Carib Housing is for those who are interested in affordable housing and or living in a Green Community in the Caribbean. Carib Housing core business is to advertise and promote eco homes and Green Communities.

The smart housing solution

We pride ourselves on being able to take one of the world’s strongest, most durable structures, a corten steel shipping container, and converting it into a high-quality, practical, environmentally responsible small home or residential or commercial unit. Containers are recognized as earthquake, hurricane and fire resistant. We have liaised extensively with local councils to ensure our designs meet and in many cases exceed building code requirements ensuring you are getting a structurally sound, watertight, climatized, energy efficient home that will last for many years. Built in features such as photovoltaic systems (solar) and rainwater harvesting not only reduce long-term running costs but ensure you are doing your bit for the environment. Our Eco Homes are suitable for cost effective timber and or concrete pile foundations, making them an ideal solution for sloping sites.

Using shipping containers, and converting them into residential and business units made it possible to create a modular home concept.

The advantages of these new accommodations are:

• They are modular, units can be extended and stacked.
• They remain mobile, they can be relocated any time!
• Great steel structures which makes fabricating a home fast and cheaper than conventional construction.
• Earthquake and hurricane challenged and fire resistant.

We support being “Green” by stressing the fact to be eco minded. And our mission is to have new customer residents experience affordable sustainable but self-sufficient living.
For example cost of living could be reduced tremendously for each self-sufficient and sustainable Eco Home when hooked up to a :

• Solar & Renewable energy system which creates a very low electricity bill.

• Waste management and Biogas system. Organic waste will be recycled providing free cooking gas.

• Waste water management system. Grey- and even black water can be recycled creating lower domestic water bill. 

• Aquaponic Gardening. In collaboration with Stichting Marlin Yard we offer several courses and workshops for those interested in an independent life style by living sustainable and being self-sufficient.  Aquaponic gardening allows families to create a self-sustaining environment that grows vegetables, fruits, flowers and more with as little maintenance as possible.  Basically, aquaponic is a food production system. It combines aquaculture (raising animals such as fish, prawns or crayfish in water) with hydroponics (growing plants in water instead of soil). The goal of aquaponic is to create a fully self-sustaining system of food.
• Benefits of Aquaponics:
  • Grows more food in less space.
  • Grow chemical free food.
  • Plants grow much faster.
  • Provides high-protein meat to supplement your garden vegetables.
  • No weeds and fewer garden pests.
  • Healthier plants and fish than can be found in supermarkets.
  • Uses 10 times less water than traditional gardening.

This workshop is for Netherlands and St. Maarten residents and or internationally based persons who are willing to learn Aquaponic Gardening. A maximum of 7 persons can attend the workshop location.

Potential residents will have a home that supplies its own energy and or food resources!

Have a look at the eco home designs that are available for purchase. To make these Eco Units self-sufficient the following can be added (additional costs): 

• Wind turbines (e.g. roof), and or solar and water boiler system.
• “Grey / Black” water recycle system.
• Waste Management and Biogas system.
• “Green roof”  is a roof that is covered in plants, which reduces storm water run-off and lowers cooling costs.
• Exterior wall panelling.

Because the Eco Unit is made out of shipping containers it cannot collapse during earthquakes. Besides these Example Applications, we have many more Eco Home layout designs to choose from.  Or we can custom design a layout to match your wishes for your new Eco Home.

First of all the Eco Home is a shipping container for which a different rule apply (grey area). 
For example on St. Maarten it is required to have a shipping container on a foundation and anchored (locked down) if you want to stow a shipping container at a premises. According to the Building and Spatial Planning department no building permit was needed in 2017 before Hurricane Irma struck. 
This does not mean that one does not have to check with their Building and Spatial Planning Department in their home town or country prior to purchasing our Eco Home. 
Furthermore our Eco Homes are constructed according to the Dutch Civil Building codes, a strict policy which warranty’s high housing standards.   

We have liaised extensively with the local council to ensure our designs meet and in many cases exceed building code requirements ensuring you are getting a structurally sound, watertight, acclimatized, energy efficient home that will last for many years.

Definitely you can!

