03-23-2014, 08:32 AM
I got the container to secure stuff on my property that had been in storage. I then had to work around that stuff as I refurbished the container. That is one thing I would do differently. I would either refurbish the container before taking the stuff out of storage or I would get two containers and work on each one separately. I would clean the inside with a pressure washer, grinder, wire wheel, what have you, then paint the inside with a pressure sprayer. I put down an extra layer of plywood flooring then did part of the living area in sheet vinyl and part in vinyl composite tile. I would instead have invested in the full 3/4" tongue and groove underlayment and done the entire container in the vinyl composite tile. It is much, much more durable. I would have done all this while the container was empty. I would do things in the following order:
1. Come to grips with what the container is going to do for you. More than anything it provides quick portable security. It is a severe compromise as housing. Make all decisions in light of this. Don't bother trying to make it fancy. If you need storage, consider getting two, one of which will be just storage. That was my mistake. I use it for both. Decide on the layout before you do anything else. Research on the internet. Reject 95% of what you find there. Reject anything that does not include actual pictures of people living in the container. In my opinion you should reject stacked containers unless they are stacked exactly as they would be on a ship. Don't reinvent the wheel. Plan on small, heavily reinforced windows, no picture windows, and no sliding glass doors unless they are in the end with the big doors. If I had it to do over again I would have a 20' that I would just clean and paint and add a couple of tiny windows purely for ventilation and light way up high so they are less tempting to foragers. I would then stack a 40' on top of that. The non-door ends would be even with each other so the rear corners of the 40' would be supported on the rear corners of the 20' while the doors of the 20' would be underneath the middle of the 40'. The end of the 40' having the big doors would be supported, in my ideal fantasy, on the top of a ferro-cement tank that would offer a large-ish lanai of something like 16' diameter. Access to the 40' would be through the big doors, left open most of the time and closed for security when you leave town, with a sliding door just inside. Upon entering you would pass through the living room, then the kitchen, then the bathroom, then finally into a bedroom at the bitter end. The only way into the bedroom would be through the bathroom and out a door in the end of the container. That door would only be used in an emergency and would only have panic-bar style door hardware on the inside. You either jump or use a roll-up ladder. I favor having that end of the container stack actually standing well out into a water feature/pond for security and so you could jump into that. At that point I suppose you could relax some of the hardcore security ethic and have windows that you could climb in and out of and look out of, but since I am relying on the original ability of the container to span 40' you would have to carefully reinforce window openings to maintain that. Modestly sized windows only. I built a sleeping platform across the blind end of my container that has 5 1/2 feet of clearance underneath, enough to sit comfortably and do the small amount of walking while hunched over that the small space allows. You would access the emergency exit (essentially a half height door) through this area. That is one aspect of my cart-before-the-horse project that I did right. With a 14" thick Costco memory foam mattress there is still ample headroom to sit up in bed.
2. Now that I have spelled all this out I see that it might be economical to have somebody like APH do all the metal work and painting. Keep in mind that while I could have bought containers for $1,300 at auction, I am not a contractor with access to forklifts, trucks, storage yards, etc so you will be paying APH for that but frankly it might be worth it. If you go it alone, figure out where this work might be done. On the Big Island someone like Weldin Sheldon might be able to provide space for the duration of the project and welding services as they are needed, for a fee of course, but that would mean moving the container twice (cost me $800 for delivery from Kawaihae to Eden Roc). Otherwise prepare where you are going to put the containers on your property. That means grading a driveway and house site. If I could have I would have gotten a couple of those old concrete pilings that you see laid out as parking barriers and set the ends of the container on them if going only single height. If stacking containers one should really secure them to the ground so they don't tip over so pouring footings for the corners with rebar in them would be advisable and bolting them to the tank at the other end.
3. Having settled on the design and worksite, prop the container up with a slope towards the door and pressure-wash it inside and out. Scrape and prime to stop the rust. Cut and weld for the windows and exit door. Also weld on brackets to the roof for later installation of 2 x 6 rafters. Figure out where the water heater vent needs to be as well as anything else needing welding and do it now. Scrape and prime again as needed around welds and spray finish coat inside and out. Gloss white worked great for me inside, a pastel color of latex outside. Lay floor underlayment so the joints fall in-between those of the original floor and glue and screw underlayment down. Sand and fill floor surface as needed to remove the worst of the screw-heads and knot holes. Invest in something called Red-Gard floor sealer that is used in waterproofing shower stalls before tiling. Expensive and adds a couple of steps but I wish I had done it as it will cover more imperfections while water-proofing as well. Win-win. Complete flooring using vinyl composite tile with adhesive. I would choose any color you want alternating with black in a checkerboard pattern. No matter how you try there are tiny gaps between the tiles that get some dirt in them which shows up, that is unless one of the tiles is black. Style-shmyle I bet that is the reason for the checkerboard pattern. Now with the interior painted and the floor done, put up interior walls counters, fixtures, plumbing, etc. At this pint you should still have access to the underside of the container for piping. You always will if the container will be at ground level. If stacked on top of another container there won't be access so plan on doing the work now and jacking up the container later to get access to pipes for repairs, or elevate bathroom floor to run pipes within container.
