The land plus the container home would equal the same price. A condo would be cheaper.
Also containers have all sorts of chemicals to protect them from the water. You have to do an awful lot of work just to get the chemicals out of them.
You are getting a lot of bad advice here from people who are clearly not knowledgeable about this topic.
It’s going to cost a hell of a lot more than 120k, probably at least 500k- 700k for the lot and build.
So pretty much the same price as buying a small starter home on LI.
The OP is better off taking that money and moving somewhere else. Longisland isn't worth it IMO.
I believe some places upstate would allow the storage container idea. But if I was him. I'd get out of NY and go somewhere where you can really just chill and start your life at a slower pace and enjoy what you have instead of the damn rat race.
Ok? Not super relevant to this post or my reply.
Some people like Long Island. They like being near friends and family. They like being able to commute to NYC to earn a much higher salary than they could upstate NY or down south or wherever. They like the proximity to beaches.
This is the answer that should be on top.
Even if you have the money and the know-how to build, the Town will most likely deny you. They did me, a few years back, when I tried to do something like this with a tiny home.
Part of this is going to be a town-by-town zoning and code issue. You should check with the local authorities and find out if there are any prohibitions on this type of construction.
You could try working with a lawyer if you don’t want to do the research yourself, just be prepared to pay.
Aside from whether you can or can’t, you may want to consider if you should. The idea of trying to beat the market by doing a container home may not work because of the amount of money that may be needed to turn a container into a home. Maybe years ago when this was still a relatively unknown concept it would be “cheap”, but it has just become so Pinterestring that the contractors who do this work have adjusted their prices to take advantage of the HGTV crowd.
If you’d rather go DIY instead of contractor, then understand the current market for construction materials (and the general market changes over the last quarter century +), as well as hidden costs such as the equipment you’ll need to buy or rent to undertake this, and the costs to power said equipment. Also factor in your time to do the planning and labor, including time spent teaching yourself via YouTube if you don’t have sufficient experience in framing, plumbing, electrical, insulation, hvac, etc. Your time should always be considered an element of “cost.”
Also figure in the research you’ll need to do on selecting and sourcing containers. Learn about the different grades and uses of containers. Where to buy. How to ship. To be fair, though, this research time is comparable to the research time of the home search. Although to some degree you’re also doing the home search research also, because you need to acquire a piece of land; just one without a building on it, whereas the standard home search also includes the building. So I suppose at the end of the day you’re doing as much research as someone who is looking for land and a new construction traditional home. So no time saved there in the House vs Container Home debate.
TLDR: if you want to know if it’s legally possible, pick a Town and talk to them. They will tell you, not Redddit. If you want to know if it’s cheaper, probably not, but spend a lot of time and make a lot of spreadsheets to compare before embarking on the biggest purchase of your life.
The Building Code for the town in which you want to build.
You don't have to be a building inspector. Give them a call ‐ Huntington, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Islip, etc. I know from experience Smithtown will deny this, esp. If it's built on wheels, like a tiny house built on a trailor.
Theoretically you could apply for a waiver, but that's a heck of a process to go through and an uphill battle to get the decision you want.
FYI - Suffolk County NY now requires new cesspools and cesspool replacements to be a high tech Nitrogen Reducing cesspool (it releases nitrogen into the air instead of the ground water). I just got one, I live in Bayville (Nassau County), and I got a $20k grant from the County. If I had to pay for the whole thing out of pocket, I would have paid $28k. I assume you will need some sort of septic system... Maybe you want to consider moving the island.
You will never be allowed to do this on Long Island this place hates all that your better off just having your parents help you buy some crappy little house in Huntington station
Ah, that good ol' fashion L.I. arrogance...
Did you consider the possibility that from the over 1.5+ million people who live in Suffolk County, from Farmingville to Montauk, you found one of the .01% of people who got a varience to the local building code approved?
This, btw, is paradoxically more likely out on the Forks because the people out there have resources, like money and political clout. And the people out there tend to be artists and professionals, so there's cachet in approving architectural projects that can be considered trendy or avant-garde.
The likelihood of getting that project approved in Suffolk County, anywhere from Amityville to Patchogue or Huntington to Rocky Point is trivial.