For example shipping containers are easy to stack, this is why we designed our Eco Homes to be modular. This gives us the advantages for our Eco Homes to be single units by itself, or joined side by side together or stacked using combinations of 20ft with 40ft or even 45ft containers. Creating all kinds of forms e.g E-shaped, H-shaped, L-shaped, Octagon-shaped, U-shaped etc. 

Depending on what the customer wants and if his/her location is suitable to accommodate a small to medium or big size container home we can create it.

Our Eco Home concept:

•       are modular, units can be extended and stacked.

•       remain mobile, they can be relocated any time!

•       great steel structures which makes fabricating a home fast and cheaper than conventional construction.

•       Earthquake and hurricane challenged and fire resistant. Looking forward to show you some example applications at our home listing page.

Sure!

Whats a smart house you might ask?

Imagine waking up in the morning, not to the glaring blare of an alarm clock, but to your favourite song streaming through speakers in the ceiling, as your blinds slowly open to reveal the morning sun. Touch one button by your bed and the lights in the hallway turn on so you can safely navigate to the kitchen where the TV is already tuned into your favourite morning news program.

As you race out the door for work, smile as everything powers down—the lights, the TVs, the audio—even the thermostat dials back to a more energy-efficient setting. The alarm arms, the garage door closes and every door in the house gets locked. Automatically.

It might sound like the ultimate in luxury, but really, having a home automation system today is a very affordable reality. Plus, not only does it make life a little easier, it can also help you save time and money.

Containers are designed to be stacked in high columns carrying heavy loads. Containers come with 8 Corner Casings which are the only points where a Shipping Container is meant to be anchored. This makes a container can only rest on it’s 4 bottom Corners and can only support loads from above on it’s 4 top corners. Everything else on a container is not meant to carry any significant load. This mean you can only stack containers in configurations where all for bottom corner casings of the upper container are supported by four top corner casings of lower containers. This results in many desirable stacking configurations being impossible from a stability standpoint.

At first

Proper preparation is needed to make your steel structure last for a long time. Definitely, the strongest adhesion of protective layer is when the edges of the steel structure are rounded and well-covered surface is the best way to prevent rust. Fit for that purpose is a special type of bevelling process – metal rounding. In most applications bevelling is removing certain volume of metal at required angle along an edge prior to welding. Rounding is removing metal from a sharp edge to create uniform radius. The larger bonding surface for paint and coatings, the lower risk of peeling and corrosion.

 Secondly

The proper corrosion protection is crucial. Currently, there are two most common ways to prevent rust:

1. Application of zinc coating – steel galvanization it’s a process which creates a coating of zinc over metals surface.
2. Application of paint coating – painting creates coating barrier to moisture (which also beautifies metal structures).
3. Choosing your coating is inherent on the containers purpose and on the location (e.g. close to the coast or in the country).  

Thirdly

Using Primers is strongly recommended. Primers and finished coatings protect metal surfaces by providing a barrier between the steel and the corroding elements. They also prevent moisture from reaching the surface of the steel. A coating film protects underlying metal substrates in three ways.

1. Coatings can slow the rate of diffusion of water and oxygen from the environment to the metal surface. This slows the corrosion process.
2. The paint film can slow the rate of diffusion of corrosion products from the metal surface through the paint film. This also slows the corrosion process.
3. The anti-corrosive pigments contained in quality primers change the surface properties of the base metal. The metal develops a high electrical resistance as a result. Different pigments accomplish this reaction in different ways. Primers absorb and tie up moisture so that it does not react with the steel.

In case of water damage:

The steel wall structures are inherently watertight so that rains driven by hurricane force winds, are unlikely to breach the structure.

In case of wind damage:

In a strong hurricane, the wind speeds can reach upwards of 160 mph.  However, the strongest winds associated with hurricanes are generally caused by tornados spawned by the hurricane.  The winds from a strong tornado can be higher than 250 mph.  A high percentage of the wind damage is actually a result of debris being hurled through the air.  Experiments have shown that items, such as small trees or two-by-fours, can actually penetrate the walls of a CONCRETE BLOCK HOME when hurled at the velocities generated by a moderately strong tornado.  The steel wall structure of homes made out of Shipping containers is inherently secure against intrusion from such debris during a hurricane or tornado.

