Framing

I chose to add the framing on the inside like a standard home. It does cut down on finish space inside but felt it was the best option. I also used a wire wheel on a grinder to get rid of any rust spots on the wall and used some oil based primer to seal it. Then moved on with the framing.

This shows unfinished/storage side of dividing wall

This pic shows the finished side of dividing wall.

For the ceiling I wanted plenty of insulation and needed extra space for it. So I used 2x6 for the joists. All of the framing is approximately 1/2" out from the container steel. All the openings were cut with a 4" angle grinder. The openings are 4" larger than the rough opening size to account for the 2x2 14ga steel frames that I welded and installed first. The door opening height needed to be cut just right to end up with a finish floor height at the inside plywood height for the door to be installed. 

The framing around the door needed to be set just right to align with the 5 1/2" jamb thickness. The studs are 3 1/2" and the 2" to the outside of the steel frame. 

After the steel frame was welded in I used OSI Quad caulk on the inside and outside. It's an excellent exterior grade caulk and stays slightly flexible. I also welded a little bit of angle iron under the door sill as a sill support. 

I also welded a drip cap over the door to keep the leaks minimum.

I still have to grind the rust on the outside, remove the stickers and paint the whole thing. But it's getting there. 

Floor

If you research container homes you will find only a bit of info on dealing with the chemically treated floor. Essentially the bad smell in most containers is the floor. My container contained Basileum and can be found on the placard on the door. It's a known cancer agent.

The active ingredient in Basileum SI-84 is Phoxim, an organophosphate compound.  Phoxim seems to be commonly used against ants and termites, and can be found under the brand name of Baythion produced by the Bayer Corporation.  The active ingredient in Radaleum FHP-60 is theta-Cypermethrin, a 2nd generation synthetic pyrethroid.  According to Wikipedia, Cypermethrin is found in many household ant and cockroach killers, including Raid and ant chalk. 

Both Phoxim and Cypermethrin are considered moderately hazardous (Class II) by the World Health Organization.  What differentiates these two chemicals for my purposes is their vapor pressures.  Phoxim has a vapor pressure of 2.63 mm Hg at 20° C, while Cypermethrin has a virtually nonexistent vapor pressure of only 0.0013 mm Hg at 20° C – more than 2,000 times lower.  Why is the vapor pressure important?  It’s easy to encapsulate the contaminated floors of a shipping container to eliminate physical contact, but it’s very difficult to block their vapors, if present, and their subsequent inhalation. 

The 2 main options are to encapsulate the floor with Epoxy, or to remove the plywood floor completely and replace. The main issue with the chemicals in the floor is the vapor pressure from the chemicals. Epoxy will seal it well. Almost anything else will not stop the vapor pressure. I decided to try a third option and use 1/2" PolyIso styrofoam to stop the vapor pressure of the floor chemicals. 

My reasoning is the foil layers of the styrofoam will control the vapors from the floor. So I layed the 1/2" Polyiso down and foil tape for duct work on the joints. Then the joist framing is laid on top of the PolyIso sheets and screwed down to the floor being careful not to suck the joist down too far. Laying a 78" level across the joist to keep level. Then space between joists is filled with 3 layers of 1" PolyIso and 1 layer of 1/2" PolyIso for a total of 3 1/2" the same as a 2x4. That gives an R value of 21.7 for just the joist thickness plus the 1/2" under for a total floor of R23.4. For comparison a typical 2x4 wall has R13 and a 2x6 wall has R19. 

The floor plywood was regular tongue and groove, glued and screwed down to eliminate squeaks later. The result after the floor and everything was finished is there is no smell from the floor at all anymore.

The steel is cut 2" below the inside floor height to account for the 2" steel frame resulting in a finish height of the steel the same as the floor inside. The door then sits on both surfaces and has excellent support. The gap under the door was filled with spray foam before setting door since it would be inaccessible after door was installed.

Introduction

This is my build of a Container Home with storage. The need was for a secure, bug and critter free environment that is better insulated than a camper since there are 4 seasons here. There was also a need for storage space for materials and equipment while under construction and later just to store tools, materials and a bit of work space. So I decided to split it essentially into 2 halves. I didn't include a bathroom since the space is limited and it's not a full time location. One could easily add a bathroom area if reconfigured slightly. In my case it would be nice but not required. There is a very nice Privy with a natural composting bucket surround by plenty of trees for the boys :)

The links at the right to view the different stages ---->


My solution was to modify a 40' High Cube container that I found on Craigslist being sold by a family run business and had it delivered. So we begin.

I decided on a High Cube which is 9' 6" tall as opposed to the normal 8'. In a small space ceiling height is an important issue. 

I began by setting the base piers with concrete blocks with a 4" pad on top. I used a laser level to set the height and dug each hole down and leveled so the finish height gives the correct height of container. I wanted a few inches underneath to make connections and storage. If you're doing your own piers, they should be down to the frostline for your area. That will prevent your structure from lifting and settling especially causing problems if you have pipes and connections underneath. 

 The container empty weighs about 9,000 lbs. I bought a 3 ton floor jack which I needed anyway and used that to temporarily lift the container once positioned. Once it was up in the air I could position and dig for the piers.  

On the down hill side I ran out of jack height and had to improvise. Don't do this at home.


Use links on the right to see the next stages --->








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