1. Complete modularity with all components able to be broken down and stored into cargo containers for shipping.
2. Fire sprinklers
3. Double roof (like this lloyd-russell ranch house.) Would be very cool to make it retractable as well. Although I am now leaning towards an enclosed courtyard, similar to Adam Kalkin's 12 container home.
But I will use the cargo containers as the structure and only construct a roof and then close in the open areas with a combination of glass and steel. Something similar to his 'quik house' here.
This is what I am thinking of, with 4 - 40' containers and a roof covering the entire structure, so there is a large courtyard area for the common area or living room etc. One of the lower containers will be storage for tools, etc. and the other will be utility and laundry. Both will have a half bath or powder room, I'm figuring stereo-typically the men's in the garage container and the women's in the laundry. One upper unit will be the master bedroom with master bath and the other unit will be the second bedroom also with bath. The kitchen will be built on the first level below one of the upper units, that way the dining area will just naturally extend out into the courtyard. I am imagining a large island on wheels.
This took me about 10 minutes to create in SketchUp, but I downloaded the cargo container template so I didn't have to create that element. It is going to take me substantially longer to learn how to build elements that I can't download. I'm also positive that there will be several design changes once I have things created in 3D...my first concept looked good on paper where I sketched it no where near to scale, but once in 3D to scale it was obvious it was not going to be as practical.
Random Stuff
I absolutely hate chainlink fencing. I have never found it to be nothing but ugly and ill-fitting. That is until now. Thanks to Keith Dewey and his use of it inside and out of his container home, domestique.
This is just one way he used it, there are also pics of outside railings. Not sure why I love these elements but hate it elsewhere...maybe because like wood paneling, it depends on how you use it.