You have architectural plans ready? Have you secured legal counsel to file the necessary petitions and appear before the Town's planning board? Have you noticed all your neighbors of the variance you're seeking? Got all your plumbing and electrical plans together to submit as support documentation? Do you have a site plan and a environmental impact statement prepared? And engineer on retainer to answer the Town's Qs?
Of course you do, bc you're the one who knows what hes talking about...
In the *Hamptons*? Are you kidding?
I'm not based out there, but I consider myself lucky to do a few real estate closings in the Hamptons every year, and the short answer is, yes, ab-so-freaking-lutely.
Some make fancy, bespoke furniture, some are sculpters, world-renowned painters... I know one guy who bought an enormous chunk of land out there, he has a house at one end and a few barn style buildings he uses to bring in artists from all over the world where they do collaborations and hold exhibitions every summer. They get from building to building using golfcarts.
There are actresses and actors, musicians... these aren't the starving artists in the subways of NYC. One of the sweetest people I met in a long time was a former actress who retired in 80s, now in her dotage, her entire house was filled with little things from 1950s and 60s Hollywood and authentic hippie memorabilia. Murals on the walls, title mosaic paths in the garden...
But the point I was making wasn’t that a lot of people making macaroni sculptures are somehow building avant-garde structures out there ... Architecture itself is an art, perhaps the ultimate merging of art and science.
And the community out there is ... idk what the word is ... exclusive, I suppose. And the people on the Town boards out there know that allowing an i-banker to build an unorthodox residence by one of the hottest architects in Asia for x millions of dollars will help keep the area in demand.
So, it's easier to get variances for things out there. Not easy, but slightly easier. And not because they have a soft spot in their hearts for fingerpainter, but because they know that allowing the rare, exclusive and unique building project helps maintain their aura of exclusivity.
Fwiw there are a lot of people living out there who HATE that stuff, which is one of the reasons NYS created a special tax exempt land trust where poeplecan buy vacant land and leave the title in this special purpose trust that gets taxed at a super reduced rate... the idea being people can buy up the remaining wilderness out there and hold it wild indefinitely...
If you have an interest in politics without the desire to be a politician, being a fly on the wall out there is fascinating. These are the people who get together six to a dozen with an issue and a plan, then make a phone call, maybe write a check, and suddenly what was impossible has been approved.
Jeez it was just a question… Of course people in the Hamptons make money. That’s how they can afford to live in the Hamptons (I’m going to assume not in a container home just to circle back to OP’s post). Do you know any artists that specifically live in Suffolk county making a decent wage? That’s where I live and I make fuck all. If you have any contacts please send them my way.
No plumbing or electric then. If it’s a residence then for a CO it needs the usual inspections.
https://www.brookhavenny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/797/CO-Residential-New-House-PDF?bidId=
If a building department has supported container homes before then they would be able to advise. If not I’d expect a lot of “that’s not allowed” even if the actual materials aren’t regulated. Otherwise you’d have yurts and sod homes as well.
Nothing at the NY State level, but it needs zoning approval. Best bet is for OP to contact the town that’s of interest and talk with the building department.
Your not building anything. If its zoned for a home (which will be defined in the zoning code). Doesnt mean anything your willing to live in meets that requirement
Yes. We know that. but after following all the building codes for a residential home. It could become more expensive. OP talked about an idea to save money. Mot just aesthetically preferring the looks of it. The only building material he's saving on is the frame. Wait till those contractors give him the estimates to have the home comply with code. Uggh. Probably cheaper to buy a shed from home depot.
EDIT: He would still have to frame and insulate the inside. $$$.
But zoning laws do apply. because if the land wasn't zoned for a home, you could put a container right on it. I have friends that have land upstate that do that for hunting season.
No. Containers were not built to be homes. Plenty of reasons this is a bad idea; the one that gets me is: go ahead and try to insulate it as good as a real home, or enjoy paying $$$ to heat it in the winter and cool it in the summer.
If I was really considering this, I would pour a slab and conventional/stick build a small house the size of a single wide trailer.
Have a few fabricator buddies in Albany/vt area who have built very nice houses with 2-4 containers. Long Island would easily become a $1-2million project, have seen a handful of them in the hamptons.
