that's pretty damn sweet man thanks for sharin





"Freedom isn't Free"
Another great site worth checking out: Survival Forum

I missed a post with more of the dozer work. I'm having a hell of a time getting sales droids to return my phone calls - anyone dealt with someone in the SEA-PDX area that will actually return a phone call?

How is the shelter holding up?

The OP still around?

Amazing thread. I was thinking about this with taking 4 containers and make a square for a courtyard and burry one under another for a basement.

I think based on my research that burying one would cause the sides to cave in.



 

Yes sir; you need to build something around it to support the dirt.

Status update, we're going with a builder that's closer to where it will be deployed. Hope to have more information soon on build out time frame.

Well, it's done. We ended up spending quite a bit of time re-leveling the pad.

Pictures of the interior here. I ended up spending all day working and not taking pictures.

We'll be painting the side facing the road flat green and the roof white.

that is awesome man.



 

Anything new going on with this? Still in the back of my mind if I am saving up for some cargo containers or just a hill based, subterranean camp.

Bev

bump for status update

Many people are interested.

OP doesnt seem to stop by anymore....

Last Login Date:
4/15/2010 10:54:58 PM EST
Last Post Date:
5/31/2009 10:00:58 AM EST

too bad would love to see how they held up.

sad he dont stop by anymore.  I am getting ready to start a similar project for an actual house.  Thinking 4-40' containers sitting on a full basement.  Engineer friend is still working out the bugs on the plans but I am very excited.

You might want to be VERY careful how you spend your money.

Let's say the market price for decent 40 foot 'tainer's is abt $4000 ea.

So $16000 plus let's say close to $20k by the time they're set on your foundation/basement w/ delivery, taxes, repairs if needed, etc.

Now you have four 40' long tunnels.

Each [let me get my tape out] are a little less than 8 FEET wide! Inside...

What are you going to do to make them livable, have a decent resale value, make the 'house' attractive to another buyer, insulate properly, ––-and a zillion other things ––to make the decision to build w/ shipping containers make more sense than conventional construction?

How are you going to integrate them into a finished space that has rooms as functional as conventional construction?

That's why seeing shipping containers more commonly built into a living space is relatively rare.

For most applications it makes very little sense. Even if the 'tainers were FREE it doesn't make sense -unless there is something special..

Now, I'd love to have you articulate your reasoning for doing this w/ 4 containers, I'm all ears!

All this said, we just had supper and we're safely tucked in for the evening in a 20 foot shipping container. We live in one a good part of the year.

I just measured the distance between the side walls and it's 89". That's pitifully narrow! After some clever insulation. The usable length is only abt 19', 225" to be close to exact.

In sq ft terms that's only 148 sq ft!

In the 'back' there's an approx king length bed [to fit me] that can retract to the ceiling. Two plastic K-Mart 6 drawer nightstands ~14" wide on either side.

A center isle to the sleeping area and a 56" x 47" bathroom enclosed space that has storage, toilet, 2' x 3' shower area, exhaust fan in the sidewall, med chest w/ mirror, two stacked 6 drawer cabinets like the nightstands, and some other equipment.

It's tiny but exceptionally functional. Except for two small desk chairs, one w/out a back that slips under the bed, there's NO furniture.

Opposite the BR is a long counter with compact double sink, single burner Coleman propane stove built in to the left of the sink, microwave above, water processing and RO filter underneath...

Tons of shelving all around the container for storage and immediate access to 'stuff'.

Opposite the counter is the computer and work desk, 79" to the sliding glass doors from the BR end wall.

That's it. I just can't imagine anyone making a house out of shipping containers unless they have a danged good articulatible reason...

We couldn't get much of anything for what we've built and a loan, forgetabt it.

bottom line?

Right... But math isn't taught anymore...  

Prices went thru the roof because these things are too popular now...IMHO.

What prices were you seeing 5 yrs ago vs today?

Fuck me talk about necro...............

Those prices aren't too bad for good containers, I paid abt 25% more. You prolly have good availability in MS.

