Container Compound

What it does

A site plan of one acre, drawn like an architect’s sheet, and a 3D model of the same ground. Add container units, move and turn them, butt them together into buildings, and watch the running total. It checks the layout against a short list of Virginia code and site rules as you go, and says what it finds.

• Eleven units. Sleeping, kitchen, bathhouse, bath + laundry, dining, living and office in 20′ high cubes (the taller containers); a bathroom, utility core and workshop in 10′ minis; and 8′ decks. Each has its furniture and a floor plan.
• Plan, 3D, or both. Edit on the drawing; orbit the model, cycle the sun, or lift every roof to see inside.
• A price as a range. Container and fit-out prices, plus what isn’t in them: well, septic, power, foundations, delivery and permits.
• Fourteen checks. Overlaps, blocked door ends, setbacks, gaps that need fire-rated walls, the 256 sq ft shed exemption, units with plumbing far from the utility core, and whether it adds up to one dwelling.
• Place things exactly. Type a unit’s position, measure a distance, align and space units, undo and redo. Add trees, a well and a septic field.
• Keep and share. Save layouts, share one as a link, or download the drawing as PNG or SVG.

It’s for exploring ideas, and the app says so itself. It isn’t construction documents or code advice, and it doesn’t model zoning or county rules.