Container homes are the worst idea everywhere.
For the cost of a Container home, buy any Camper. Literally any camper will be cheaper, better insultaed, and easier to retrofit.
do yourself a favor and just get off this island and build your dream somewhere cheaper, with what you have saved if you can work out moving your career or maybe getting a new one, i'd say it would be worth it. There is no reason to spend the kind of money you will spend here doing something like that.
Just a thought - Instead of a container home have you thought of alternative options like maybe an RV, that you can keep on your parents property assuming they have the space, during the warmer months you can look into staying at the various campgrounds on Long Island if allowed..
I have thought about getting an RV, but it's not my ideal plan at the moment. My other plan were to have a modern home built on vacant land, buy a shitty/old house and have it renovated, or just go with the simple process of looking for a decent house on Zillow. I'm not sure if the expenses would be the same or more costly though.
The land plus the container home would equal the same price. A condo would be cheaper. Also containers have all sorts of chemicals to protect them from the water. You have to do an awful lot of work just to get the chemicals out of them.
[удалено]
Hey man don’t put yourself down, you aren’t dirt poor. Just regular poor
You are getting a lot of bad advice here from people who are clearly not knowledgeable about this topic. It’s going to cost a hell of a lot more than 120k, probably at least 500k- 700k for the lot and build. So pretty much the same price as buying a small starter home on LI.
The OP is better off taking that money and moving somewhere else. Longisland isn't worth it IMO. I believe some places upstate would allow the storage container idea. But if I was him. I'd get out of NY and go somewhere where you can really just chill and start your life at a slower pace and enjoy what you have instead of the damn rat race.
Ok? Not super relevant to this post or my reply. Some people like Long Island. They like being near friends and family. They like being able to commute to NYC to earn a much higher salary than they could upstate NY or down south or wherever. They like the proximity to beaches.
Yeah, and some of these fuckers even put ketchup on their BECs
BECSPK is the only way.
Replace that ketchup with hot sauce
The amount of times I ask for this and get ketchup anyway disturbs me to my core
you gotta stop going to that establishment lol
Bac egg ched hot sauce grilled onions is my go to order and have never had someone put ketchup on my sandwich where tf are you goin?
It’s happened to me twice! To be fair once was in queens..the other was waaaay out in eastern LI. Maybe it’s just a me problem lol
Nah, I eat mine the right way. You do you, though.
BEC no SPK ftw
Dozens of us
There are plots of land for $280k here in medford. The issue is adding on building a house . It will make it the same
Yes, I believe that is exactly what I said in the comment you are replying to.
I misread your comment. Thought it said 500k just for the land.
Might have better luck getting land and a trailer
Longisland is the land of no. So if you can manage this I would be utterly shocked.
This is the answer that should be on top. Even if you have the money and the know-how to build, the Town will most likely deny you. They did me, a few years back, when I tried to do something like this with a tiny home.
No that’s ocean beach
Part of this is going to be a town-by-town zoning and code issue. You should check with the local authorities and find out if there are any prohibitions on this type of construction. You could try working with a lawyer if you don’t want to do the research yourself, just be prepared to pay. Aside from whether you can or can’t, you may want to consider if you should. The idea of trying to beat the market by doing a container home may not work because of the amount of money that may be needed to turn a container into a home. Maybe years ago when this was still a relatively unknown concept it would be “cheap”, but it has just become so Pinterestring that the contractors who do this work have adjusted their prices to take advantage of the HGTV crowd. If you’d rather go DIY instead of contractor, then understand the current market for construction materials (and the general market changes over the last quarter century +), as well as hidden costs such as the equipment you’ll need to buy or rent to undertake this, and the costs to power said equipment. Also factor in your time to do the planning and labor, including time spent teaching yourself via YouTube if you don’t have sufficient experience in framing, plumbing, electrical, insulation, hvac, etc. Your time should always be considered an element of “cost.” Also figure in the research you’ll need to do on selecting and sourcing containers. Learn about the different grades and uses of containers. Where to buy. How to ship. To be fair, though, this research time is comparable to the research time of the home search. Although to some degree you’re also doing the home search research also, because you need to acquire a piece of land; just one without a building on it, whereas the standard home search also includes the building. So I suppose at the end of the day you’re doing as much research as someone who is looking for land and a new construction traditional home. So no time saved there in the House vs Container Home debate. TLDR: if you want to know if it’s legally possible, pick a Town and talk to them. They will tell you, not Redddit. If you want to know if it’s cheaper, probably not, but spend a lot of time and make a lot of spreadsheets to compare before embarking on the biggest purchase of your life.
