Rhino Cubed Review

Rhino Cubed is an up and coming company dedicated to building comfortable and convenient living spaces from recycled shipping containers. In April of 2014 the company Rhino Cubed began its journey to providing minimalists with a comfortable and convenient living space, with kick ass designs. Jan (the artsy designer) and Sam (the builder) came together to mold this Colorado home building company, to help save the planet, and build you a beautiful shipping container house. In this Rhino Cubed Review I will break down the options they have to offer, and why you should consider Rhino Cubed as your new shipping container home builder.

The Rhino Cubed Building Process

Before I show you all of the options that Rhino Cubed has to offer, lets break down the process they go through, in order to build these beautiful steel homes.

Rhino Cubed considers every cube a work of art. RC spends time on the design, and the building process to make sure the shipping container home is perfect. Lets check it out…

Selecting A Container

The perfect starting size for a tiny shipping container home is 30 feet. This length is achieved by cutting a 40 foot box down 10 feet. The containers that Rhino Cubed choose for their builds are typically made from corten steel, which is much more durable than mild steel because of its ability to fight corrosion.

Most of the containers are refurbished, which can result in some of the containers having dents. Don’t fret, small dents like this add character to the container home. Not only is it more eco friendly to use refurbished containers, but they can also choose the paint color when refurbishing an old container.

Flooring

When purchasing a refurbished container, typically it’s already equipped with a wood floor. This wood floor is first coated with a sealant, blocking it off from the inside living area. From there, the floor is built up to 3 1/2 inches using foam insulation. After the insulation is laid, a piece of 3/4 inch plywood is laid down, following 3/4 inch hardwood flooring. This whole process eliminates the insecticides or preservatives used on the original floor of the container.

Windows

Many may think that cutting the wholes for windows on a shipping container would be a difficult process, thankfully Rhino Cubed makes it easy. RC works with professional fabricators at Quality Metal Fabricators to ensure that each window and door is cut with precision. The quality time spent on installing the windows and doors helps to cut down on heat loss, and adds structure integrity to these artsy shipping containers.

Walls

The inside frame is made up of 2×4’s, this allows plenty of room for the closed cell foam insulation used on the inside of the structure.

Insulation

The insulation used by Rhino Cubed is known as Closed Cell Foam Insulation. This type of insulation gives the cube homes higher ratings such as R30 on the floors, R54 on the ceiling, and R22 on the walls.

In addition to using the best insulation, they also add a vapor barrier to the inside of the container. That extra effort makes this tiny living space water proof, wind proof, and even fire repelling. All of the tight seals will prevent rodents or insects from sneaking into your shipping container home as well.

Roofing

All of the designs built by Rhino Cubed are equipped with metal corrugated roofing. All of the insulation is sprayed on the outside of the container under the roof to leave more headspace on the inside. The finished product leaves your shipping container home looking sleek and water proof.

Support Structure

Each cube is built with a timber frame support structure on the outside. This structure is the base for outside insulation, and trellis above the big cargo doors. The outside wood adds style to the large steel box, making it feel more like a home, and less like a container.

The Rhino Cubes

Rhino Cubed has a few different options when it comes to shipping container homes. In this section I will go through each of the four cubes that they offer and breakdown each of the features and customizable items you can choose from.

The Micro Cube

This is the smallest shipping container home that Rhino Cubed has to offer. This 160 square foot shipping container home will run you around $55,500.

Micro Cube Features

Kitchen

• Sink and Fridge 24”
• Convection Microwave

Living Room

• Murphy bed (Queen size)
• The space where the bed folds up can be used for more living area, or an office
• 27 inch Wardrobe for storage

Bathroom

• Toilet with low-flow technology
• 32 inch sink and shower

Standard Features

• High Cube container, waterproof bug proof, rodent proof, and resistant to fires
• Complete plumbing and electricity
• Vinyl windows coated with solar heat gain
• Hardwood floors made from hickory
• LED lights
• Mini-Split HVAC unit
• Spray insulation up to R50 for roof, walls, and floors

Choices You Have

• Wall bed and cabinet finishes
• Appliance colors
• Ceiling and countertop color
• Container Home Color
• Paint and lighting package (rustic or modern)

The Studio Cube

Are you in the market for a shipping container that can provide full time living? The Studio by Rhino Cubed may be right for you. This container house is perfect for a college student, retired couple, or small rental. This shipping container home is 240 square feet, and will cost around $80,000 to build. Lets breakdown all the features that The Studio is equipped with.