I'd go with the pole barn but make it w/ steel columns and purlins. So that you can enclose it later, all metal and little fire exposure.

I picked up a 40' high cube this fall and was $2700 shipped to my house. The same place who picked it up wanted to charged me $4200 for one of theirs.
 

That is not the reason why. It mainly has to do with a slow-down in international shipping which dramatically reduced the production of the containers in China. The price of available containers increased naturally when shipping picked up again.

 

This is a tag of epic proportions....

Nice work OP!  

so many people love this thread when i show it to them.  don't want this thing to disappear.

This is a great thread..........Any updates from the OP?

+1

 

I'll update. Joe found a leak in the roof of the container used to manufacture explosives, so he's going to pay someone to put a roof on it. We've talked a lot about putting a carport-style roof over the top to reduce the temperature, so the first roof would be to make the container WWT again, the carport roof would be added later. The plan is to attach the carport roof at the four corners, and cantilever a 8 or 10 foot section out over the patio area so there's less of a mud puddle right there by the door.

Other things discussed have been refurbing the bearings for the latch rods on the doors; they're shot and squeaky as hell when you try to wrestle the doors open.

It's likely that had the container been given a close look at purchase, the roof issue would have been spotted, but TBH it looked good and someone would have had to use a hammer test to find the dead spot.

We've also discussed adding an out-of-the-weather sleeping deck on top - just a flat spot under the carport, over the roof, for someone to roll out a pad and sleeping bag. Last year we had some windstorms and Joe ended up having to wrestle his tent to the ground to restake it; also, sleeping in the trees is kind of ass when there's lightning all around.

The only other annoyance is the power cutover tool has a 20 second delay when you switch to battery, so when you first get there and turn on the lights, it takes a little bit for it to happen.

Any new updates?

I'll give another update. Another, more severe leak was discovered; it was made even worse by having the vent covered to prevent snow from blowing in. That, and a relatively good seal overall, meant that water was leaking in, the container would get humid in the day, then cold at night. A lot of shit got water all over it. The roof is patched - again - and the schedule for a new roof is moving up from this summer to ASAP.

Some interior pictures here.

Leak pictures here.

Exterior damage, more interior shots.

Tagging a great thread!

Couple thoughts...

Shipping containers that are not insulated [and even ones that are] will generally have condensation issues in cold wx [below roughly 25 degrees or so IMX] when folks or other sources of moisture spend time in them. [ Like water dripping on your head in the middle of the night   ] Was thinking abt this when I woke up in one this AM.

Also, the florescent light fixtures in your pix above don't look to be 'explosion proof' or otherwise protected from chlorate dust that may over time collect on the tube terminals and might result in a kaboom.

Unprotected electrical plugs behind the chem measuring and mixing tables might be a cause for concern too.  

I have a 40' hi-cube and was planning on framing and spray foam the inside of it instead of board or the roll up foam. I do not have a garage and was uing this to store stuff. By the time i ran the numbers i figured just put that money into moving into a new place. So now when i move, the conex is coming and is just gotta be spare storage.



 

Wonder how the setup looks today?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Last Login Date: 5/16/2012 4:13:12 PM CDT
Last Post Date: 5/31/2009 9:00:58 AM CDT

Obamabots got 'im.  

Maybe he went to Gault's Gulch?

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I wish I could find and gain entrance to Galt's Gulch. No such luck so far.

Here are some more recent pictures:





Before pictures and more to the story are here.

not bad at all

wish i had one

tag

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Hi, as it happens I've just bought a 40 footer....and need to paint the exterior..at least the roof to reflective white instead of hot as fuk brown...what paint did OP use?

Tag, I'm getting a couple of 20'ers

I think Joe had a white elastomeric roof put on. here are after pictures.

I wonder if we will ever get any updates

Maybe look into insulated ones next time.



 

I hired someone to put on Sherwin-Williams Bond-Plex. It's expensive but very durable and is designed to go on over already painted metal.

It's possible to get an additive that reflects IR; this will decrease the amount of heat absorbed by the structure.