How to secure building materials?

[randomq]

What's the best bet for secure onsite storage while we begin to work on our lot?

I've looked at local hardware store inventories, but no one seems to carry storage sheds of a decent size. I see that the common metal ones are considered flimsy and insecure. Unlike the mainland, I don't see the usual assortment of wood sheds offered "delivered and built on site".

Think it's worth it to fork out for a shipping container, or should I just slap something together with concrete footers, 4x4 posts, joists, and osb? How secure is secure enough? Are most thefts crimes of opportunity or are people actually willing to kick in a door or cut a padlock? Just asking because I've had so many people warn me about it...

[Cagary]

You could rent a shipping container from B I Container.

http://www.bigislandcontainer.com/about

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[kalakoa]

The "storage shed" guys advertise on Craigslist and sometimes in the classifieds.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/for/4835348279.html

It's more than a "shed", maybe place it so it becomes a "garden cottage" or something after the main construction is finished.

[microage97]

A 'tainer with a secure lock is the most secure but with enough time and opportunity, they will get in. Tail cams are a biggy...Oh if you are starting to build, you pretty much either need to live on site or hire a camper.

[faroutsider]

That red cabin is a mansion! I could see buying this, living in it, use as storage, until I could get something put together like the red cabin.

https://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/4843666399.html

[terracore]

We had a lock similar to this one on our shipping container: http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-STORAGE-CONTAINER-LOCK/dp/B00558MBHC/ref=pd_sbs_indust_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NNWFXPXNE4GDP43YRG3

And the thieves found a fairly easy way to remove it. First they cut the corners of the steel where they cinch the steel rods of the container with a bolt cutter to allow the steel on the steel plates to bend, then it appeared they connected one side of a chain to the lock and the other side to the trailer hitch of their 4WD. This made the lock bend out enough that they were able to get it off the steel rods and then they were in. Our neighbors had their container secured with a lock that can't be cut with bolt cutters so they simply used the bold cutters to cut the fixture on the container the lock goes through. In storage lots they store containers with the doors up against each other so there is no way to open the containers without a crane or truck to move the container to get to the door, so the thieves use a makita style cordless grinder to cut their own doors in the sides of the containers.

Our our case, the joke was on them, our container was 90% empty and what was in there was mostly junk. They made off with a cheap machete and a case of water. The most expensive loss was the lock, so I didn't replace it, I just got a cheapo "master" brand lock to keep honest people out.

All this being said, if they want to steal your stuff they are going to get it. I once listened to a lecture on physical security and during the break asked the speaker what kind of locks he had on his front door, and at first was surprised when he said it was just a cheapo lock from Home Depot, but then he went on to explain that if the front door was too hard to get through they would just break a window, and that they were more difficult to replace. He said you can either live in a vault, never leave your stuff unattended, or get insurance.

ETA: clarity

[ericlp]

If have neighbors that can do daily / nightly checks and can hear or see what's going on from your property might work. Or if you get a dog and someone can hear it barking and check up on your property at 3AM.

But the best way is to camp out on said property with shotgun near by. I stayed with my neighbor. That's not always an option. What subdivision are you in? That should be the first question. Next would be what road are you on. Some roads are better than others. Get some signs and a cable/chain gate that is ALWAYS locked and closed. Something cheap that can be easily knocked down by running it over, most thieves won't even bother putting it back up.


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[Rob Tucker]

My suggestion, if you are building with easily stolen material and you have a truck, is to engage or rent from a worthy neighbor nearby and store your materials at their home and transport them over in truckload quantities that can be installed that day.

Safer than stuff on an unguarded site, you make some friends and your neighbor makes some money.

[1voyager1]

I was a contractor for many years. As far as I know there are only 2 ways to keep your on-site materials safe. If you're a sub, don't even trust the general contractor. I've even seen them steal from their subs.
1.
Live on the site during all non working hours as long as you have on-site materials.
2.
Use a storage container or highway van that is in good condition. It doe not have to be roadworthy.
Then, put 1 good strong contractor grade lock on each door [2 locks] or 1 on each latch [2 per door = 4 total].

I used method #2 for 15 years as a contractor. Then, another 10 years for personal storage.
I used the big stainless Master contractor locks with a hardened hasp that would break the jaws of a bolt cutter, placing 1 on each door.
After 25 years those locks had been replaced only once and were so battered by being beat on with sledge hammers you wondered if they would stand up to another blow. They even tried to hook up to it with a vehicle on a chain, yanking the trailer backwards and sideways. They sprung the doors, but still couldn't get in. I straightened the hinges out with a sledge hammer and continued on for another 5 years. I never lost anything to a break-in.
Although, other trailers stored near mine did get broken into and lost contents to theft because of less robust locks.

This is the type of lock I used and swear by:
http://www.masterlock.com/business-use/p...230,6230KA

After 25 years I sold the trailer for $500 more than I paid for it, and included the locks with it.
It and the locks were a good investment.

[terracore]

Makita (or some other brand that looks just like it) sells a battery powered hydraulic rebar cutter that can cut the strongest 'guaranteed can't be cut/broken' lock on the market. I don't remember the specifics but I remember that one lock costs about the same amount as the rebar cutter. On explosives bunkers the lock resides up inside a hardened metal sheath that makes it difficult to open the lock when you have a key, a person would have to cut the sheath away in order to get at the lock hasp. I frequently wondered why containers haven't adopted a similar strategy, except that maybe sometimes they use tamper evident seals and it would take a different technology than what they currently use, otherwise you couldn't see the seal number inside the sheath until it was broken and removed- and current regulations require that the numbers be reconciled before the seal is broken. But then you get back to the argument that if you make the front door too difficult to penetrate, they will break a window or cut a hole in the wall.