Posted: 3/23/2015 4:23:20 PM EDT
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So there is already a thread about a shipping container, but I was asked to start my own thread as the previous OP hasn’t been active on his thread to answer some of the questions raised, so here is my container build. A lot of these pictures are the same as what I had posted on the other thread, and the text may be also. There will also be some new stuff, as my build continues. Enjoy and ask any questions that you may have.
I started off with a “one-tripper” container. These are used one trip from China and they are in excellent condition. Mine is the standard 40 footer. 
It was VERY clean inside and out. Flooring was solid, no dings or dents, and no oil stains or smells. I could have bought something a little rougher, but the dealer gave me a solid deal on this one. Here we have the container as delivered and leveled. Because this location is “temporary”, it’s not on a concrete slab. If it was permanent, I’d put it on a slab. 
The dealer that I bought the container from does custom builds. I had him split the interior of the container into a 25’ living space, partitioned by an insulated wall with a 15’ storage space (accessible by the container cargo doors). The storage was built with heavy duty shelving and enough room to park a Polaris Ranger Crew 800. 
I also had this area spray foamed (on-site after the discovery of such radiation heat loss during the winter). The spray foam is a closed cell foam. A company with a trailer came out to the location to tape everything off and the sprayed it in about 9 minutes. They typically do the containers at the shop that builds them, but this was already on my location. They also recommend doing the underneath, as you'll have a lot of ground radiation heat/cold through the seasons. When they spray it, it goes on light but then expands, filling every crevasse, etc. The sprayer did an EXCELLENT job as it came out uniformed and right at 2 1/2" thick everywhere. He said he's done hundreds of containers, so he has it down. It has better insulation qualities than rolled foam, and certainly does more in less space. Plus it seals all the cracks and holes and keeps a lot of the bugs out. It seems to keep more sound out also. The only bad thing is it's hard to run wires or hang things on the walls afterwards. You also do have to be somewhat careful with it. It won't knock off if you touch it or bump it, but I did strike the wall with my UTV tire and it gashed it (more like compressed it). Not a lot came off, but it's like pushing your finger on a Styrofoam cooler, it makes an indention but doesn't destroy it. In the living area of my container, I have rolled foam, as it's framed out and finished out with electrical and wood paneling. The living area had two windows installed, a door, and a A/C – heater wall unit installed. High efficiency LED bulbs were used, inside and out. I tried to utilize the highest energy efficiency components as this was to be hooked up to an external gas generator. The living area was framed out, insulated using roll insulation, and then finished out with faux wood floors, and exterior hardie board. (This was chosen by the builder, through trial and error, as they are stouter and allow more flex, so when you are moving the container, they don’t crack on you.) The next few pictures are the inside. I had already started up installing some shelving, etc. I installed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I also added two queen futon bunk beds (one for each end). The bottom futon pulls out to a queen, while the top bunk is a comfortable single mattress. You will also see a flat screen (energy saving) LED TV. I have that hooked up to a dish network tailgater satellite (mainly for football season, during the rest of the year it’s no in service). 
Off grid essentials: Power. I have everything inside the container running off of generator power or rechargeable devices. Some of the lights I installed have rechargeable batteries in them, therefore, when the generator is turned off, some of the lights still work to see at night. I try to keep the generator off as much as possible. Even though it is a Honda eu3000is, which is VERY quiet, I like the peace and quietness of nature. Weather permitting, I’ll sleep with the windows open in the container and the generator off. Water. I installed a 275 gallon tote that I cleaned out real well. This tote carried food grade mineral oil. I wouldn’t drink out of it, but I shower, wash my hands and brush my teeth with the water. I mounted weather treated plywood on the side to be able to mount the equipment necessary to run this water system. I used U-bolts to mount it to the metal cage. I then ground off the extra bolt ends to make it as flush to the nuts as possible. Loctite is your friend. Using a banjo fitting from the tote, I used PEX pipe and fittings for the remainder of the install. I ran a line from the bottom of the tote to an on demand 12v water pump. There is a filter that is inline right before it goes into the pump. Check this regularly (though it’s never been dirty). Simply unscrew and dump out. It's a screen filter. 
