My Shipping Container House

Water Lines

2009-11-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

Well it took at little longer for Ikea to come through with the missing parts for the cabinets. But it turned out good. I oiled the butcher block counter top and installed the faucet. And now I wait for the plumber to finish everything else.

I finally got the water line in. All 1800 ft. of it. I don't plan on posting any pictures of that but it looks like a long hole with a PVC pipe laying in it. I'll finish covering it next week sometime. Then it will just look like the ground.

Delays and Showers

2009-10-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

I guess I can't expect everything to go as smoothly as the rest of this project has. I had the wall mounts for the microwave installed and was ready to hang it when I plugged it in. Nothing happened. A quick call to Best Buy and they are delivering another one next Wednesday. I'm still waiting for the parts from Ikea to finish the wall cabinets.

At first I was hesitant of tiling the shower myself. Even with the instructions of a friend who has years of experience at this, I thought this wasn't going to be easy. Turns out it's no where as hard as I thought. The tile went on the wall fast. And grouting the next day was fairly easy too. Of course the end result depends on how much attention you pay to what your doing. For instance I made sure I didn't have any thin set on the tile or in the cracks between the tile. The thin set bonds the tile to the wall. And it should be covered by the grout. The grout should be consistent between the tile through out the surface. This can take some time and a lot of rubbing with the clean up sponge. But the end result makes it worth it. Next is the shower door and glass.

Next week is looking like it might dry up after nearly a month of rain. I'll finally get to trench for the water line and sewer line. Then I'll be ready for the plumber to finish up and move in.

Cabinets

2009-10-08T22:28:00.001-07:00

Cabinets are almost complete. I'm very happy with how they have turned out. Had a problem with parts not being included with the two horizontal wall cabinets. That is keeping me from installing the glass doors on them. Ikea is shipping the parts direct from Sweden. Should have those by the end of next week. The refrigerator and microwave showed up. I'll work on mounting the microwave tomorrow.

Ikea Kitchen

2009-09-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to installing the cabinets. I had heard that it was difficult to put these together but so far it has been fairly easy. It does take some time to make sure everything is lined up and level. The refrigerator is suppose to show up next Wednesday. I'll try to have the cabinets finished by then.

When researching other container home projects I was disappointed in the blogs that seem to drift off towards the conclusion of the projects. I'm beginning to see why. For some reason all the details of finishing the project start piling up. The concrete and framing seem like mile stones in the project but they turn out to be minor steps compared to the work that goes into the job of installing the flooring, the cabinets or painting the trim. Since the garage apartment is just a part of the container house, I'll be getting back to it soon and the updates will be a little more frequent.

Time..

2009-09-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Finally the air conditioning is installed and running. Of course it hasn't be over 85 degrees since. The "front door" is in but needs a handle to finish it. And the wiring is finished, in the apartment at least. Still need to caulk and paint the baseboards before the cabinets can go in. Hopefully all of this will be done by the end of the month.

I read about a smart home system in Popular Mechanics some time ago and thought this would be a good project to test it in. The system works by replacing the switches of a normal house with multi buttoned units that communicate with the other switches of the house. I decided to replace a few light switches that will allow me to turn garage lights and outside lights on and off from the living room or bedroom. It also allows me to set up all the lights on one button so I don't have to worry about any lights left on when I leave.

Bamboo...

2009-09-04T19:37:00.001-07:00

The bamboo flooring is going in fairly easy. I'm sore from carrying the boxes up the stairs. I didn't realize that 750 square feet of flooring weights more than a ton. I found this bamboo at Lumber Liquidators. The bathroom is Tiger Strand and everything else is Natural Strand. The strand bamboo is harder than the vertical or horizontal boards. And noticably denser. I'm really happy with the look. I've got to figure out how to take a picture of the bathroom. I also plan on writing about the way I wired the apartment. Things will slow down once I get the air conditioning installed and the trim painted. I'll have more time to write about the details I've left out lately. Have a good week end, I'm taking a vacation from this until tuesday.

Getting There

2009-08-31T07:29:00.001-07:00

It is taking so long to paint. I'm having to do three coats with the dark color. Going to start putting down the flooring today. It's bamboo.

