shipping container

Hi,

How should I put a shipping container down? 20 foot.

I am going to clear the grass/greenery, and put down jagged gravel (I'm not in the US, but I asked for 3/4 washed, but I'm not sure what's it's called over here; but jagged rocks). I have also ordered some concrete blocks that have holes inside. I don't know what they're called, but not solid concrete blocks.

I think 20 foot containers are 8 feet by 20 feet.

I'm just on my own, and I don't know anything, so, I need help. I don't even have a measuring tape. But I'll buy one.

Can I just put the container directly on the gravel? Or put the four corners on the concrete blocks?

Thank you for any help.

Oh. I plan to either store things in the container. Or, if I find a fabricator to help me convert it, I'd use it as living space.

Thank you.

Hi Eva;
Welcome to Permies!

Definitely, do not just sit in on the gravel.
You can set it on the cement blocks, but you will still have movement with the seasons.

The best way to set that on your land is with concrete piers at least a foot into the ground.
You can do this yourself, but you need a way to dig, Post-hole diggers are perfect but I doubt that you have one, a shovel is more work but can be used.
A 6-8" pipe buried into the earth and hand-filled with a premix sacked concrete mix makes for a fine building support.

By going down with your supports you are eliminating ground movement.
Wet ground squishes and moves, and frozen ground frost heaves.

If you are hoping to turn this into your home then you really do not want it twisting or sagging.
Imagine your glass windows that could break or your front door that will not close anymore.

Every building should be properly supported even if it is only for storage.

Hi Thomas,

Um, I didn't see a reply button, so I dunno i f I'm doing this right. Guess I don't understand the interface of this forum.

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I am trying to not do anything "permanent" because there are a lot of rules. I am unable to build at the moment due to costs and muni changes that are coming up and because municipal permits here can take a looooooooooong time.

Hence, I do not think I can do any concrete thingys. I'm just trying to figure out a temporary solution. But I see what you're saying about glass shattering, etc. Maybe I'll find a fabricator locally and ask him/her/them what to do. I'll just put the four corners on the concrete blocks for now.

There are no holes/windows/doors (except the doors that are already on there) yet. If it's a hassle, I'll just use it for storage for now.

I'm in a European country where getting the muni to agree to things is possible but can take 2 to 5 years or longer.

Thank you!!

Happy Holidays!

Best,
Eva

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Eva;
Welcome to Permies!

Definitely, do not just sit in on the gravel.
You can set it on the cement blocks, but you will still have movement with the seasons.

The best way to set that on your land is with concrete piers at least a foot into the ground.
You can do this yourself, but you need a way to dig, Post-hole diggers are perfect but I doubt that you have one, a shovel is more work but can be used.
A 6-8" pipe buried into the earth and hand-filled with a premix sacked concrete mix makes for a fine building support.

By going down with your supports you are eliminating ground movement.
Wet ground squishes and moves, and frozen ground frost heaves.

If you are hoping to turn this into your home then you really do not want it twisting or sagging.
Imagine your glass windows that could break or your front door that will not close anymore.

Every building should be properly supported even if it is only for storage.

Hi again,

After watching a couple of YouTube videos, I think I'm going to need solid concrete blocks and not the kind with holes. I'd do wood blocks, but everyone says there are wood beetles and too much humidity here for wood.

Thanks!

eva ee wrote:Hi,

How should I put a shipping container down? 20 foot.

I am going to clear the grass/greenery, and put down jagged gravel (I'm not in the US, but I asked for 3/4 washed, but I'm not sure what's it's called over here; but jagged rocks). I have also ordered some concrete blocks that have holes inside. I don't know what they're called, but not solid concrete blocks.

I think 20 foot containers are 8 feet by 20 feet.

I'm just on my own, and I don't know anything, so, I need help. I don't even have a measuring tape. But I'll buy one.

Can I just put the container directly on the gravel? Or put the four corners on the concrete blocks?