That pump is located in the first bottom left battery box. The next box to the right, contained an accumulator which I removed, as the on demand pump didn't need it. From there, the line is split and T-d off. There top T line is running to the tankless propane water heater, and the bottom T'd line is the "cold" line going to the shower, faucet, and hose bib. The cold line into the water heater is then heated to the temp that you can dial in on the side of the heater, and the return line then supplies the shower and sink. 
The lines are buried about 12" underground and they run to the shower, sink, and hose bib. I used a ditch witch to dig the trenches. I haven't had any line burst due to freezing (yet). Hot and cold lines run to the shower and sink, whereas the hose bib only has cold running to it. All of the exposed lines are insulated. The top battery box has a 12v marine battery in it. You will have to use heavy duty brackets to support the weight of the battery. Use metal back-strapping or big washers on the back of the plywood to prevent the nuts from sinking into the wood when torqueing down the bolts for the brackets. All of the other boxes have big washers on both sides. I also siliconed all of the holes to prevent moisture from getting in the boxes. The battery is connected to a red rocker switch which kills power to the pump. This way, the pump won't turn on in inadvertently when you're gone and ruin it if it runs dry. This is all connected to the solar panel on top of the tote. Do your research on the panel that's right for you. My panel is a bit overkill (as far as charging capacity) but it is located somewhat under shade and I wanted to make sure the panel was large enough to capture less sunlight, and to make sure the battery would always be charged. Realistically, the pump doesn't use that much power for the little times that it is on. I am thinking about connecting and running a 12v LED light to activate at night over the tote. There is more than sufficient battery power to do this. 
I have a second water tote which I fill at the house and bring back with me when this one runs low. I use a 120v transfer pump to transfer the water. I plug this into my generator. You could use the pump on the water tote system, but that takes a bit more plumbing and I didn't want to compromise that pump in any way. (side-note) The on demand pump has enough pressure to run the shower and the sink at the same time. The shower is about 60' of pipe away and the sink is about the same. The hose bib is about 130' away, and the pump has enough pressure to knock off mud of the UTV with the hose. The main thing is during the winter time is to drain the lines before you leave. I forgot to drain the tankless water heater and the bladder inside ruptured due to freezing temps and destroyed the unit. Expensive lesson learned. You can pick up the water totes for around $75 each. They do make 330 gallon totes for a bit more cost. Perhaps next time, I'd get one 330 gal tote and a 275 gal tote to transfer water. Mine had a mineral grade food oil in it that needed rinsing out. Using hot water and 409 I got the oil grime out. Then use some Dawn to finish up the job. I wouldn't drink from the water tote, but I do brush my teeth from it. Make sure you use the proper amount of bleach to water ratio to prevent algae and bacteria from growing inside the tote and contaminating the water. An additional thought, you can use as many or as few shut off valves as you want. I have some going to the sink, shower, and under the tankless heater as I can prevent the heater from running in the summer time when the water in the tote is in the 80's and no hot water is needed. It also is good to prevent water from escaping in the event a pipe bursts or is compromised from animals or an act of man or nature. Shower. We built an outdoor shower utilizing an old deer blind stand. Originally , we just used a piece of spare plywood to mount the valves and shower head, but we quickly found out that it’s ok like that in the summer. Come winter time, that wind gets to blowing, and there’s not enough hot water to keep you warm. So, we encapsulated it with the clear and smoked plastic. Left over plywood was used as necessary. I bought some 2x2’s and built a rudimentary door frame. Is it square? No. Do I care? No. Does it work? Hell YES! Shower set up (has now been fully enclosed by clear plastic roofing) BEFORE: 
AFTER: 
Toilet. Well, it’s pretty simple there. Low maintenance (as long as it’s serviced). 