The Stairs

2009-08-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Took the stairs out of the apartment yesterday to get them ready to sand blast and paint. I haven't used my sand blaster in over a year. To start with we have a small wasp here that lays an egg and fills in every hole it finds. After getting the air compressor and sand blaster set up I had to clean all of the ports including the 3/4" air hose from the compressor. By now it's after lunch and 100 degrees. When I finally start blasting the stairs the clouds roll in and it starts to rain. It only rained for about twenty minutes but it took another hour for the stairs to dry enough for me to blast them again. I attempted to film what I see when I sand blast but it didn't turn out like I had hoped. So I just took a few pictures. I might sand blast something tomorrow so I can film it. I did manage to get them painted. Now I'm thinking I'll have a lot to touch up by the time I get them installed back in the apartment. I had hoped to have the wall behind the stairs covered with metal today. The best I could do is get the holes drilled in the sheets. In case I've never talked about that it's how you get the screws to line up and look nice. Plan for tomorrow is to get the stairs back in the apartment.

Getting Closer

2009-08-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Texture is done. Or the lack of it. I went with a smooth finish. Won't know how good it is until I paint the walls this week. I also started installing the metal on the garage walls. Everything is going well. The utility company even showed up Friday afternoon and trenched for the electric service. Hope to have power on Monday.

Sheet Rock!

2009-08-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

In less than one day the sheet rock is in. Next is tape and texture. That might be tomorrow. Then I can paint. Which means I have to decide on a color(s). Really would be nice if the electricity was in soon so I can get the air conditioner going.

Spray Foam

2009-08-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Pro-Tight installed the spray foam this week. They started off covering everything that you wouldn't want foam on. Covering outlets is easier than digging it out later. The two components used to make the foam are heated as they are sprayed and give off that heat when they expand. It gets so hot the guys take turn spraying. They started spraying around 7:00 am and would switch out every 45 minutes. By noon they only lasted about 10 minutes. While the insulation keeps out the heat of the sun bearing down on the roof. It also kept the heat in that was generated from the process of spraying the foam. The ventilation fan was the only way to get fresh air upstairs. While spray foam is relatively inert it has it's hazards while it is being sprayed. The vapor accumulated in the apartment and caused symptoms similar to getting the chemicals in my eyes. Those symptoms include "corneal opacity" or blurred vision. It reminds me of swimming in a chlorinated pool. It doesn't hurt and I didn't realize it was happening. Should go away in a few days. They normally don't spray in an area as air tight as this apartment, but it has happened to them before. And it affected all of us. It is something that regular eye protection wouldn't protect you from. If you ever get the opportunity to watch the process make sure you wear goggles.

I'm getting bids to sheet rock this week. And still waiting on the local CO-OP to install the electricity. With 1800 ft. of water line to trench I have plenty to keep me busy.

Air Conditioning

2009-07-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Installed the outside unit of the ductless split unit for the apartment yesterday. It came from Ac World.

I also met with another spray foam contractor. I'm really looking forward to getting the insulation done since they keep telling me how big the difference will be.

Solar Tubes

2009-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Finished installing the solar tubes yesterday. Wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. They don't cover installing them in a flat roof with u-panels in the instructions. There is still a few more chances of rain this week for a leak test otherwise I'll go over everything with a garden hose before the insulation is installed.

As you can see this type of sky light allows in a lot of light. They are more efficient then "window" style sky lights since the surface area in contact with the outside is reduced. And hopefully this ends the questions about my lack of windows.

Wiring

2009-07-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

Well I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of the wiring. Everything went well. With the highs getting over 100, I had to do most of the work around 4:00 am. I also ordered the solar tubes for the kitchen and bathroom from Home Depot. They should arrive in another week. They are made by ODL. Once I get them installed I can have the insulation sprayed.

Plumbing

2009-06-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

As you can see the plumbing is roughed in. I'll start on the wiring this week and post pictures then.

So many projects...

