New shipping container shop...

[dixiedrifter]

Ok so I decided to get a shipping container and convert it into a storage building. I know, not really a tractor project, but I did use it to put in the driveway.

It started out really ugly red color which made the inside very hot so I decided it needed a new coat of paint. Rust Oleum was my first choice, but I decided to go with the Olymic Fast Hide Alkyd paint in Secret Passage since for all intents and purposes it was primed. I did pretty much the whole thing including the top and inside with the exception of around the bottom. I decided it would be best to wait until I got it jacked up and weed eated to do since the grass was in the way. I still ain't got it done cause the weed eater fuel lines are foobard at the moment. Total was about 6 gallons of paint.

Before picture:

Its kinda hard to see in the background, but this is what it looked like after painting and pre-cleaning up... so far so good.

After jacking up and sinking power pole:

Driveway shot towards road. Please don't mind the junk I ain't had time to pick it all up yet:

View showing a bit more of eqipment parking area and tractor. Got me a nice pile of dirt going and a grass free place to put all my toys:

View of driveway towards building... I got a mess going!!!

I must say, I am totally disappointed in TSC Cat I hitch pins for my box blade. They bend and break quite easily (I guess they were designed to be used by a sub compact with a cheap light duty implement and not my home built 6ft box blade and M9000 tractor lol).

This little tree was responsible for the pin below:

This is what happens when you gently ease off the clutch in first gear at around 2000 RPM and the tires grab... usually they just spin, but since I put fluid in the rear tires... either the tree goes, the pin goes, or you put your foot on the clutch and go for another grab.

More trees... there are quite a few more of them in the woods that I didn't bother taking pics of.

Coupla road shots showing drive and equipment area:

 

[Egon]

Some more nice pictures.

Out at our "Farm" one of the neighbours has a shipping container used for the storage of fishing gear. We are contemplating using one for storage out at another lot we have.

 

[weldingisfun]

I'm hoping you meant to say that the TSC Cat II hitch pins are junk. If you are using Cat I with your tractor and 6 foot box blade, that is the reason they break. If you were using Cat II, then I agree, they are junk.
I like your new shop. Bet it didn't take long to build.

 

[bjcsc]

I hope you blocked it up from the ground. Shipping container floors will last nearly forever if you block the container up to keep them dry underneath (8x8s work great). If you set them directly on the ground, the floor will begin to rot out in short order...

Cool project!

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

haha, i've been considering a storage container and i have a camry like your's......

looks good

how much are those 20ft and 40ft containers setting you back in your neck of the woods?

some quick growing bushes, a couple of years and you wouldn't even know it was there!

 

[bjcsc]

I don't know where dixiedrifter is, but around here you can get solid 20s for $1000 and solid 40s for $1200 all day long...(I'm in a port city, though)...

 

[Whitey]

Great project.......was the container expensive??? How did you find it? Was the delivery expensive?

Thanx.

 

[montanaman]

Yep, those pins don't do to well on a box blade. Most of the more expensive box blades use a pin that goes between two plates and the lift arm so it can't twist like that. You may be able to add a few bars to your blade and do it that way.

Ken

 

[RedRocker]

I suggest if you get a container you go with a high cube, it's the difference between putting my tractor in it with the ROPS up or down.

 

[SCDolphin]

I just bought my second container 45x9x8. I wished I had painted my first one when I got it as there is a lot of rust on mine. I paid 1300, 2000 for the first and 2nd containers. I wished I had contacted bjcsc if he can get them for a 1000. Even so I could not build a container as rugged as these things are built. I think there would be a market for someone that comes up with an easy way to ventilate them.
Anyway nice job.

Did you haave to prime the metal??

 

[Tororider]

You have no fear of theft with the implements sitting that close to the road?

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Where did you find a container that doesn't say "CHINA SHIPPING" on the side?

 

[EddieWalker]

A few years ago, I bought two containers and put a roof over them to create a larger area under roof between them. Then I added a storage area to one side and a cabin to the other. For very little money, it came out pretty good.

The new owner really liked it and actually lived there for a few years while he built his dream house. Now he rents it out to a guy who seems very happy with living there.

I never thought to paint mine. For some reason, I thought the wrighting on them looked exotic, and added a certain level of interest. I still wonder where they have been and what they carried.

Here's the link to the barn I built with those two containers. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/33401-my-container-barn.html

Eddie

 

[Redbug]

Eddie's onto something that needs to be explored. I saw an episode of This Old House with Bob Vila. It showcased a home made out shipping containers down around the Miami area. The house was strong enough to be hurricane proof...with the sections welded together. It looked almost like a normal house when they were done with it. It gets you to thinking about the possibilities of using these containers in other creative ways. I found a link about it...