Because it is about 50 yards away from the camp area, we installed a motion activated solar powered flood light. It’s sensitive enough to pick you walking up about 20 feet away and its angled between the path and the mobile throne. It’s set so it stays on long enough for one to take care of their business. (I also have one of these on the back side of my container that shines on the generator / water tote in case you need to get there when it’s dark). We just used a left over antenna mast, t-post, scrap of 2x6, and some zip ties. 
Exterior. I wanted to build a “porch” with an “awning”. So, I acquired some old gathering line pipe (2 ¾ ), 1 ½ x 1 ½ square tubing, and barn tin. We set 12’ sticks into the hole that was bored out. After setting those in concrete, and they cured for a couple of weeks (hard to break away from work sometimes), we welded on two 20’ sticks to the top of the container. We saddled cut the cemented pipe, and the support pipes going from the container the vertical cemented pipe. Everything was welded on and in place. We then took the 20’ section of square tubing and welded that onto the support pipe. This will allow us to screw the barn tin on to the cross members. BEFORE: 
AFTER: 
We ran out of time and will have to get to the roof in the next couple of weeks. I am trying to be more diligent in taking more pictures to document this build. It wasn’t my intention to in the beginning, but I remember as I was searching for ideas, there wasn’t a lot out there. Maybe this will give you guys something to go off of. I know I am missing a lot of stuff here on what I have done, so if you see something, ask and I'll address it. |
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of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them  Quoted:
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Is it necessary to quote the whole thing and all 40 pictures to add a 2 word reply? of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Thank you. |
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of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Quoted:
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Is it necessary to quote the whole thing and all 40 pictures to add a 2 word reply? of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them put me on the appreciate list. pics weren't working in the OP, quote fixed them. cool project OP. |
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of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Quoted:
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Is it necessary to quote the whole thing and all 40 pictures to add a 2 word reply? of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them thank you for that. I for one was glad to see the pictures. |
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of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Quoted:
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Is it necessary to quote the whole thing and all 40 pictures to add a 2 word reply? of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them yes. Quite strange. They were working for me earlier and not now. But thanks for covering my 6. |
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will solar power run the ac? The way I have it set up now, no. I thought about going all solar, but the price was too high, seeing I already had a generator. I do have a solar trickle charger going to the Ranger (as seen in one of the pics). I've never had a dead battery in 2+ years! I have a solar LED light in the shower (day light savings in the winter), and once the awning is up, I have solar LED strips going to line the 40' eave. |
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no problem mostly they were double http'd. if you want you can click quote on my post above and copy and paste it into your op for a quick fix. and I will remove the quote from my post. Quoted:
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yes. Quite strange. They were working for me earlier and not now. But thanks for covering my 6. no problem mostly they were double http'd. if you want you can click quote on my post above and copy and paste it into your op for a quick fix. and I will remove the quote from my post. Thanks fan. Links fixed and one pic added. |
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of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Quoted:
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Is it necessary to quote the whole thing and all 40 pictures to add a 2 word reply? of course not. but only 7 of the "40 pictures" are working in the op. so I thought someone might appreciate me fixing them Thanks as some of OP pics didnt show for me. |
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The outfitter is now selling them for $4900. Keep in mind he does a LOT of work for the oil field workers, but now that that is slowing down his prices are more than likely going to go down.
When I purchased mine a couple of years ago, mine was a little more than $4k. Grade B is about $1k less. |
| There is a place here that buulds them for oilfield companys. They do single, double, and triple. The triple consists of two containers welded together side by side, then one container cut in half and welded to the ends of the first two. It's a pretty slick set up. |
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How survivable are containers in high winds and tornadoes? Seems like they would be good, especially with deadman anchors or some earthen backing? I'd think of it as a mobile home without wheels. It's heavy, but I don't think it'd save you when you reach super high winds or tornadoes, I wouldn't stick around in it! |
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Nice work OP. I think if I had something like that I would want to run enough solar so I did not need that genny unless absolutely necessary. I might think about building an addition on, or another container to put the plumbing inside as well. I wanted to run solar, but that was an after thought and cost prohibitive. This is a hunting "cabin" on leased hunting land. I made it self contained, so if I leave, I have one trailer that can pick it up. I'd throw the tote and sink in the storage area and leave the rest. The mobile throne is the land owners anyways. I wanted this to be nice, but not the Taj Mahal. I also like the fact that it is virtually rodent and critter proof (bugs also, but some hornets found their way through the AC vents one time). |
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Super impressed with what you've done so far! Its all very clean and simple, yet very functional.
