Colleen Turner wrote:
I don't want to build with wood. I like the fire-resistance of steel + cobb. I thought about a layer of light-straw-slip between the steel wall and the cobb, for insulation, but I fear it would create an inviting home for mice. So likely just cobb right up against the steel wall. How to make it stick, tho? Maybe my waterproofing layers can help -- maybe a thick layer of asphalt paint all over the ShipCont exterior; then a second layer of same but with lots of sand mixed in ... this was suggested to me as providing a grippable surface for the cobb. Challenge is insulating, the roof but I now think to put a second rooftop add-on (I like the idea of a dome shape -- kinda suggestive of a quonset hut, but just up at the top and overlapping wide on the edges to shield the wall on the cobb side and create an overhang on the sun (no cobb because floor-to-ceiling windows) side; the southwest.
Rico Loma wrote:With respect, I wonder if you could look at an idea or three from another thread on this site. Please look at the posts from William and Jack on " Most cost effective small buildings", if you don't have time for the entire debate focus on the tail end.
Using pallets and cob....all parts breathable....could be so much healthier than a metal box with little to no breathability. Light clay straw is a fast way also to create a small structure. And Jack provides a video (others also are using this engineering) that is a real head turning build, with higher ceilings, smaller footprint, and more natural materials.
I am no expert, but living in a container home for six months almost wrecked my health (Perhaps the containers had tiny cracks and leaks.... like many of the containers that come off ships and never go back to sea. They are the dented rejects, often .). The builder of that rental had fans and vents and other mitigating factors, which all equalled zero benefit. The air was always humid inside. I had respiratory problems after 2 months, which vanished when I slept in my tent for a week next to the tiny house. Yes, this is just one anecdote, but I implore you to ruminate on these other 3 styles of cheap, sustainable fast building. Thank you for your consideration ....please see reference below
Rico
Rico Loma wrote:With respect, I wonder if you could look at an idea or three from another thread on this site. Please look at the posts from William and Jack on " Most cost effective small buildings", if you don't have time for the entire debate focus on the tail end.
Using pallets and cob....all parts breathable....could be so much healthier than a metal box with little to no breathability. Light clay straw is a fast way also to create a small structure. And Jack provides a video (others also are using this engineering) that is a real head turning build, with higher ceilings, smaller footprint, and more natural materials.
I am no expert, but living in a container home for six months almost wrecked my health (Perhaps the containers had tiny cracks and leaks.... like many of the containers that come off ships and never go back to sea. They are the dented rejects, often .). The builder of that rental had fans and vents and other mitigating factors, which all equalled zero benefit. The air was always humid inside. I had respiratory problems after 2 months, which vanished when I slept in my tent for a week next to the tiny house. Yes, this is just one anecdote, but I implore you to ruminate on these other 3 styles of cheap, sustainable fast building. Thank you for your consideration ....please see reference below
Rico
Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Earlier this year, I had the good fortune to work on someone else's natural building project in the southwest USA. We needed a substrate to help adhere wood and adobe, and I think Amy - my patron and the project lead - found an excellent option. We have details of the manure-wheat-paste glue here, and I added several photos.
This "adobe glue" may help prep the surface of your steel storage container for a coat or two of adobe. Chicken wire or any assortment of other metal bits is not required when using this material. It, or something like it, is recommended:
https://permies.com/t/6/271021/volunteering/experiences/Stephen-Snowbirding-Sustainability-Sojourn-February#2862454
Beyond that... If you are covering your shipping container with anything heavy, I strongly recommend you reinforce the walls and roof that will be covered so as to prevent buckling and failing of the steel. It likely won't break, but it will very likely bend and buckle without supports.