Can You Build A Container House In The Dominican Republic? (Solved)

Short answer: Yes, you can build a house with containers in the Dominican Republic, in fact, there are remarkable examples of container houses manufactured in the Dominican Republic, in the city of Santo Domingo and other cities in the interior.

Container houses are an alternative style of friendly construction, in some countries, it is much more common, but in the Dominican Republic this style of housing is not very popular, Dominicans are very traditionalist and conservative when it comes to housing construction.

There are other aspects to consider regarding the construction of houses with containers in the Dominican Republic, for example, the wild climate that exists in the country, everyone knows that containers are metal structures, and that metal induces heat very easily.

Therefore, the construction of houses with containers requires a plan and a design that goes simply beyond the distribution of the interior space, you must have a full mastery of the environment and the relationship that exists between the exterior/interior spaces.

Why should you build a house with containers in the Dominican Republic?

The answer is very simple, and I will say it directly, container houses are much more economical than traditional construction, this is the fundamental aspect of every person who thinks about building a house with containers.

You can save an incredible amount of money, if you get good advice and choose a good design and adequate materials, the difference in price between a container house and a house with traditional construction in the Dominican Republic is quite remarkable.

The prices of construction materials are going up year after year, especially in these years of the pandemic, there has been a great escalation in the prices of construction materials in the Dominican Republic.

There are many people who have land available, but do not have the necessary resources to build a house, or perhaps, what they have is not enough to build a traditional house.

There are other people who have more than enough resources to build a traditional house, but they have land in a rural or countryside project and do not need a large construction, they would just like to have a second home for vacations or to visit some weekends.

In both cases, the alternative of building a house with containers is adequate, they are economical houses, they do not necessarily have to be narrow, because the containers can be cut and joined and the spaces can be wide.

Maintenance is much easier than in a house with concrete walls, even the resistance, which in his opinion is very good because they are made to be stacked with heavy loads.

The containers are very safe when it comes to creating anti-seismic structures, they are economical, easy to transport and offer the possibility of recycling unused items, thus contributing to the environment.

There is no need to dig the ground, because they do not need footings, and much fewer materials are used than in conventional construction, so they also generate less waste.

Why are container houses not popular in the Dominican Republic?

One of the reasons why people do not build more in containers is because they think a lot about the value that their property will have over time, and they believe that if it is not a conventional house it will not increase its value.

Another reason why this type of house is not so popular in the Dominican Republic is due to the hot climate that prevails throughout the year in the country.

Also, although it may seem very easy to build a house with containers, it requires some technical knowledge, more of design, so that the house can function well.

Can you buy used containers in the Dominican Republic?

Yes, there are companies in the country that are dedicated exclusively to this, they can be easily found with a brief Google search, and containers can be purchased and used, in different states.

There are also people who for some reason have containers and put them for sale in Dominican portals of sale of articles, you can see containers of 20 and 40 feet in a price range from 120,000 to 200,000 Dominican pesos (2,000 to 3,600 USD).

How much does it cost to buy a container house in the Dominican Republic?

Just for reference, I have seen companies on social networks that are dedicated to the sale of prefabricated container houses in the Dominican Republic with prices of 40-foot container houses at 2,500,000 RD$, equivalent to 45,400 US$.

Take this as a reference, on my part, I do not promote, nor refer any company or anything that has to do with the monetary commitments of users on this website.

If you need help regarding orientation or design you can write me and I will be glad to help you.

How can you make a successful container house in the Dominican Republic?

The essential thing is to make sure that the house maintains a comfortable temperature inside, for this, there are several design resources and materials that can help you build a house with containers without any problem in the Dominican Republic.

You can use thermal paint to insulate the exterior from the heat, the use of ailerons is an architectural resource widely used in the Dominican Republic to protect the facades of houses very exposed to the sun.

Using organic and endemic materials such as cane on roofs also results in mitigating the incidence of the sun, and maintaining an airflow, this can be achieved by strategically placing the house in the direction of the prevailing breezes of the city and placing windows that can facilitate cross ventilation inside the house.

The walls of the container can also be insulated, both inside and outside, with various insulating materials.

There are many resources and techniques to keep a house cool, they do not necessarily have to raise the cost of construction too much.