I've been thinking of doing something like this for a couple years now. The one thing that stops me is the security aspect while I'm away. Is this an issue at all for you? If so, what steps have you taken to mitigate it? |
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Thanks for all the comments guys.
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Super impressed with what you've done so far! Its all very clean and simple, yet very functional. I've been thinking of doing something like this for a couple years now. The one thing that stops me is the security aspect while I'm away. Is this an issue at all for you? If so, what steps have you taken to mitigate it? I've got the heavy duty master locks on all the doors and windows. There are bolt boxes around the doors, so it'll be next to impossible to cut them. The AC has "burglar bars" cage welded to the exterior to prevent AC theft. But realistically, I'm not worried. This camp site is a ways off the county road and unseen. It's also in a several thousand acre ranch, and the landowner works it everyday. If someone wants in it bad enough, nothing will stop them. It will only slow them down. |
| I will say, as some of the interior pictures show, space is limited. I will get some new pics taken and posted next week, but you are relegated to finding creative ways to store stuff. With plenty of usable wall space, shelves and hooks become necessity. I'll document what I have done with those so far, and some of the other changes I have done via trial and error. Stay tuned! |
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I will say, as some of the interior pictures show, space is limited. I will get some new pics taken and posted next week, but you are relegated to finding creative ways to store stuff. With plenty of usable wall space, shelves and hooks become necessity. I'll document what I have done with those so far, and some of the other changes I have done via trial and error. Stay tuned! Could to take a few pics with someone standing/sitting inside for scale? Looks great. |
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Great project. Why would you put it on a slab when you could use a few permanent piers? Have you thought about emergency egress or a safety hatch through the roof? Your outward opening door could easily be blocked by debris or a crazy. Good points to consider. I'm looking into cost differences between building a combination storage / utility / shed / shelter structure from wood, but the more I look into shipping containers, the more I realize this might be a possibility. Can you post up any approximations for your costs, or possibly the source of your container, or was it something local? |
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Have you thought about emergency egress or a safety hatch through the roof? Your outward opening door could easily be blocked by debris or a crazy. I'm in a pretty remote place. The container is small enough to have one exit (plus two windows) to evacuate if necessary. I have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors inside the container. The outside shutters, and door gate, open and close with pad locks. I use the pad locks to lock them into place, open or shut, so there's no way anyone can close them and lock me in without cutting the lock and without me knowing it while I am inside. They'd get a rude awaking and a case of severe lead poisoning if they'd try that while I was inside. If door is blocked, crawl through window. 
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Can you post up any approximations for your costs, or possibly the source of your container, or was it something local? The cost of the container is dependent on ones' location. There are a few suppliers around me that have them and they range in price from new, one-trippers (grade a), to grade d (total junk). Grade B's are fine for storage only. You could get by with a grade C if you lived in a pretty arid environment. I would possibly be concerned with leaks with a grade C. I personally wouldn't use a grade B for living quarters, but that's a little of my OCD coming out  .
Also, the price of containers are increasing every year. The are becoming more popular and with regards to conversions, the sky's the limit! Mine would cost $1000 more now than it did 2 years ago. Look around. You can find them from $2500-5000 (again, dependent on condition). Also, take into account what transportation / delivery charges are going to be. I found some closer to where I live for a lot less $$, but the delivery was going to kill me and would have ended up costing more that what I paid for one closer to my lease. Plus, I like supporting small town local business better than the Sam's Clubs of businesses. Secondly, if you have any kind of issues with said container, your local guy will be easier to deal with than the far away place you saved a few $$ on. |
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