Suitable Base For Sea Cargo Carrier

[R_squared]

We need a waterproof place to store some belongings for the next several years until we get a detached garage built. The intention was to purchase a 40 foot sea carrier and place it near the garage side of the house. Does anyone for see any problems with this site work plan?

Skim off top soil
Build a level pad with clay/medium shale to surrounding grade level
Possibly lay down a sheet of 6 mil plastic
Put down 4 inches of #4 gravel
Set sea carrier on gravel


I'm not sure about the benefits of laying the plastic down. It might be a vapor barrier, but the gravel will probably poke holes in it. The gravel seems like it would help with drainage and keeping it dry under the carrier. Number 4 gravel is what we are using for the driveway base and we plan on getting more to finish the driveway. I don't want to go overboard on this project, but it would be good to keep the carrier in good shape for future uses. The reason I'm asking for your opinions is because once the carrier is set down, it's to late now. The three attachments show the site area. Thanks!

 

[R_squared]

Picture 2

 

[R_squared]

Picture 3

 

[Gatorboy]

That sounds like it should work out just fine. You may want to put down five or six 4x4's on top of the gravel and have them set it on those so that you can get some air flow underneath the container.

 

[LSmith]

I bought a 20' box from mobile mini and had it delivered. the spot we set the box on was on a slight slope and the box was set parallel to the slope. I Jacked up each corner of the box with a farm jack and placed 2" 12x12 pads under each corner as necessary to level the box. I then built a wooden ramp to the front of the box and put some gravel out front to keep the mud down. This setup is temporary and meant to be a secure storage area for tools and equipment until I am a permanent resident on the land. Works great! After I move here and get a shop built, the storage box will probably be buried into the hillside and become a storm shelter. I am going to the land this weekend and will try to get pics.

Lane Smith

 

[cmuncy]

How much did you end up paying for the container?? I am in a similar situation and have entertained that idea and later converting it to hay storage or a very big dog house /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[pekabu]

What about sweating? Our snowmobile club looked into one for summer storage and one of the members said that moisture was an issue. His work bought one and put a bunch of stuff in there and it all rusted.

 

[R_squared]

gatorboy - good idea on the 4x4's. Will they stay in place when the container is slid into place or should they be pinned down with rebar?

cmuncy - I'm still working on getting quotes.

pekabu - I plan on measuring the humidity before storing anything in it. You can install vents or a dehumidifier if necessary. From what I heard, they are supposed to be waterproof.

 

[timb]

I looked briefly into getting a 20 foot box a few years back and around here they seemed to be a lot less than I had expected. I forget the exact $$ numbers but seems to me there were 3 levels based on condition:

Worst case, it will hold itself up and is 'secure' but is no longer considered 'weatherproof'...

Next best still rainproof but not actually considered usable in commercial shipping,

And best grade - used but still a perfectly viable commercial shipping container.

I think the prices ran (delivered) around $1200-$1500 on the low end to maybe $3000-$3500 for the still-certified containers.

Tim

 

[Glenn9643]

We used some of these for storage before I retired from the Army. Those were located in a gravel lot and placed on old cross-ties. Before you decide on a height off the ground think about pests such as fireants and some four-legged varmints that you might have to contend with underneath. In the southern areas we had problems with mildew and rusting even though there were built-in vents that you could open in one end. That's probably because even though the vent was there there was no way for the air to circulate. A vent through the roof or out the side near the roof back toward the doors might help but we were prohibited from modifying the vans as they were leased.
Another area of concern with these vans is access to the items stored within. Think about what you're putting in there because if the item you need is on the far end from the doors you might have to remove everything to get it out! A "loading plan" on paper attached to the inside of the door listing the contents and location is very worthwhile