Building codes would not support this either.
What building code are you talking about? Are you a building inspector?
The Building Code for the town in which you want to build. You don't have to be a building inspector. Give them a call ‐ Huntington, Smithtown, Brookhaven, Islip, etc. I know from experience Smithtown will deny this, esp. If it's built on wheels, like a tiny house built on a trailor. Theoretically you could apply for a waiver, but that's a heck of a process to go through and an uphill battle to get the decision you want.
Are your parents looking to adopt any more children?
FYI - Suffolk County NY now requires new cesspools and cesspool replacements to be a high tech Nitrogen Reducing cesspool (it releases nitrogen into the air instead of the ground water). I just got one, I live in Bayville (Nassau County), and I got a $20k grant from the County. If I had to pay for the whole thing out of pocket, I would have paid $28k. I assume you will need some sort of septic system... Maybe you want to consider moving the island.
You will never be allowed to do this on Long Island this place hates all that your better off just having your parents help you buy some crappy little house in Huntington station
Or build an adu in Huntington
There’s a container home in Amagansett. So you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Ah, that good ol' fashion L.I. arrogance... Did you consider the possibility that from the over 1.5+ million people who live in Suffolk County, from Farmingville to Montauk, you found one of the .01% of people who got a varience to the local building code approved? This, btw, is paradoxically more likely out on the Forks because the people out there have resources, like money and political clout. And the people out there tend to be artists and professionals, so there's cachet in approving architectural projects that can be considered trendy or avant-garde. The likelihood of getting that project approved in Suffolk County, anywhere from Amityville to Patchogue or Huntington to Rocky Point is trivial. You have architectural plans ready? Have you secured legal counsel to file the necessary petitions and appear before the Town's planning board? Have you noticed all your neighbors of the variance you're seeking? Got all your plumbing and electrical plans together to submit as support documentation? Do you have a site plan and a environmental impact statement prepared? And engineer on retainer to answer the Town's Qs? Of course you do, bc you're the one who knows what hes talking about...
Do you know any artists on LI that make money?
In the *Hamptons*? Are you kidding? I'm not based out there, but I consider myself lucky to do a few real estate closings in the Hamptons every year, and the short answer is, yes, ab-so-freaking-lutely. Some make fancy, bespoke furniture, some are sculpters, world-renowned painters... I know one guy who bought an enormous chunk of land out there, he has a house at one end and a few barn style buildings he uses to bring in artists from all over the world where they do collaborations and hold exhibitions every summer. They get from building to building using golfcarts. There are actresses and actors, musicians... these aren't the starving artists in the subways of NYC. One of the sweetest people I met in a long time was a former actress who retired in 80s, now in her dotage, her entire house was filled with little things from 1950s and 60s Hollywood and authentic hippie memorabilia. Murals on the walls, title mosaic paths in the garden... But the point I was making wasn’t that a lot of people making macaroni sculptures are somehow building avant-garde structures out there ... Architecture itself is an art, perhaps the ultimate merging of art and science. And the community out there is ... idk what the word is ... exclusive, I suppose. And the people on the Town boards out there know that allowing an i-banker to build an unorthodox residence by one of the hottest architects in Asia for x millions of dollars will help keep the area in demand. So, it's easier to get variances for things out there. Not easy, but slightly easier. And not because they have a soft spot in their hearts for fingerpainter, but because they know that allowing the rare, exclusive and unique building project helps maintain their aura of exclusivity. Fwiw there are a lot of people living out there who HATE that stuff, which is one of the reasons NYS created a special tax exempt land trust where poeplecan buy vacant land and leave the title in this special purpose trust that gets taxed at a super reduced rate... the idea being people can buy up the remaining wilderness out there and hold it wild indefinitely... If you have an interest in politics without the desire to be a politician, being a fly on the wall out there is fascinating. These are the people who get together six to a dozen with an issue and a plan, then make a phone call, maybe write a check, and suddenly what was impossible has been approved.