The Studio Features

Kitchen

• Microwave
• Kitchen sink and Refrigerator (24 inch)
• Two cooktop burners
• Optional Dishwasher

Living Room

• Murphy bed (Queen)
• 36 inch Wardrobe
• Folding the bed creates more living space

Bathroom

• Optional Washer/Dryer combo
• Sink
• Toilet with low-flow technology
• 32 inch shower

Standard Features

• High Cube container, waterproof bug proof, rodent proof, and resistant to fires
• Complete plumbing and electricity
• Vinyl windows coated with solar heat gain
• Hardwood floors made from hickory
• LED lights
• Mini-Split HVAC unit
• Spray insulation up to R50 for roof, walls, and floors
• Full Plumbing

Choices You Have

• Wall bed and cabinet finishes
• Appliance colors
• Ceiling and countertop color
• Container Home Color
• Paint and lighting package (rustic or modern)

The Home Cube

Loaded with tons of storage and cabinet space, the Home Cube by Rhino Cubed is the perfect living space for two people. The 320 square foot home is equipped with a separate queen sized bedroom. Furthermore, you can also use this space as an office when the bed is folded up.

Rhino Cubed gives you the option for full sized bathroom fixtures and the possibility of a washer/dryer combo. Lets breakdown the features you’ll find on The Home Cube.

The Home Cube Features

Kitchen

• Microwave
• 24 inch Sink and Fridge
• Four cooktop burners
• optional dishwasher
• Separate living/eating area

Bedroom

• Murphy bed (Queen size)
• 24 inch cabinet equipped with drawers and a 30 inch Closet

Bathroom

• Optional full sized shower/tub
• Toilet and sink with low-flow technology
• Optional washer/dryer combo

Standard Features

• High Cube container, waterproof bug proof, rodent proof, and resistant to fires
• Complete plumbing and electricity
• Vinyl windows coated with solar heat gain
• Hardwood floors made from hickory
• LED lights
• Mini-Split HVAC unit
• Spray insulation up to R50 for roof, walls, and floors
• Full Plumbing

Choices You Have

• Wall bed and cabinet finishes
• Appliance colors
• Ceiling and countertop color
• Container Home Color
• Paint and lighting package (rustic or modern)

The Lodge

The Lodge by Rhino Cubed is the largest shipping container home they offer and can cost upwards of $150,000 to start. This large container home is built for a family looking to start the tiny house life.

This model includes 2 fully built 40 foot shipping containers, with the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and small living area.

Rhino Cubed provides you with architectural plans, allowing you to connect the two living spaces together.  This creates a large living space with a vaulted ceiling.

All of the containers are separate, and will flow together by building a large deck around the structures. Invite your friends over during the summer months, and enjoy a smooth flow between indoors and outdoors. The smaller 3rd container is placed separately away from the two larger containers, adding an extra living space or separated office.

The Lodge Features

Kitchen

• Microwave
• 24 inch sink and fridge
• Cooktop with four burners (optional range)
• Optional Dishwasher

Living Area (Not part of the container)

• Connecting piece between two large containers. (Built by owner after containers are placed)
• Functions as extra living space

Bathroom

• Option of full bath shower or tub
• Sink and toilet with low-flow technology
• Washer/dryer combo (optional)

Bedrooms

• Equipped with 3 extra rooms
• 2 bedrooms
• 1 extra bedroom/office

The Extra Cube

• This is an optional cube used for an office or bedroom
• Half bathroom

Standard Features

• High Cube container, waterproof bug proof, rodent proof, and resistant to fires
• Complete plumbing and electricity
• Vinyl windows coated with solar heat gain
• Hardwood floors made from hickory
• LED lights
• Mini-Split HVAC unit
• Spray insulation up to R50 for roof, walls, and floors
• Full Plumbing

Choices You Have

• Wall bed and cabinet finishes
• Appliance colors
• Ceiling and countertop color
• Container Home Color
• Paint and lighting package (rustic or modern)

Not Included In Price

• Connecting living area between containers
• Foundation work
• Deck to connect all cubes

Conclusion

Rhino Cubed is definitely one of the largest and well known shipping container home builders out there. If you are looking for a quality shipping container home with some style, then look no further than Rhino Cubed. They have plenty of options to choose from, and the outcome of their work is beautiful. If you decide to go with Rhino Cubed, let us know about your experience, and how living in a container home has changed your life. Thanks for reading!

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