An emergancy shelter out of shipping containers with the comforts of home.

[Henry W]

With everything going on in the U.S. I was thinking of emergancy shelter made out of a shipping container that is mobile and can house three to four comfortably with all the comforts of home. I was thinking that a microcogen unit can be mounted on the front top wall like Carrier units.

This might sound extreem some might think its funny to bring this up but I think it might be a good thing to think about.

If anyone else is intrested I would like to see what we can come up with on layout and plans.

Again, it might be a crazy idea I guess.

Henry

[rcavictim]

Not crazy at all.  Call it a Canadian Bush Box.  Paint arrow on side saying ship his way and label it North.  Be sure to include a mosquito and black fly sterilizing air lock as part of the entrance door.

Design it so it can become earth sheltered if desired with a few hours and a bulldozer.

[rcavictim]

On the practical side, I have wondered if a standard shipping container is strong enough to bury like that and if corrosion will become an issue. This would be a great way to provide a sound proof engine room with fuel storage.

Jens

Those shipping containers have rib corrugated sides which give huge strenth in compression from above.  You see them stacked 6 high or more on ships.  That's a lot of weight on the bottom one.  The same sidewalls would have a lot of strength against sideways push from earthen berm.  Best way to rust proof?  I dunno.  I know you can purchase large rubber bladders to put on the outside of a buried concrete earth sheltered homes prior to adding the backfilled earth.

[AdeV]

I was already planning one as a "mobile" workshop, with the lathe, milling machine, etc. all hooked up & powered by a Lister. This will be especially useful when I move abroad; as I'll just be able to drive it from here to there, drop it on the ground & presto, instant machine shop.

For living quarters, I think I'd prefer a portakabin type arrangement, rather than steel shipping containers; but I guess it depends on how likely you are to get shot at...

[mobile_bob]

most shipping containers are made of corten steel, its abililty to standup to the effects of corrosion are greatly enhanced over
standard steels,

many large steel tower power poles around here are made of corten as are bridge components, they don't even paint the towers
here, just let them get a nice brown patina and let em go.

a good corten container would likely outlive any of us, although i suppose one could spray it down with that asphalt bases sealer they
put on basement walls before backfilling?

now my question?

how do you get a loaded container back up off the ground and onto a rolling chassis?  from what i have heard there
is a limit to how heavy they can be and still be picked up by the roll off trucks that deliver them.

bob g

[cognos]

I like this one...


Stolen from this website:
http://shippingcontainerhousedesign.com/container_cottage.html

[AdeV]

how do you get a loaded container back up off the ground and onto a rolling chassis?  from what i have heard there
is a limit to how heavy they can be and still be picked up by the roll off trucks that deliver them.

You can hire or buy a truck with a suitable hiab crane on it, which, if properly specified, will easily lift a shipping container (2.2 tons for a 20x8 container) + 3-5 tons of equipment. So you need a hiab capable of lifting, say 8 tons minimum, 11 tons preferred. Obviously, the machines would have to be bolted firmly to the container floor to prevent them from moving/falling over, and the container would ideally be balanced.

This truck, for example: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEYLAND-DAF-6-WHEELER-CRANE-LORRY-HIAB-PALFINGER-LOADER_W0QQitemZ140367579058QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Commercial_Trucks?hash=item20ae8f47b2

The on-board Hiab will lift 7.9 tonnes (officially - unofficially it'd probably manage 8 to 8.5, provided H&S weren't watching) at the side of the vehicle. £5k is a lot, however, for a 15-year-old Leyland, eBay seems to have plenty of other options.

[dubbleUJay]

Is Mr. Bodell on this forum or was it the old one???
http://rbodell.com/housing.aspx
Look further down the page with pics from the inside, not to shabby IMHO!

AND he has a Listeroid!
http://rbodell.com/listeroids.aspx

dubbleUJay

[BioDBilly]

Two weeks ago, I purchased a 40' High Cube.  It will be loaded to the legal limit with tools after it is set on my 40' car haul trailer for the 1400 mile trip to Montana from California.  Initially, it will house a 27' military water bladder and a multi-function set up based on the Redstone.  Coupled with a second similar unit set about 30' feet parallel, on vapor barrier and base material, the units will be covered with Clearspan (fabric covered) trusses.  This will be the work area and base camp at my ranch until my rather ambitious shop is built.  The containers will then become the basement (same configuration) for a strawbale home.

A friend of mine has built underground homes with containers in Northern California.  Foam insulation, water proofing, soils engineering, solar tube lighting vapor barriers below And above with curtain drain perimeters,  I get.  My friend did not solve the indoor humidity/ventilation issues completely.

Southwest Windpower has an interesting application of their small wind turbines to do with cathodic protection that I intend to look into further.  It seems that making accomodation for the maintenance of sacrificial zinc would be prudent.

As to the electrical generation being incorporated into a shelter, I think that sound, fume and EMI would be a little close..  In my case, I intend to bury a 20 footer for energy related equipment.

As to loading and unloading the containers on the gooseneck car hauler, I have been collecting heavy mechanical jacks and castors.  I'll make something interesting pretty soon I expect. The trailer has an electric winch with a heavy snatch block.  I haven't determined some of the design of the tie down, mainly because I'm still looking for useful goodies.  The commercial trailers have a system that pins the corners of the containers.  I'm leaning towards setting the unit down on pressure treated 4X4's, securing it to the bulkhead and deck with straps and cross chains.

WC

[AdeV]

BioDBilly, that's quite some project!

I'd planned a much smaller-scale movement using 20' containers (normal height); probably one with my workshop & one with all my other stuff. But I don't think I'd like to live in one, in all honesty...

But anyway - please make sure you take plenty of photos of the whole rig, etc. I'd love to see it.

[vdubnut62]

It has come to my attention that this sure is a hard core bunch.
My wife tells me I'm paranoid, and compared to most of you fellers, I'm a wuss!
Ron

[cognos]

I thought the same thing...

I figured if you filled the container with tools, lumber, insulation, drywall, paint, windows, etc., you could build a nice conventional shelter once you got the container on site! Then you'd have both!

[rcavictim]

I thought the same thing...

I figured if you filled the container with tools, lumber, insulation, drywall, paint, windows, etc., you could build a nice conventional shelter once you got the container on site! Then you'd have both!

Yes but....your wooden shelter wouldn't be largely EMP proof!

[dubbleUJay]

Some guys here in ZA has been doing it for years. We've got 10k's of these just doing nothing.
If you Google for them in ZA only, you'll find a lot of sites, here's one:
http://www.acontainer.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=28

and another:
http://www.joshuaconrad.co.za/wordpress/?p=63

This is just to get ideas though!

[cognos]

I thought the same thing...

I figured if you filled the container with tools, lumber, insulation, drywall, paint, windows, etc., you could build a nice conventional shelter once you got the container on site! Then you'd have both!

Yes but....your wooden shelter wouldn't be largely EMP proof!

No requirement. Nothing gets through the tin foil hat.