countries such as Northern USA, Canada, Finland and other Nordic countries.  For instance an American real estate agent Jeffrey White is transforming shipping containers into affordable and eco-friendly homes for low-income families in Salt Lake City. Each home is made out of two shipping containers, and the whole projects costs 120,000 dollars including the land they sit on. (source)

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In order to build beautiful homes like these, the shipping containers need to be enforced with proper insulation. In Shanghai Metal Corporation we sell both shipping containers and highly moisture resistant glass wool for insulation.  Our prefabricated container homes come with polystyrene foam insulation. If you are building affordable homes we will gladly offer you all the material. Just send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will contact you. Meanwhile please visit our social media sites for future updates.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: The Fair Verona, Jetson Green, Small Cabin Plans, Tiny House Blog, Inhabitat

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Get Bent: Apple

All the buzz around Apple’s newest iPhone6 may not be that of a success. Not even its 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models sold in three days after the phones went on sale. Rather, it seems like the new ‘bendable’ iPhone6 is even a hotter hit, going viral on social media as hashtag #BendGate.

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Not only a rumor but proved by a number of pictures published on the world web, the new iPhone6 and iPhone6 Plus easily bend when carried in owners’ pockets for long periods of time. Others claimed the flexibility of the new phone while having more active lifestyle and dancing.

The question whether this affects all the devices or if it is limited to a small number of phones is still unclear, and Apple has not yet pronounced. Last year there were similar cases involving iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC EVO, and many others, but this is actually the first time the bending issue has become an “epidemic”.

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Ironically, the reports claiming the issue came out the same day that smartphone warranty provider SquareTrade called the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the “most durable smartphones ever”. Significantly larger and thinner than the traditional iPhone, the iPhone6 and iPhone6 Plus are encased by aluminum enclosure, which is a naturally flexible material.

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CNNMoney received a test model and several staffers tried and failed to change its shape using brute force. What this will mean for the future of iPhones? Well, earlier this year the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently published Apple’s patent application which describes a new technology to be integrated with bendable displays. It talks about a new method on how to use tiny metal components in a way that prevents them from breaking when the display is bent. It might be it?

For now, what remains for iPhone6 owners is to remove their iPhones from their pockets before sitting, placing them in a less tight pocket, or choose for a more resistant case that could protect the device from bending and flexing. And if you still think of acquiring an iPhone6 or iPhone6 Plus, it is available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the UK and it will go on sale in 20 more countries on September 26th and others by the end of the year.

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Shanghai Metal Corporation is a world leader in producing and supplying the best quality in aluminum that could prevent devices such as the iPhone6 and iPhone6 to easily bend. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on  LinkedInTwitter, FacebookInstagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Story credit: Dominick F.//SMC Sales Specialist

Source and photo credit: foxnews.com, money.cnn.com, macrumors.com, newser.com, gadgetlove.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Read more articles by this author here.

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Bathing Made Mobile with Container Saunas

There are a number of ways how to reuse used shipping containers. Besides houses, offices, hotel, art galleries, stores and pools, shipping containers can be now used as saunas. A Canadian design studio Castor has designed the first container sauna.

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The 8 ft container is a fully-operational sauna box that uses wood for heating and solar energy for lighting. The mobile sauna also comes with an integrated iPod stereo and an electric guitar hook-up. Also additional creature comforts such as a magnetic truck light, castor stool, and bronze antlers are included.

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Sauna is originally a Finnish invention and is deeply rooted into the nation’s way of life. The Finnish history of using sauna for bathing and staying healthy spans over two thousand years. The Finns have a sauna in every house but they also place saunas in the lake or seaside of their summer cottages. Finns have formerly used portable saunas especially in military. Those saunas are most commonly made of tents.

 

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The Finnish Sauna Society has made a list of sauna’s health benefits. Taking a sauna bath is studied to enhance sleep quality and memory, to lower blood pressure, increase energy levels and to cause good mood just to name but a few.

 

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According to an article of Gizmag, Castor has sold about 10 units. The Sauna Box is priced really high-end with US 41,000 price tag. It is still unclear when the Canadian company will get competitors.

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If you need a shipping container for your sauna solution, please contact us in Shanghai Metal Corporation. We are a major Chinese provider of shipping containers and we offer our solutions worldwide. To know more about our containers, please visit our website. Please also follow us on Twitter, Facebook,LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

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Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles:  Gizmag.com, Gizmodo.com, Designboom.com,Gardenista.com, Hiconsumption.com, The Finnish Sauna Society

Over 5000 Years Old Copper Pipe From the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt Could Still Be Used Today

Copper pipe and tubing is one of the most corrosion-resistant materials we have in the plumbing industry. Coppersmiths, the ancient Egyptians were early developers of pipe and the techniques of making copper alloys. In the beginning, of course, their pipe and fittings were very crude. Like the Mesopotamians, they used clay pipe made from a combination of straw and clay. First it was dried in the sun, and then baked in ovens. As they improved upon their clay sewer pipe, the Egyptians were able to drain the low-lying portions of the Nile Valley, and gradually the entire region evolved into a fertile garden.

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The outstanding fact concerning metallurgical development is that from beginning to end of their first three thousand years, copper occupied a position similar to that of iron in modern technology. Their relics is of its early civilization is greater than any other country, despite the difficulties in deciphering the hieroglyphics and the later hieratic writing.

