Prepper—“a person who believes a catastrophic disaster or emergency is likely to occur in the future and makes active preparations for it, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2014).

Disasters happen at unexpected times, so it’s best to be prepared. Food and shelter are the two most important things to secure, and the materials needed for these should not be compromised. The best way to keep safe your foodstuff while also providing yourself shelter if the situation gets bad is to use shipping containers. These things may be plain-looking, but they provide the best solution to your storage and / or cabin needs. For one, they are made of steel, and therefore cannot be easily broken into and burned. Also, their plain-looking finish allows you to customize your own design into it—be it in its exterior or interior.

Shipping containers can be used as storage for all the items you would want to save for the future, at the same time it can also be a movable home where you and your family can seek shelter in during the time when your house can no longer provide the shelter you need, or when you need to relocate somewhere and would need a temporary home. What is good about using shipping containers as homes is that they are portable or can be easily transported from one place to another and that they are very secure and durable—why wouldn’t they be, they are made of steel!

To make a shipping container livable, though, would require a lot of work. Power outlets, water reservoirs, proper flooring and ventilation should be ensured when you expect to turn a shipping container into a home.

It also helps to have numbers of builders on speed dial. You never know when you need someone to help you in case there are some damages to your home after these disasters. You may need to have some parts repaired or do a complete overhaul.

All of these need extra work, so make sure to prepare enough manpower if you’re planning to convert a shipping container into a house!