My grand idea was to make a house out of a shipping container.
Do you know what I’m talking about? These are huge metal boxes, the same kind you see being pulled by semi-trucks on the highway.
A friend of mine had an excess number of shipping containers, and offered to sell me one for cheap. I needed to move out of my parents house but didn’t have enough cash to afford my own place, so this seemed like a risk worth taking. The container had more than enough space for me to live comfortably, but it needed the basics like electricity, plumbing, wifi, and climate control. I did some online research on other people that have renovated shipping containers, and found out that central heating and AC was not an option. I would need several thousand dollars, and professional assistance, to mount the needed HVAC components on the roof. On top of that, the container would need a much greater source of power to keep the HVAC system running consistently. Instead, I was advised to get a space heater, which uses less energy and is really all I need for such a small space. Sadly, there is no real equivalent for cooling. Space heaters are easy to find, and cheap to purchase, but a portable A/C unit is a lot more expensive. If I really wanted to save money I would have to get a box fan, and get used to the idea of not having an air conditioner. Does anyone reading this have better ideas for cooling my new home?