Thank you for any help.

Oh. I plan to either store things in the container. Or, if I find a fabricator to help me convert it, I'd use it as living space.

Thank you.

I don’t know much about building, but I suspect that 20 feet is too long with only corner supports. Containers are designed to be supported along thier full length, at least for the majority of thier life.  I'd hate to lose the floor of my building.

I made a terrible mistake using a long shipping container as storage.

I did not account for the condensation of water on the inside. I live in a very humid environment. Water drops would rain down from the ceiling. The floor would get puddles. My wife and I are still cleaning mold, mildew, and rust off what we were able to salvage. I rented the container in a yard full of containers, I later learned that everyone had mold/water damage. I was so happy to get the storage that I didn't investigate the situation properly, FIRST.

This was just storage. We were not living in it, making it wetter with our breath, cooking and cleaning.  

Ask around. If condensation inside a big metal box is a problem in your area, insulate the interior with an anti-condensation barrier, cut some ventilation holes, and (probably most effectively) consider making a small/very small wood fired stove/rocket stove with a good exhaust. In my experience, nothing dries up the air like a small wood burning apparatus, but manufacturing a safe one and installing it is going to take some time. If you document and do it right, you can probably make money doing it for other people moving into shipping containers after yours is done. Remember that a poorly constructed or poorly installed wood burning apparatus will be deadly dangerous.  

You didn't ask this, but make sure that all your electrical appliances/tools are set up right. It is a big conductive box. Also, make sure that anything you put in there (like plywood) isn't "off gassing" chemicals that will poison you as you breath the air in there.

Post pictures when done and good luck!

Thank you Joylynn!!

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:I don’t know much about building, but I suspect that 20 feet is too long with only corner supports. Containers are designed to be supported along thier full length, at least for the majority of thier life.  I'd hate to lose the floor of my building.

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the note!! I am in a very humid environment (especially during certain months of the year; I'm new here, but it rained nearly every day in October and most of November).

I am hoping to find someone to make lots of vents in it for me and I totally want a rocket mass heater . . . I don't know how to do anything, so I will have to find I think a welder and then a builder...maybe? I'll watch more YouTube videos!!

I lived in Eugene for a year . . . it was really really wet and cold.

Thank you again and happy holidays, Jeff!!

Eva

Jeff Lindsey wrote:I made a terrible mistake using a long shipping container as storage.

I did not account for the condensation of water on the inside. I live in a very humid environment. Water drops would rain down from the ceiling. The floor would get puddles. My wife and I are still cleaning mold, mildew, and rust off what we were able to salvage. I rented the container in a yard full of containers, I later learned that everyone had mold/water damage. I was so happy to get the storage that I didn't investigate the situation properly, FIRST.

This was just storage. We were not living in it, making it wetter with our breath, cooking and cleaning.  

Ask around. If condensation inside a big metal box is a problem in your area, insulate the interior with an anti-condensation barrier, cut some ventilation holes, and (probably most effectively) consider making a small/very small wood fired stove/rocket stove with a good exhaust. In my experience, nothing dries up the air like a small wood burning apparatus, but manufacturing a safe one and installing it is going to take some time. If you document and do it right, you can probably make money doing it for other people moving into shipping containers after yours is done. Remember that a poorly constructed or poorly installed wood burning apparatus will be deadly dangerous.  

You didn't ask this, but make sure that all your electrical appliances/tools are set up right. It is a big conductive box. Also, make sure that anything you put in there (like plywood) isn't "off gassing" chemicals that will poison you as you breath the air in there.

Post pictures when done and good luck!

When the guy living in a caravan on the far corner of the property brought in his container, the company he bought it from gave him a great tip: Four bags of quick-set concrete mix on the ground, one at each corner, with pavers to do the leveling. After the hi-ab put the thing down and we got the level right, we put a few pinholes in each bag and over the following months rain and moisture worked in and solidified the concrete.