Shipping containers are resistant to any natural disaster available, including tornadoes, earthquakes, and even hurricanes. Shipping containers, whether single units or multiple connected units, can withstand up to 100MPH winds when rooted on foundation, or 175MPH winds when anchored with pylons, making container-homes extremely solid in both tornadoes and hurricanes. And even after a direct hit during an earthquake, the structure would never collapse; “it would be the most perfect safety cocoon in an earthquake, at least 100 times safer and stronger than a conventional housing structure.”
Source: ISBU Association – Intermodal Steel Building Units and  Container Homes www.isbu-info.org/faq. 

Many customer preferences for external cladding is to leave the containers bare. Most customers love the industrial look this creates. It also helps that this is the cheapest option for external cladding. It costs absolutely nothing- well you might want to spend some dollars giving the containers a new lick of paint every 10 – 15 years with our favourite ceramic coating which is specially designed for shipping containers. However in certain areas, zoning restrictions mean you have to clad your containers so they ‘blend’ in with the other homes in the local area. 

The first cladding material we will look at is stucco (render). Stucco is fine plaster which is used to coat external surfaces- you’ve probably seen many ‘stuccoed’ homes.

Other cladding options to give your Eco Home a more curb appeal we offer exterior panelling made out of:

• Timber types
• Composite (recycled plastic)
• Plaster)
• Brick, Stone, Morter
• ……and many more options

Of course when you actually start working on your Container Home in the process you will face challenges. But it all boils down to making choices. However good preparation is half the work done already.   

A few things you have to consider before you start designing and planning your Container Home are:

1. If applicable its recommended to check with the Spatial Planning and Building department in your home town for Building codes, Building permit, Demolishing permit and fees. Find out first if its allowed to place a Container Home at your location.
2. Choosing the right container type to suit your home needs, and which will match your location. There are different container types.
3. Choosing the right foundation type. For example are you on flat land or a land slope, or on an existing flat building roof?
4. Do you live off-grid or would you like your Container Home to be tied in the grid when it comes to energy supply?
5. Choosing the wrong contractor! Not everybody knows how to work with shipping containers compared to the conventional building method.
6. How to design your container home:

• Think about weather and nature conditions such as snow blizzards, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, fire events due to drought, floods etc.
• Don’t weaken the steel structure. For example not cutting to much steel out of your container for too many windows and doors to avoid collapsing.  
• Using the right type of insulation. Especially when you are you living in a warm, humid, dry or cold climate.

The last point really can give you a bad headache and you end up not only wasting your time but also a lot of money. 

When preparing our Eco Homes we consider our customers location and also their budget. However we advise strongly not to cut corners when it comes to insulation. Keep in mind if the insulation is not properly done it could be too warm in summer and too cold in winter if you live in a seasonal area. When it comes to insulation there are three options:

• spray foam (expensive option)
• panel (moderate option)
• blanket (cheapest option)
• InSoFast panel (best option!)

If your budget allows it and you want to maximise your interior space then “www.InSoFast.com” is the way to go!  Contact us for a quotation. 

If you do not maintain your Container Home properly then rust can surely rear its ugly head.

This is why it’s important that all surfaces – especially welded areas – are rounded. A special type of bevelling process is called metal rounding. Rounding is removing metal from a sharp edge to create uniform radius. This is needed as a bonding surface for paint and coatings which lowers the risk of peeling and corrosion (rust).

Once that is done then its crucial to prime paint your container and finish it off with metal paint coatings. Metal paint coatings will last you about 5 years when located in a salty air climate – for example living close to the beach or living on an island. 

Fortunately in the Caribbean shipping containers are not abundant.

However today, there are roughly 36 million shipping containers in the world. And on any given day, there are between five and six million shipping containers on the high seas, transporting everything from chips to dishwashers. That adds up to approximately 120 million containers packed with cargo traversing the oceans every year, with an estimated value of more than $4 trillion (based on 2013 figures).

However, costs of shipping empty containers back to their origin are high, so often times the containers sit unused in ports. If one lives near a port with abundant containers, then the energy required to transport the steel container to a local building site will be lower than an inland location, far from the port. Today, it would just be cheaper to have your goods shipped in a brand new container, especially given the trade deficit.