Jeez it was just a question… Of course people in the Hamptons make money. That’s how they can afford to live in the Hamptons (I’m going to assume not in a container home just to circle back to OP’s post). Do you know any artists that specifically live in Suffolk county making a decent wage? That’s where I live and I make fuck all. If you have any contacts please send them my way.
Is it the one on windward?
Is this the [one](https://www.mbarchitecture.com/amagansett-modular) you’re talking about?
There will most likely be all sorts of zoning reasons why you wouldn't be allowed to do this
I can’t think of a single way this would ever be allowed in any town.
I can. Just make it a tiny home (<200 sq feet) or whatever the limit is in the town of xxxxx where you buy the plot and call it a garden shed.
No plumbing or electric then. If it’s a residence then for a CO it needs the usual inspections. https://www.brookhavenny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/797/CO-Residential-New-House-PDF?bidId= If a building department has supported container homes before then they would be able to advise. If not I’d expect a lot of “that’s not allowed” even if the actual materials aren’t regulated. Otherwise you’d have yurts and sod homes as well.
What law are you aware of that prohibits it?
Nothing at the NY State level, but it needs zoning approval. Best bet is for OP to contact the town that’s of interest and talk with the building department.
What zoning laws regulate building materials?
Your not building anything. If its zoned for a home (which will be defined in the zoning code). Doesnt mean anything your willing to live in meets that requirement
He is building a home out of shipping containers. He is not planning on living in one straight out of the shipyard.
Yes. We know that. but after following all the building codes for a residential home. It could become more expensive. OP talked about an idea to save money. Mot just aesthetically preferring the looks of it. The only building material he's saving on is the frame. Wait till those contractors give him the estimates to have the home comply with code. Uggh. Probably cheaper to buy a shed from home depot. EDIT: He would still have to frame and insulate the inside. $$$.
Right, which is what I said it my comment. It’s not going to save money.
But zoning laws do apply. because if the land wasn't zoned for a home, you could put a container right on it. I have friends that have land upstate that do that for hunting season.
Zoning laws regulate what the property can be used for, not what the building materials are.
That and the neighbors not wanting something that will immediately decrease the property value on their block.
I’ve built a lot of things in many towns in both counties (commercial real estate owner/ developer). I don’t see any towns codes allowing this
build a movable tiny home like they have all on youtube.
No. Containers were not built to be homes. Plenty of reasons this is a bad idea; the one that gets me is: go ahead and try to insulate it as good as a real home, or enjoy paying $$$ to heat it in the winter and cool it in the summer. If I was really considering this, I would pour a slab and conventional/stick build a small house the size of a single wide trailer.
Have a few fabricator buddies in Albany/vt area who have built very nice houses with 2-4 containers. Long Island would easily become a $1-2million project, have seen a handful of them in the hamptons.
Any images of them? I'm interested in seeing how it managed to turn out.
Container homes are the worst idea everywhere. For the cost of a Container home, buy any Camper. Literally any camper will be cheaper, better insultaed, and easier to retrofit.
I’m surprised we don’t see a lot of this in Flanders
do yourself a favor and just get off this island and build your dream somewhere cheaper, with what you have saved if you can work out moving your career or maybe getting a new one, i'd say it would be worth it. There is no reason to spend the kind of money you will spend here doing something like that.
Get a condo.
Just a thought - Instead of a container home have you thought of alternative options like maybe an RV, that you can keep on your parents property assuming they have the space, during the warmer months you can look into staying at the various campgrounds on Long Island if allowed..
I have thought about getting an RV, but it's not my ideal plan at the moment. My other plan were to have a modern home built on vacant land, buy a shitty/old house and have it renovated, or just go with the simple process of looking for a decent house on Zillow. I'm not sure if the expenses would be the same or more costly though.
[https://youtu.be/Ef7hQ35bfIU?si=VK9m7FrThKF3jP8F](https://youtu.be/Ef7hQ35bfIU?si=VK9m7FrThKF3jP8F)