Detailed info about building shipping container structures

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Detailed info about building shipping container structures

There are designs that make overall financial and practical sense and those that do not. At the present time, Hi-cube shipping containers are quite expensive in Hawaii, nonetheless there are designs that make overall financial and practical sense. To reiterate- You can simply purchase containers and plans with instruction book and do everything yourself, or we can work as construction managers with you getting permits as an owner-builder, or we can enlist a licensed general contractor to take responsibility for your project- your choice. Bonding can generally be provided, If desired, thru HPM or similar supplier.

Hi-cube steel containers are best for building structures: They have a net interior ceiling height of approx 8’ 6” and a standard container’s ceiling height is one foot less than that at 7’ 6”. If you choose to put down flooring and/or ceiling, the net height is about 4 inches less. Many people want refrigerated insulated containers. The problem is when you cut doorways and windows, you snag on the fiberglass insulation, or it burns when you torch the steel, the refrigeration unit takes up a significant amt of space, they are hard to find and very expensive. Steel containers are easy to work with, and the easy to apply ceramic titanium coating gives you outstanding R-19 heat insulation. Combining that coating with ventilating skylights and windows for good ventilation, there is no absolute need to insulate inside against heat unless you really want the additional insulation. Windows and doorways are easy to cut and frame in, they cost less than the insulated containers, and steel containers do not have huge refrigeration units inside. Everyone world wide uses steel containers. If you follow our advice on treating surface rust, your steel containers will last for decades.

Steel containers, also referred to as cans, are very strong. However, if you cut out entire 40’ long walls, which is what our plans offer, you do need vertical support without a doubt, and the placement of those vertical supports is critical to make things work efficiently. If you try to make a living space that is one can wide, you live in a 7’ 6” space, which we think is generally too narrow. We understand that some of you want the lowest cost structure possible, and single wide spaces would be the lowest cost and simplest to build. Click here to see our latest single container home design that is legal and permittable. This kind of project would allow one to put a roof over their heads and add-on later legally. When you join two cans together and cut out the two walls that touch each other, you end up with a 16’ wide space, which we feel is a lot nicer to live in. Also, it is very difficult to design a one can dwelling as the building dept has minimum clear interior space requirements, and although it is not impossible to design a one can dwelling, it means that you need to have minimum countertop space, etc to comply with the county. However, one possibility is to build an enclosed lanai on that single can structure to expand on the square footage, and we do plan on working on such a project in the near future. This project would be extremely cost effective and low cost. Our first pre-approved project is utilizing two cans side by side and cut out for a 16 x 40 interior space. It will have 2 legal bedrooms, one bathroom, a very nice kitchen with massive countertop space and real wood cabinets. Plans are on this site now, click here to see them!

Don’t used containers have dents In them? Generally they do. Ours tend to have less than most, but the dent issue is a probem for some. Since we cut out entire long sides, often you can cut out the side with the most dents, but that is depending on how you want the double doors situated. We reserve the best of our used cans for structures. Dents can be filled in with plastic body filler like they use on automobiles to help out the appearance. The other option is building with new containers which do not have this problem. They are significantly more expensive, but if appearance is a big issue with you, the project is still cost-effective going with new cans.

Cans are also very secure. There are many plans out there that put the cans separated apart and bridge them with traditional wood based materials. The main problem we have with these designs is you loose security when you build long sections out of wood, and you also compromise the termite proof nature of the structure. We plan on offering thick metal pieces that slide over and completely cover all windows and lock up securely so you can really secure your structure if you plan on being away for long stretches of time. The doorways inside will be secured by the thick metal double doors that come with the container, so you can open completely the double doors and enter through a framed wall and doorway that is mere inches inside of the double doors. That is also a great place to mount an A/C unit if you are on grid and want that option. When you leave, you have the option of locking up those massive metal doors, eliminating any chance of breaking in through wood. There would effectively be no wood to cut through and no windows to break into. That is pretty darn secure.

How does electrical work? Well, you place a circuit breaker panel towards the top of an outside wall and run wiring into the home via metal conduit. You run conduit up to the ceiling the same way, and run that along the seam where the containers meet for overhead lighting and ceiling fans. You box in along that ceiling seam with wood that can be unscrewed if you ever need to work on wiring inside of that area. This gives you a clean looking ceiling. If you are off-grid, a solar power system gives you 110 volt power in select areas, or throughout. You might want to build a small steel box outside to house your batteries and essential hardware for that system. Click here for more info on solar photovoltaic power systems and the installation services that we offer.

