My Container Barn

[EddieWalker]

When I originally planned the barn, I wanted a semi-enclosed area with protection from the elements for non valuable items. Kind of like an open garage on the side.

I've since decided to enclose this area and create a small cabin out of it.

Measurements on the inside are 11 feet, 8 inches by 39 feet 4 inches.

It will have a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen/living room.

It took two days with shovels and picks to level it out, lay sand and dig the trenches for the sewer lines, install the pipe and rebar.

 

[EddieWalker]

Pouring concrete in a small, enclosed space makes things kind of tricky. I needed a little over 5 yards.

United Rental has one yard buggies for $82.50 a yard plus $16 a day for the trailer.

 

[EddieWalker]

It was a tite fit.

 

[EddieWalker]

This seemed to be the best solution to getting enough concrete in at one time with minimum expense.

The ceiling is a little over 7 feet in the middle.

 

[EddieWalker]

I ran scree boards along the container and short ones between my exterior posts.

I capped the drain pipes and vents with red duct tape to keep out the concrete and to be visible. Two of them had to be cut a little lower to get the axle of the cement hopper over them.

Otherwise it went pretty smooth.

 

[EddieWalker]

My dad would get the next load while I worked it. Each load too about one hour for him to return, which was just about enough time for me to get the last one smoothed out.

We used the left over concrete to build a step for the small barn door and fill in the space under the containers in the back. That space had snake hotel written all over it.

This is the finished floor the day after is was finished.

Now I'll start framing and seal up the front.

 

[Molerj]

Looks good. Just curious as to why you didn't have them deliver the 5 yards. with the truck? It seems it would be alot cheaper that way. Around here it is somewhere around 60-65 dollars a yard for 5 yard minimums. Or would the 5 yards at one time been too much for you and Dad? It would have been for me, but I don't think I would've tackled it either way.

 

[1bush2hog]

I just recently purchased a 40ft cont located at port of Baltimore for $900. They wanted $1200 for a 20ft unit because they are more popular.

I bought from a company called Container-It. They have an office here in Atlanta.

Some of the aftermarket guys do some repairs etc, and charge more, but container-it is owned by Maersk Lines and sells their surplus conatiners.

The next trick is to find a trucker to deliver it /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

Molerj,

I spoke to dispatchers at two concrete companies about a concrete order and explained what I wanted to do. They said sure, we'd put you on the list and get to you when we can.

That was a little discourageing, but I'm in no great hurry, so I said that would be fine.

After getting things ready and measuring the distance from the front of the barn to where the cement truck would have to park, and running wheel barrows back and forth, the $85 dollar difference didnt seem like such a bad idea.

I canceled with the concrete companies, scheduled a pour day with United Rentals and got it done.

I have at least four projects going at once, in varous stages of completion. The weather and supplers are the deciding factors.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

I started framing the apartment along the side on my barn. Sure would have saved some money if I'd palnned on doing this from the beginning. Would have been ALLOT easier also. But what is done is done.

I placed the cheapest studs I could find ($2.25 each) between the posts 16 inches on center and added nailers for the sheetrock around the ceiling and top of the walls. The doors and windows didn't need headers since none of it is load bearing, so on the exterior walls I put them in and the interior doors I just put 2x4's up.

I was off 1 1/2 inches on my shower drain, so I built up the inside wall of the bathroom the thickness of a stud on its edge. The shower drain lined up perfect then. I always hate measuring out drain lines in a foundation before pouring concrete.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have all the walls framed in, windows, openings for window ac units, doors and appliances.

Next is to get the plumbing and electrical done.

 

[EddieWalker]

View of the front with the siding and window in.

 

[EddieWalker]

Two things in this picture.

First, I try real hard to minimze the amount of waste I generate on a job. I use as many of my cutt-off pieces that I can and take a little extra effort to plan my cuts to eliminate waste. This pile in the picture is after 120 studs installed.

Second, about two weeks before this picture was taken we had between 3 to 5 inches of rain in my county in one night. The flat area of dirt on the left of the debris pile was a ditch to carry off rain water. All that water filled up my ditch with silt and flooded my apartment.

 

[EddieWalker]

Time for drastic measures. I used the backhoe to dig down almost three feet in front and along the side of the apartment. A little more forethought on my side would have prevented this in the beginning. Live and learn.

Now I have to clean this up and build a pad for a porch and walkway. I also need to dig a trench for my water line in front and down the side.

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sure would have saved some money if I'd palnned on doing this from the beginning. )</font>

Interesting project to do when it was not originally planned. Do you have septic close by to hook into?

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm gonna put in a new septic tank and field. I have enough land that I don't need a permit or engineer.

I've got a 525 gallon tank that will work and I'll just run 60 feet of plastic with styrofome.

Only one bathroom, so this will be plenty.

 

[rambler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm gonna put in a new septic tank and field. I have enough land that I don't need a permit or engineer.

I've got a 525 gallon tank that will work and I'll just run 60 feet of plastic with styrofome.

Only one bathroom, so this will be plenty.

)</font>

There are _very_ few parts of the country where that statement is still true. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Enjoy your freedoms if it is.

--->Paul

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm finally done with the container barn and attached cabin.

A funny thing happend during this project. My wifes support for my building the cabin was because she wanted me out of the house, the sooner the better.

I moved into it in May with only running water and the shower was working. I didn't get the toilet in until 2 am that night.

I've been living in it while building it and working on different jobs for awhile now.

 

[EddieWalker]

It's only 11 wide on the inside, so I needed more room for my tv. I got this idea from the new RV's with all there slideouts.

 

[EddieWalker]

This is that same opening framed out ready to rock viewed from the inside.