2009-06-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have been busy digging a pond in the front pasture this week but the plumbing is just about finished. Need to take some pictures. I think I have the wiring figured out, hope to start on that next week. And of course the air conditioner I picked out is out of stock. I'm going to call them next week to see how long it will take to get one. I really like the split units and the fact that I can install it myself. I'm thinking I'm going to do the same with the container house. It has to be installed before the spray foam insulation. As well as the two solar tubes. Then I'll move on with the sheet rock.

In case anyone is wondering about the container house. It is an on going project. For now my plan is to finish the apartment and garage before getting back to work on the house. One of the things I've learned from the other container houses out there is that pouring a concrete floor is most likely the best way to handle the irregularities of the floors. And that can be more than an inch across the floor. Not so much a sag in the middle but the difference between the wood floor of the container and the channel that makes up the perimeter of each floor. Other designs that didn't span more than two containers might be easier.

Interior Views

2009-05-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I framed the interior walls with 4 inch c purlins. I think it turned out well. It is a simple layout just like the original drawing. The stairs need the hand rails. I'll most likely take the stairs out after I build the hand rails to sand blast and paint them. I just don't know a better way to paint bar grate.

Windows!

2009-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

They finally showed up. Two installed one to go. I'll do that on Sunday.

The big blue box

2009-04-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

The rain stopped just in time. Installed the roof Saturday afternoon. And with help from my father, some of the walls on Sunday. Once the windows show up I can finish the walls. In another week, I could have it enclosed and water proof.

Little behind on taking pictures

2009-04-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm close to installing the sheet metal. The wind was high today so the pictures are from ground level. Can't have to much wind bracing.

First Week

2009-03-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

My first week framing went well. I wasn't able to get the whole building in the picture. I'll take more when the wind slows down later in the week. Next up is the decking.

The Slab

2009-03-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

I'm slow to post the picture but the slab was poured last friday. In another week or two I'll set the walls. I don't want to rush it since I'm drilling in the slab to tie the walls down.

Moving On

2009-02-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

Started the garage last week. Should have the slab poured by the end of next week. I'm going to build it out of c-purlins (metal studs) with metal siding.

I'm still working on it.

2009-01-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been working on welding everything I tacked in place. I also finished removing the container roofs on the second floor.

Next up is framing the openings for the windows.

Working on the second floor

2009-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'm working on removing the roof of the containers on the second floor. You can see the pitch of the roof in one of the pictures.

Enclosing the Roof

2008-12-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

Finished installing the metal that closes the gap between the roof and the top of the containers.

Roofs On

2008-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

I finished the roof today. Almost forgot to take pictures before I put the panels on. I like it. Forecast calls for rain all next week. I'll do what I can but I think it will be another slow week.

Second Floor

2008-12-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Started to remove the roof of the containers on the second floor. Almost completed installing the roof purlins today. I'll try to take some pictures in a few days when the weather clears.

Interior

2008-11-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

As you can see I have removed the roofs of three of the first floor containers. And I've been working on installing the columns and leveling the second floor. I was working on sealing up the ends of the containers when my MIG welder gave out on me. So no more welding until the new one comes in Tuesday.

Details

2008-11-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on the project. Just haven't been taking pictures. Most of the work I'm doing is removing the roof of the containers. It's slow work and will probably take another week. On the next house I'm doing this before I stack them.

Removing the doors

2008-11-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

As in the model I plan on having glass where the container doors were. Removing them was easy with the plasma torch.

New Machine

2008-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still getting use to the man lift I picked up but it reminds me of a carnival ride at a county fair. I haven't thrown up so far.

Stacked the last two containers

2008-10-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Six Containers Stacked

2008-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Set the sixth container today.

For Andrew

2008-10-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

My nephew wanted to see more of the forklift.

A little humor

2008-10-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

My videographer is still learning to operate the camera.

Setting the second floor

2008-10-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

The First Container

2008-10-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

This Container has a bathroom and the laundry room in it so I set it first. The other containers will be aligned to it.

Catch Up

2008-10-19T10:31:00.003-07:00

I want to keep this in order. Here are pictures from the begining.

The Model

2008-10-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is the design I decided on. The walk through helps with getting an ideal of how the house will turn out. I made the model with Google's SketchUp.