4. Move container to home site if not already there and put in place. Install rafters, purlins, sheet metal roof, solar panels, vent stacks and chimneys, etc. Note that the vast majority of the work should be done before you are living in the container. Note further that that is the opposite of how I did it.
1. Come to grips with what the container is going to do for you. More than anything it provides quick portable security. It is a severe compromise as housing. Make all decisions in light of this. Don't bother trying to make it fancy. If you need storage, consider getting two, one of which will be just storage. That was my mistake. I use it for both. Decide on the layout before you do anything else. Research on the internet. Reject 95% of what you find there. Reject anything that does not include actual pictures of people living in the container. In my opinion you should reject stacked containers unless they are stacked exactly as they would be on a ship. Don't reinvent the wheel. Plan on small, heavily reinforced windows, no picture windows, and no sliding glass doors unless they are in the end with the big doors. If I had it to do over again I would have a 20' that I would just clean and paint and add a couple of tiny windows purely for ventilation and light way up high so they are less tempting to foragers. I would then stack a 40' on top of that. The non-door ends would be even with each other so the rear corners of the 40' would be supported on the rear corners of the 20' while the doors of the 20' would be underneath the middle of the 40'. The end of the 40' having the big doors would be supported, in my ideal fantasy, on the top of a ferro-cement tank that would offer a large-ish lanai of something like 16' diameter. Access to the 40' would be through the big doors, left open most of the time and closed for security when you leave town, with a sliding door just inside. Upon entering you would pass through the living room, then the kitchen, then the bathroom, then finally into a bedroom at the bitter end. The only way into the bedroom would be through the bathroom and out a door in the end of the container. That door would only be used in an emergency and would only have panic-bar style door hardware on the inside. You either jump or use a roll-up ladder. I favor having that end of the container stack actually standing well out into a water feature/pond for security and so you could jump into that. At that point I suppose you could relax some of the hardcore security ethic and have windows that you could climb in and out of and look out of, but since I am relying on the original ability of the container to span 40' you would have to carefully reinforce window openings to maintain that. Modestly sized windows only. I built a sleeping platform across the blind end of my container that has 5 1/2 feet of clearance underneath, enough to sit comfortably and do the small amount of walking while hunched over that the small space allows. You would access the emergency exit (essentially a half height door) through this area. That is one aspect of my cart-before-the-horse project that I did right. With a 14" thick Costco memory foam mattress there is still ample headroom to sit up in bed.
2. Now that I have spelled all this out I see that it might be economical to have somebody like APH do all the metal work and painting. Keep in mind that while I could have bought containers for $1,300 at auction, I am not a contractor with access to forklifts, trucks, storage yards, etc so you will be paying APH for that but frankly it might be worth it. If you go it alone, figure out where this work might be done. On the Big Island someone like Weldin Sheldon might be able to provide space for the duration of the project and welding services as they are needed, for a fee of course, but that would mean moving the container twice (cost me $800 for delivery from Kawaihae to Eden Roc). Otherwise prepare where you are going to put the containers on your property. That means grading a driveway and house site. If I could have I would have gotten a couple of those old concrete pilings that you see laid out as parking barriers and set the ends of the container on them if going only single height. If stacking containers one should really secure them to the ground so they don't tip over so pouring footings for the corners with rebar in them would be advisable and bolting them to the tank at the other end.
3. Having settled on the design and worksite, prop the container up with a slope towards the door and pressure-wash it inside and out. Scrape and prime to stop the rust. Cut and weld for the windows and exit door. Also weld on brackets to the roof for later installation of 2 x 6 rafters. Figure out where the water heater vent needs to be as well as anything else needing welding and do it now. Scrape and prime again as needed around welds and spray finish coat inside and out. Gloss white worked great for me inside, a pastel color of latex outside. Lay floor underlayment so the joints fall in-between those of the original floor and glue and screw underlayment down. Sand and fill floor surface as needed to remove the worst of the screw-heads and knot holes. Invest in something called Red-Gard floor sealer that is used in waterproofing shower stalls before tiling. Expensive and adds a couple of steps but I wish I had done it as it will cover more imperfections while water-proofing as well. Win-win. Complete flooring using vinyl composite tile with adhesive. I would choose any color you want alternating with black in a checkerboard pattern. No matter how you try there are tiny gaps between the tiles that get some dirt in them which shows up, that is unless one of the tiles is black. Style-shmyle I bet that is the reason for the checkerboard pattern. Now with the interior painted and the floor done, put up interior walls counters, fixtures, plumbing, etc. At this pint you should still have access to the underside of the container for piping. You always will if the container will be at ground level. If stacked on top of another container there won't be access so plan on doing the work now and jacking up the container later to get access to pipes for repairs, or elevate bathroom floor to run pipes within container.
4. Move container to home site if not already there and put in place. Install rafters, purlins, sheet metal roof, solar panels, vent stacks and chimneys, etc. Note that the vast majority of the work should be done before you are living in the container. Note further that that is the opposite of how I did it.