Converting Shipping Containers for Housing

Some more interesting pics on this link...
10 Cargo and Shipping Container Homes and Offices | WebUrbanist

Kind of reminds me of the old Minuteman silos that were put up for sale which some folks renovated and live in. If scrap steel is a dollar a pound, I don't see how they could sell one of those shipping containers for the prices quoted. What does a forty footer weigh...8000 pounds? What's the catch?

 

[skipro3]

I saw one guy who took 3 railroad box cars and place them into a |_| shape, then put some roof tusses on them and turned it all into a barn. The cars had the sliding doors on the inside and they were already painted red. Looked very cool and from start to finish, it took him 2 weekends to complete.

Great job on your storage solution!

 

[Tororider]

I saw one guy who took 3 railroad box cars and place them into a |_| shape, then put some roof tusses on them and turned it all into a barn. The cars had the sliding doors on the inside and they were already painted red. Looked very cool and from start to finish, it took him 2 weekends to complete.

Don't supposed you have any pictures of that? The only thing about using rail cars is getting those delivered, although it can't be much more difficult than shipping containers. Sounds cool

 

[schmism]

check your local criagslist for used containers.

round these parts they are a little more. 20' ~1200 40' ~3000

 

[jinman]

I bought a 40' tall container (9-1/2' tall) earlier this year. When I was shopping for it, I was amazed at the difference in the inside temperature between a gray box and a brown box. It must have been at least 15 degrees hotter in that brown box. Anyhow, the only tall box they had was brown, so that's what I ended up with. The cost of the tall container was $2400 and the 8' boxes were $2200. I thought it was worth the extra $200.

I got it delivered for $150. The delivery was on a special roll-back trailer that made unloading easy. The driver put the container exactly where I wanted it.

I wanted to build a lean-to outside storage area on one side of the box and put in poles several months ago. I've been lollygagging around and have not finished the lean-to. Last week, we signed a sales contract on my wife's old house and we suddenly need to have everything cleared out by the end of this month. Now, I'm scrambling to finish the storage. The lean-to will be 12' wide by the full length of the container. I'm closing in 1/2 to keep it weatherproof. Since we get most of our weather from the northwest, that's the side I'm closing in. With my wife helping, it has taken us about 1 week to get the storage ready for sheeting with the metal. I'm covering the top of the container too to reduce the amount of heat inside. The top roof will overhang the lean-to by about 6' and just be a flat roof. If it leaks some, it won't matter because the container is weathertight.

I used 2x6s for the rafters and Simpson brackets on the peak. I had some brackets that are L-shaped, and I used those to clamp the 2/4 ridge down to the container. I was able to attach these to the underside of the 2" x 2" tube along both sides of the container. I am happy I didn't have to drill any holes into the top of the container. Anyhow, I've attached several pictures. I'll answer any direct questions you may have. I made good use of our Kawasaki Mule as a portable scaffold during construction.

Oh, one more thing. You have to allow room for the door hinge and swing on the front of the container. My sidewall takes a slight cant, but the roof will be square. I was able to drill into the container and use a 2x6 bolted up with carriage bolts. The 2x6 I used instead of a 2x4 because of dimensions needed. I also used 2x6 purlins on the wind-load side for extra strength.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hey Jim,

Great looking project that you have going on there. I'm a big fan of containers myself, and think they are a great way to get quick storage for a good price that's very secure.

The Simpson ties will really help with strength, I'm also a big fan of them as well. Did you use screws or nails to attach your purlins to your posts? A few three inch screws will gurantee that nothing will ever come loose. I like to change the angle on them for overkill, but then again, I do the same with nails. LOL

Your roof line has me curious. Why have a flat section? It seems that one continuos slope would mean one piece of metal that you don't have to tie into another piece at a different pitch. If it was me, I'd add some lumber to the far side of the container roof to raise it to the same pitch as the lean to. 1:12 ?

Something else to consider. Even though the container is water tight, or should be depending on the level of abuse it received, allowing water between your metal roof and the container creates a situation down the road for rot to the wood, mold and bugs. Keeping the water out all the time is the only way to gurantee the life of any building and eliminate long term problems.

Eddie

 

[bdeboer]

A few years ago, I bought two containers and put a roof over them to create a larger area under roof between them. Then I added a storage area to one side and a cabin to the other. For very little money, it came out pretty good.


Eddie,

Did you consider trusses that spanned over the roofs of the containers? Placing the ledger boards on the outside walls instead of the inside walls (or both walls to distribute the weight?). It seem's like it would be simpler to roof. I was thinking something like a 4/12 or 5/12 pitch.