Posted: 10/12/2008 10:09:15 AM EDT
| Been throwing the idea around for a while. You can get these fairly cheap....maybe $2500 max depending where you are. I always wanted to get one, apply Rhino lining on the outside, dig a hole and bury it. Weld the doors shut and cut/make a access hatch up top. Keep in mind this would not be visible from the top. Maybe make a large rock out of fiberglass or whatever material would be best and hinged on to the hatch. Invisible!! This would serve as a storm shelter or whatever you wanted. An adult hideout. |
They are not designed to be buried, this has been discussed alot here. I have one and just walking on the roof to apply Henry's Solarflex the damn roof was buckling under me a bit here and there. As many times as I've heard people ask about burying them I have yet to see anyone do it though.  
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That top does look pretty flimsy, you would have to reinforce it somehow. |
It was discussed in another thread: Flip them upside down so the load bearing bottom is your roof, then bury (suggestion from Iraq). Before burying you need to treat against collapse, corrosion, and ventilate. The corners are the load bearing portion on the roof, but the bottoms are able to hold the load they are rated for. Some people have talked about sealing them like basements, or pouring some form of mold/spray form insulation around them to water seal and reinforce the sides. My thought was to build a deck on the top of my buried container for grilling and hanging out, use the container as a in ground garage at the BoL, front doors exposed, with an overhang on the 'porch'. To bury deep enough to protect vs radiation etc you need to do a LOT of work on the structure, quickly passing up the advantage of the cheap box. Stack two on top of each other, bury up to the first... Very few pictures and proof of it being done long-term. We did have some photos of one with dirt piled against it, looked fairly tornado proof. |
Just reread this, the rhino lining will cost more than the box  If you are willing to exchange your container every 10 years or so, burying one might not be that big of a deal...if you leave a way to slip a new one in when the old one corrodes. |