02-22-2011, 05:12 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MarkP
A theme I keep coming back to is to put up a large greenhouse, large enough to put the container under and still have room left over for plants. It is not glamorous at all but fits perfectly at the cheap end of the spectrum.
Whether you put a shed roof, a gable roof, or a barrel vault shaped roof over your container, it's all just variation on a theme, but it's a good theme. Keeping rain off the container alleviates many of the concerns, and also allows for rainwater collection. And keeping direct sun off the roof and south side during summer months makes daytime temperatures much more manageable. Another passive strategy that could help is shading the south wall with growing vegetation (set away from the wall, not touching it) that dies back in winter months, allowing some free solar gain during cooler weather. Pole beans might be good.
Framing in a sliding patio door at the end is a no-brainer, and with a double ended container using glass and screen sliders at both ends provides a tremendous amount of light and ventilation without having to make a single cut in the sides. And what I like is leaving the big container doors on, but folding them back out of the way, using the sliders just inside for everyday, then being able to lock everything up tight using the container doors when I need to be away for extended periods.