What about Plumbing? No problem. Again, you drill from above and run your plumbing like any other structure. Keep in mind, often it is essential to cut away some steel structure from the can's floor, which takes a bit more time to do. Where there is plumbing, we have framed walls to hide pipes and offer an easy surface to mount essential things in those bathroom and kitchen areas. If off-grid on water catchment, you may need to run an electric water pump to maintain workable water pressure. This consumes tiny amts of power and is not a problem. In catchment scenarios, we recommend a water purifying system with sufficient strength ultra-violet lamps to kill parasites, bacteria and etc. Catchment water has parasites due to insect exposure. For catching water from your roof, we like the look of traditional, trussed A-frame type roofs, but they add a lot of cost to the project. They make your structure look like a real home and are really great, but increase costs. However, we can create anything custom that you might want. Shed style roofs are a lot less expensive and provide a clean and easy way to catch water. Our designs direct all the water to one long end of the roof and one 40’ long gutter collects all the water and directs it to your storage tank. We toyed with the idea of a slopped V-shaped roof to funnel the water to one central stream, but it is never a good idea to funnel water to a low lying center seam of a roof as that leaves one very vulnerable to leaking, so we opted for collecting the water along one 40’ long gutter that goes into either one or two downspouts depending on how you want to configure your system. Standard metal roofing is used for the best overall look and reasonable cost. Another option is to make a roof from plywood and waterproofing it with ceramic coating, which is an awesome roofing and waterproofing compound that is catchment rated by NSF. You can also coat the metal roofing with the ceramic titanium coating if the air space alone is not enough insulation against heat with your home. The coating costs only $30 per gallon, with free shipping from Diversified products on YB from Oahu with a reasonable minimum order.

What about interior walls? Wherever we need to cover the metal container wall inside, or where desired, we spot weld thin, hollow metal pieces horizontally across the corrugated metal can wall that can be screwed into to hang drywall or other wall covering such as veneer wood sheeting etc. This offers straight vertical seams where the sheets meet. Please note that the bldg dept requires drywall or other specified fire resistant material for wall covering due to fire ratings. Where we build walls such as for bedrooms, bath and kitchen, we use conventional 2x4 framing, but we don’t punch holes through the can. The stud on the floor is screwed through the thick wood floor, and the vertical pieces are pressure fit between floor and ceiling and glued securely. End vertical pieces are attached to small metal pieces that are welded to the container wall next to those studs. We do not put interior walls throughout the entire can, but we can if you want to. If so, it is wise to insulate inside those walls. It is possible to frame walls in metal and spot weld them in place, but this raises the cost a bit. For those wanting to really minimize the chance of termite damage, this is the way to do that, but you would also want to rip up the wood floors on the cans and replace them with steel. It is easier to simply keep your eye out for any mud tunnels laid down by ground termites by looking periodically underneath your structure. You may or may not want to create an insulated ceiling.

What about flooring? The lowest cost option is simply using the plywood floors that come with the cans. It is generally nice looking mahogany that can be sanded and finished. The metal trimming around the wood can be sanded and painted. Ceramic tile floors are the best suited with containers. This is due to the thinset adhesive being able to lay down thick to float out the slight level differences between the wood and metal on the container floor. Bamboo or other wood flooring requires floor leveling compound to be applied. We recommend hiring a flooring specialist to do that, it is not easy, and requires a lot of experience. You do not want to create a disaster. It is recommended to create a moisture barrier if laying a floor down via a coating product called MVPor similar. Although a shipping containers floor is super strong, rust can cause problems later on, so it is recommended to at least do something to slow it down once you have the containers off ground on your post and pier foundation. We wish this could be avoided, but in all honesty, we have to mention this. New containers would provide a much easier way to deal with this, and might be worth the extra money In the beginning.