Whilst you could argue that melting down the shipping container and recasting the steel into something else is more environmentally friendly, you would be wrong. Recasting steel requires an incredible amount of energy and it isn’t financially viable- this is why there are so many abandoned shipping containers in the world. For each recycled shipping container we are reusing around 3,500kg worth of steel.

Melting these containers uses about 8000 kWh of energy, while refurbishing one into a building uses just about 400 kWh. In fact, hundreds of thousands of containers sit unused in big ship yards around the world. This is why our partner HoomStreet convert shipping containers into Eco Homes for people!

Like any new house built, there are pros and cons with the chosen building material- Container Homes are no different. Then again building material prices varies when a customer lives on an island compared to a customer living in a big country. We’ll get to this point in a bit.

BUT…using shipping containers offers exceptional value for your money. They’re are already the perfect shape to be repurposed into homes, so a home built out of them is a minimum of 30% cheaper than a same sized home built in brick and mortar. The structural work is also minimal, reducing the cost even further.

Customers living on an island experience high priced building materials because everything has to be shipped to this island. Duty fees and or import taxes has to be paid for which are added to the cost price of building materials. And the amount of customers living on an island is far less than those living in big countries. There is also the risk when a Hardware Store on an island runs out of building materials, this same customer has to wait about 3 – 12 weeks for new supply.

Customers living in big countries have the benefit of having access to building materials on a 24/7 basis. And because of the amount of people living in bigger countries gives the opportunity for building materials to be bought in bulk – making building material prices much cheaper. 

So… for island residents it pays even more to have a container home prepped with regards to building materials off-island before its shipped to their island location. And this is what Carib Housing and our partner HoomStreet does! 

At this moment we don’t have video tutorials. But it’s on our To-Do List also together with creating our own Eco Home YouTube Channel. However we are sure you will find many YouTube Container Home constructing videos which provides a better understanding on how to create your own shipping container home.   

No we don’t provide financing or work with any particular lender. But we do provide a payment plan option.

1.     Phased payment plan – (50% down payment, 40% before shipping / relocation, 10% upon delivery).

 2.     Hire-purchase – the home is hired with intention to purchase. This option is a form of investment for the hirer who makes relatively more profit with an investment property than would be the case when renting a home. The hire-purchase option enables you to buy a house that you are already renting, so that it really becomes your property. We offer this option so that you can eventually buy your dream home which the bank would not provide full mortgage-financing for. With hire-purchase you become the owner of the house immediately after the last instalment is paid.

This plan has two options and is only applicable to those who are registered citizens located in St. Maarten and in Aruba. The hire-purchase options are:

1. Fast Plan – this option includes a stall fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 60% down payment while the rest 40% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.  
2. Gradual Plan – this option includes a stall fee based on the occupied surface m2/ sq.ft, and a 30% down payment while the rest 70% is paid in instalments. For administration costs a 0.5% is applied until the last instalment is paid in full.   

More info can be retrieved at the Terms and Conditions.

 3.   Commercial Unit Lease for Eco Business Unit (EBU); Carib Housing remains owner of the EBU, and the lessee can use the EBU within the agreed lease period. This option is only applicable to those who want to do business at The Keys Market location in St. Maarten – limited spaces!

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.

In principle every interested person can purchase our Eco Homes. Persons who signed up to live at our Green Community locations can purchase an Eco Home of choice. And those who want to purchase for their private location elsewhere can contact us to discuss their Plan-C package. Have a look at our listing and see if there is anything that matches your wishes.

The Plan-C package applies to customers who purchased an Eco Home from us and wishes to have it delivered at their private location. The package entails the process from purchasing one of our modified shipping container homes up to and installing it at the customers location.  Interested in putting together your Plan-C package then fill out this form here.

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.

Eco Homes are built on two locations. At first our partner HoomStreet is located on Texel, the biggest Waddensea island in the Netherlands. Once an order is received HoomStreet prepares a shipping container by converting it into an eco home kit on Texel. In turn the eco home kit is shipped to it’s final destination where HoomStreet then put the eco home together and delivers it as an Eco Home to it’s new owner.