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Many people mistakenly think that the dark brown color of exposed copper pipe is due to corrosion and that the pipe will eventually “rust away.” However, the reverse is true, likewise the color changing process that of the Statue of Liberty – already blogged here. The dark brown color or even the blue-green patina that occurs on copper is copper oxide. Instead of corroding copper, this compound actually protects copper by creating a protective film outside and even inside of copper pipe and tube. This film then protects copper from further corrosion or erosion, leaving the copper pipes still in serviceable condition after more than five thousand years, as the ones recovered by archaeologists from a portion of the water pipe system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.

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Copper has been the material of choice for natural gas throughout Europe, Canada and much of the southern United States for decades. In the United Kingdom, copper pipe and tube installations have been used in the vast majority of natural gas installations. However, copper was not always the main material. Once natural gas began to be piped regularly into buildings in the early 1900s, the material of choice, at least in most of the United States, was steel pipe. Other material such as aluminum and corrugated stainless steel pipe and tubing are also used for natural gas purposes. What causes corrosion of the copper pipes is the interior of copper pipe and tube in natural gas installations because of the properties of natural gas itself, and not due to the copper used as a material.

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Material used in natural gas system per country

In fact, many studies have been done to evaluate the cost of using copper in the plumbing system. Most have found that due to its ease of use and variable joining methods, copper has a distinct advantage over black iron pipe in labor savings. Hence, copper offered the least expensive installation over steel and CSST.

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Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of pancake copper tube/copper tube coils according to your specific requirements. SMC pancake tube coil are widely used in refrigerator and air conditioner, heat exchanger, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas. For our full list of products that we offer check out our website here. Be sure to join the conversation in our LinkedIn group, Facebook, and Twitter. Try also our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

You can also read more articles by our team at SMC:

SUN DEVILS’ FANS EXCITED BY NEW COPPER HELMET

ASTONISHING CAR RESTORATION PROJECTS: WHAT COPPER CAN DO FOR YOU

ANTIQUE BRASS KEY USED ON PHONOGRAPH MACHINES BACK IN 1914

COPPER POWERS GREEN TRANSPORTATION THAT LEADS TO PROGRESSIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS

5 OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST BREWERIES

A BLISSFUL RETREAT FOR BBODY AND SOUL: COPPER BATHTUBS

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE COPPER MESH ROOF BUILT BY JOHNNY DEPP IN THE MOVIE TRANSCENDENCE

WHO DOESN’T WANT TO LOOK FOREVER YOUNG?

COPPER FOR BIRTH CONTROL

WHAT’S THE BEST: COPPER OR SILVER WIRE CABLE FOR YOUR HEADPHONES?

DO YOU KNOW WHETHER YOUR PENNY IS A COPPER OR A ZINC COIN?

WHY IS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY GREEN?

AMERICAN COPPER THEFT CONTINUES TO CREATE TROUBLE FOR CITIES ACROSS THE NATION

WINNERS OF 2014 NORTH AMERICAN COPPER IN ARCHITECTURE AWARDS

ARTISTIC COPPER REFURBISHMENT REINVIGORATES MAINE’S STATE HOUSE DOME

COPPER KITCHEN SCRUBBERS REVOLUTIONIZING IT?

SOUTH AUSTRALIA SET TO OPEN THE BIGGEST AUSTRALIAN COPPER MINE IN THE COUNTRY

DISPUTE RESOLUTION MOVES TO STABILIZE WORLD COPPER PRICES VIA INDONESIA

PERU SET TO EXPLODE WITH COPPER EXTRACTION

MAJOR COPPER DISCOVERY ON THE PACIFIC RIM

SMC IN YOUR BACKYARD WITH SLUGS AND COPPER TAPE

ROUND ENAMELED COPPER WIRE // SMC COPPER PRODUCTS

COMPARISON ON CHINA IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF COPPER AND ALUMINUM

SMC QRSMC #BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe 

Sources: plumbingsupply.com, copper.org, IAPMO official report (Jan/Feb2004)

Pictures: staydu.com, plus.google.com

Graphs: IAPMO official report (Jan/Feb2004)

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Use Galvanized Steel to Fight Raccoon Invasions!

As presented in the article on benefits of galvanized steel, galvanized steel offers the ultimate protective construction solutions in reasonably low long-term costs. If you consider the fact that galvanized steel lasts for a very long time, you will realize that by choosing galvanized steel you are spending very little money per year. Galvanized steel will protect e.g. your drains and roof from water, cold, heat, weather, as well as physical damage from impacts or debris, also from wild raccoons. The Canadian Federation of Human Societies has collected an article on how to tackle the problem of unwanted raccoon inhabitants with galvanized steel.

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In Northern and Southern America, wild raccoons might set up a den on a rotten roof or uncapped chimney, or enter the attic from an opening. Raccoons are usually friendly but they might become violent in order to protect their young. Bright lights and excessive noise may scare them and make them flee. After ensuring that the raccoons have left, one should cover the hole with galvanized steel screening from the outside. The steel should be replaced so that it can be removed to check if the raccoon is still inside. Check the steel every day and if it stays unscratched for several days, you have been successful.

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In the summer when attics and rooves become hot, raccoons may seek cooler shelter under decks and patios. In order to get them out, secure the perimeter of the deck with galvanized steel screen in an ‘L’ shape, leaving an opening for the animals to exit. Use the radio, lighting and place a bit of peanut butter to monitor when the animals have left.

In Shanghai Metal Corporation, we also offer premium galvanized steel products. To find out more, please visit our website. Follow us also on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

References: Advantages of Galvanized Steel GuttersCanadian Federation of Human Societies

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor