Pics of my shipping container (Update page 5, page 9) (Page 2 of 13)
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Very cool! I might be able to get away with it. Looks downright classy! Seriously, I was expecting a sort of Mad Max finished product. It looks great. The Listeroid reference got me rummaging around I found this -- The Lister Engine Forum: might give you some more ideas. listerengine.com/smf/index.php ...and there's this fellow in Florida who built up a generator with a Listeroid...I know this has been posted here before, but for those of you who missed it, it is a classic do-it-yourself project. ..the beginning of the Lister saga www.f1-rocketboy.com/lister.html and the last page points to the manual for the lister www.f1-rocketboy.com/lister9.html tag for the Lister story when you get the time |
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To answer some questions. The rebar in the concrete is in a grid pattern placed 18" apart making 18"x18" squares. These are welded to the containers on the bottom lip of the I beam. The container set on nothing, a big advantage no foundation needed. The concrete went in around the "I" beam so it does not have shear force placed on the rebar. A twisting force is the only threat. In addition the ends of the containers have a footing dug 24x24" deep x 8' long mostly filled with concrete tied in with 1/2" rebar to the bottom of the containers. The "bunker" will have a wall of retaining bricks added to the outside going up about 24-48" with about a foot thick of concrete between them and the container. I don't think they will go anywhere in a f1-f3. f4-f5 after its done. The carport roof is a sacrifice for sure. As far as the cars parked there being a threat they are too close to cause trouble besides perhaps denting the container. Any cars parked in the driveway 25 yards away are another matter. Thats kinda what the wall will be for, that and flying t-post floating by at 140 mph. I don't see much diffrence in this construction and other f-5 rated above ground shelters except its outside but then again everything is outside after a f-4 f-5. The locks are "hockey puck" master locks with "van door" shackles. They are pretty secure for a padlock but its no "safe" I don't want to give away all my security secrets but it will have at least 4 layers of security between the outside and any firearms + an IDS , DVR and remote monitoring. I am a physical security specialist for the government by trade. It will keep any methheads with a crowbar out for sure + any Zombies to boot. The doors are made with 16 guage sheet and a 1 1/2x 1 1/2" box tubing. The slow parts of the project were all the fabbing and designing the lock mecanisms. I always was intrigued by shipping container houses and wanted to cut my teeth with a project like this. I have learned alot so far, the first that these socalled experts that write about building with containers have some good ideas but no experience in actually doing it. The listeroid is a whole other story and thread. It was $950 + $370 for 5kw head + $100 pulleys and $439 shipping. from Colorado. http://www.rockymountainpowersource.com/ There is nothing to show in the "bunker" it is empty right now but I will add pics.  Here is one showing the floor. I my house I'll use 3/4" sanded oak or beech plywood. Its popular in container homes and looks fantastic when they match the grain.  Ooops I lied theres is an RPK in there. Well it was in there.  Inside 8x8 door.  Good shot of footings and big $600 hole for the 20' that never happened because of the HUGE rocks here.  Lock details. A guard has been added since this pic to cover the 3/4" hardened drill rod bolts.  Lock detail 8x8 door. Note small plate to prevent a good shot with a drill. These have since been wleded in addition to the bolts.  Hinge detail. Pic makes it look small. Its a security hinge with ball bearings and secured ends. 
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You have obviously put alot of thought and planning into this project, and it shows. I think this ranks in the top five of all (shelter) projects presented here . . . . My favorite had been the guy who built the shelter under his porch, accessed through a game room, but yours is right up there. Keep the pics coming. 
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Pardon my ignorance of tornado shelters, but how does your "bunker" provide shelter against a tornado and how is it any better than an interior room in your home? One threat in a tornado is the lateral wind loading on a structure - it will blow you over or lift you up. SHouldn't your bunker be below grade to prevent this wind loading? |
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Thanks for all the kind comments. I tried to post more pics but photobucket got added to my ISP kidsafe list so I can't go there for now. I got the sign off Ebay and added the Zombie from a "White Zombie" window sticker I also bought on ebay (yea I spend too much time there) People get a kick out of it. The paint on the interior is gloss white Rustoleum enamel from lowes about $25 a gallon. Good for reflectance. Outside is a flat (easier to hide dents) latex in a light stone color. It matches the rocks I have around. Its good to have a light color as it gets hotter than heck out here. My IR thermo showed temps of 155 degrees on the roof in the summer. The roof of the 40 footer has a reflective silver coating made for mobile home roofs. It helps some for the heat. The little container has a roof over it that cuts about 20 degrees from the heat the uncovered one gets.There is no need to prime as they have a very very thick factory paint job that consist of several coatings of primer of various compounds such as zinc. If you have a rusted container that of course will have to be prepped. The decals are the most difficult. A heat gun and a 4" wide scraper will make short work of them, its just that there are lots of them. The reason for the bunker is simple. tornado strikes wind outside = 262 mph wind inside = 0 not to be a smart butt either I live in a manufactured home. Most people killed in tornados live in one. This will not go anywhere before my house does that’s for sure. |
| I wonder if you could do a simliar thing but weld the door shut and out the container underground. Rent a track hoe (sp) and dig the hole in a day or two. Then hire a crain and place the container in the ground. Preferably with 6-10 ft of dirt or concrete over the top. Weld a entry way with a ladder onto the top of the container. Have a reinforced entrance way on the top and a second entrance way at the bottom of the ladder. The cover the entire structure in concrete or dirt. You would have to put in some blast valves and a forced air system. Preferably one that is battery operated and also hand cranked. You could even run electricity to it. I wonder if this would work. Sorry for the hijack. You did and awesome job on that too. |
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Originally Posted By opti12206: I wonder if you could do a simliar thing but weld the door shut and out the container underground. Rent a track hoe (sp) and dig the hole in a day or two. Then hire a crain and place the container in the ground. Preferably with 6-10 ft of dirt or concrete over the top. Weld a entry way with a ladder onto the top of the container. Have a reinforced entrance way on the top and a second entrance way at the bottom of the ladder. The cover the entire structure in concrete or dirt. ....quote] Sigh. How many times do we have to cover this? Burying a container, unsupported or unreinforced, is a good way to die if it collapses, which it will, while you're in it. Don't do it. All the strength of a container is in the corners, designed specifically for stacking of more containers on top, just as you see on boats, ports and transfer stations. The tops and sides are not designed to take burial loads. To safely bury a container, you have to heavily reinforce it with wood (not good) or concrete (preferred), thereby losing the one advantage of using a container in the first place: economy. Merlin |
"That's all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more." Polk County (FL) Sheriff Grady Judd after SWAT officers killed Angilo Freeland, killer of Polk County Deputy Matt Williams and his K9, Diogi.
Again, try to excuse my ignorance on tornado shelters, but it seems to me you have not achieved your goal. Those 200+ mph winds will send 2X4's right through those walls. It will also lift it right off its foundation and blow it away. It seems to me you need to bury/partially bury that container or do a MAJOR job bolting it down to a suitable foundation. If I am wrong, please educate me. |
| Question: how did you get the passage door between the two containers sealed from the elements from above? I have ideas on how to do it, but am always eager to see others' solutions. Additionally, will you be adding some sort of flashing to the retaining wall around the containers to prevent water/debris from collecting between the wall and the container? |
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If you look in the 4th pic at the beginning you see the piece of 3" flat that is welded on the top. There are pieces along the sides as well. I used some silicon and roof paint to seal it. On the inside of the door you can see foam being sprayed in. Its just the stuff you get from home depot or lowes. It fills in the gap nicely. 2x6" and 2x4" Cee channel make the molding. It does not leak and should last along time. |
just dig a ramp with the excavator and then backfill after towing the unit in place, cheaper in the long run as long as you have room to construct the ramp using just one piece of equipment unless you have a buddy. If you lack the room then i guess a crane is the way to go. BTW I defer to the experts as far as making the proper alterations to carry the load. |
| Just a few thoughts on burying a shipping container. I had planned wanted to bury the 20 footer. It was not to have a top loading as the 40 footer was to be on top of it. It was to be coated in a tar sealer like all tornado shelters of steel are. The side loading of soil is basically non existent here as I have only about 15% soil and rock everything else. I would warn anyone thinking of putting one underground to really research it. It can be done but consider the container an interior form and not the structure. It must be properly prepped they are only 14 ga. steel. Corrosion will make a short life of the shelter and if it caves in a short life of you! Thanks again for the comments. Can't wait to get busy on the interior this weekend. |
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Yea this guy made a nice barn then house out of two. It is a long thread and hard to follow but there are some nice pictures in there some where. barn |
I do this kind of work for a living. We make buildings like this for the offshore oil industry. If I remember, tomorrow I will bring my camera to work and take some pics. If any of you need info on how to do some type of construction in one of these, just ask. I have been doing this for 17 years. I am getting pretty close to having done it all. BTW: Nice work on the garage. |
عرقي , عنصريI say if you dont have the guts to stand and fight them in court your not very likely to have the guts to stand and fight them in combat.
Tell us, if you can, your experience in burying these containers, either standalone or with reinforcement. I hear people talk about burying them as-is. Those that have done it, have all reinforced the crap out of it. Comments? P.S. Haven't read all 4 pages recently, you may have already discussed, if so, sorry. Thanks, Merlin |
Most of the ones I deal with go on offshore platforms, and the water table down here is at about 6", so I really don't have any experience in burying them. I used to deal with some people who buried them out in west Texas and NM, but I don't really know the details. If I was burying one, I would be concerned about the vents on the side leaking water when you had rain. |
عرقي , عنصريI say if you dont have the guts to stand and fight them in court your not very likely to have the guts to stand and fight them in combat.