How are windows and doors finished? With windows, vinyl is the lowest cost, they don’t rust and work well in Hawaii. We spot weld L-shaped metal around the entire outside window opening, screw the window through the metal wall from the inside. The screws are hidden from sight via the L-shaped metal outside. The challenge is effectively dealing with the large gaps created by the corrugated metal above the window that would funnel water inside the structure, but we solved this with custom made sheet metal that contours to those corrugated areas, and polyurethane caulking seals the small gaps between the sheet metal and the existing can wall. We will be marketing those custom sheet metal pieces to everyone online as nothing similar exists that we know of. You can also cut out wood plugs to fill these areas and caulk them in. Having an overhanging eve reduces water getting in there very significantly. Doorways are set in traditional framed walls, and the studs are fixed to the metal as described under the “what about interior walls” section above. Again, we offer thick secure metal coverings as an option to cover and lock down entire window areas made from metal the same thickness as the walls of the can if desired.

Hot water showers? Yes. We recommend on-demand hot water systems powered by gas preferably. You can run cooking on gas also. These systems are thrifty on energy, require no storage tank, and make for easy and clean installation. Not to mention great hot water performance and reasonable cost when you consider everything overall. Initial costs are lower with conventional tank systems, but energy savings and easy, clean installations override that initial cost benefit in our opinion. Another option is solar hot water.

What is the kitchen like? We are very pleased with our kitchen designs. Lots of countertop space. Hardwood cabinets with no particle board anywhere. Particleboard sucks in every way. Humidity destroys it, the vapors outgassing are nasty smelling and unhealthy, you can’t depend on securing anything to it as screws strip easily, etc. The kitchen in our entry level home is generous & functional. We are debating what kind of countertop materials to use that are nice, yet cost effective. Three options are being considered- Granite looking laminate on plywood with hardwood trim (not the box house type generic rounded bull-nose particle board counters) with a real granite backsplash. The other is large dark tiles with minimal grouted gaps inbetween the tiles and a hardwood trim, and finally, actual wood pieces glued together to create a wood countertop, finished in polyurethane. For those of you wanting to build the interior of your home by yourself, you can make your kitchen out of whatever materials you want. Wherever there are cabinets to be hung, there will be a traditionally framed wall behind.

What are the bathrooms like? Generally simple fiberglass shower stalls. We are searching for a black shower stall as an alternative to white. We recommend hot water supplied via on-demand, tankless systems heated via gas, and traditional options are available depending on your situation. Solar hot water is a great option as well if you can swing the initial costs. Tile floors work well here, and you can go composting toilet- flushing or non-flushing, or traditional septic system. Our bathrooms are fairly generous space wise considering the homes overall size. All bathroom walls will be traditional framed walls, or steel framed walls are also an option.

Can I have a laundry room? Yes. How you power that again depends on your choice of energy systems. Traditional electricity, gas, or solar electric PV. We suggest welding a small laundry room on the outside of most of our structures, and also recommend washers and dryers made by Equator. They are the most energy efficient in the world, and can be powered by PV power quite easily. Their new dryer technology offers washing and drying in the same unit, and uses tiny amts of power. It is revolutionary stuff. Equator also makes the worlds most efficient reefers-freezers that can also run on PV power. Yes they cost more, but save you lots with their incredibly low power consumption. The styling is ultra modern, and the design is first class.

Are these homes green? Absolutely, and how green depends on you and your situation. You are first off recycling used steel shipping cans. From there, the next consideration is power. Going full or partial solar photovoltaic, aka PV is the most significant step towards the green lifestyle. Wind is also a very viable option and can be used together with PV if you have wind. We offer the products and installation to do that. Solar water heating is the next most significant step, but we also really like the on-demand gas heaters due to their great energy savings, reasonable initial cost and clean, simple installation with no storage tank. Solar costs significant money to get installed. You get the credits afterwards, and we obviously give it our thumbs up all the way, but you need to decide if you can swing the upfront costs along with everything else at the same time. You can also heat water on your roof in a black tank and use that for the lowest possible cost. It does require periodic replacement, so we don’t really like that side of it. It is easiest to go with a system that be plumbed properly into your system that does not require much thought or maintenance. Read about equator appliances in the “can I have a laundry room” section directly above. They are green any way you use them- either with PV power or on-grid, they are the world’s most efficient appliances. Being green also means using your gray water to water the landscape and grass. Click here to read about that and useful info regarding alternative septic systems. Finally, believe it or not, if you want to personally be green and help the planet, not eating meat is a very significant and easy step. Animals give off large amts of methane gas, which has a very significant carbon footprint, and it takes ten pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat, and a lot of water. Rainforests are being raped and burned to raise cattle, so if you are really serious about being more green, look into this issue and consider not eating animal flesh.

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