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Shipping Container for Utilities

gkoenig

Titanium
Joined
Mar 31, 2013
Location
Portland, OR
Looking to move out of Portland for what are obvious reasons, and combining my house and shop onto a single piece of property.

What I was thinking of doing was installing the compressor and tumbler (i.e. loud/annoying pieces of equipment) in a connex box behind the main shop. Primarily, this is for noise and to keep from having to dedicate main shop space to these functions. Also a little storage for bulky shop/general tools I don't use often. I can get a refurb 1-trip 20' dropped anywhere for about $1800. I would need to build a footing for it and run power to it (220v) plus return the air lines to the main shop, and a little insulation.

So, dumb idea or solid idea? Any showstoppers I'm not seeing?
 
They look ugly so if there are no property restrictions an you can live with ugly for the sake of utility, they are a good idea. Good place to keep flammables also if the distance is correct.
 
Super solid idea! Not dumb at all.

Couple things to keep in mind. Depending on what climate you plan to locate to.
In the heat (like here in AZ) they are pretty much an oven in the summer. Ventilation is real important. I forgot I had a pile of shrink wrap stored in a box of electrical stuff in mine a while back. Operative word being "had".
Any place humid with big temp swings? Or cold outside, warm inside (compressor and phase-converter running inside while its snowing?) They can sweat real bad.
But, generally, there is a reason they are so popular. They are kick ass!

If you have a welder, they are super easy to build from, and make a killer foundation/structure as well. Mine is going to get attacked with the welder pretty soon, LOL.
 
A typical (ininsulated) container will do little to trap noise, if that's a concern for either you, a spouse, or your new neighbors. If you want it quiet around your shop/home when that compressor and tumbler are running, you'll want to add some soundproofing.

And by the time you do that, it might be possible to build a well-sealed wood frame structure wiith drywall walls and insulation that's a bit more pleasing to the eye and easier / cheaper to keep conditioned. All kind of depends if you're alone, not much concerned about the noise yourself, and far from both neighbors and a spouse who might complain.
 
I am in NJ and I have 3, 2 20s and a 40. I keep a dehumidifier in them. Works great for me.

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I agree with the others who posted to get insulated container. Not only will it stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter, the sides are SMOOTH, not corrugated so the dont look like a sea train container (unless you look close) Put a removable peaked roof on it and it will just be another small shed in a yard.
Get a high cube one if you can swing it, about 12" more ceiling height.
Insulated will also muffle the noise if the doors are closed.
 
A footing can be four posts capable of carrying your projected weight .....I have set a few up on concrete pile offcuts....free,and very strong .....Here ,at the time ,there had to be a space underfloor of 1 foot height to allow for "fox terriers"....true "Prevention of Plague Regulations 1886 and 1907".....However ,about 10 yrs ago ,containers on land were changed to a building category,and now need planning permission ,except of rural /farming zoning......Hence my long fight with the Council ,which I won .
 
Yeah - the warm/cold thing is real.
You should see a lake of ice when you come back to a crate of sleds in Colorado !

A neighboring shop just put up a shed - built from a pair of containers spaced 15' (?) apart and he tossed some rafter up over the whole deal.

Not been there since he finished it, so not sure how he likes it yet.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Two 40 footers with a flat roof overall were popular ,but the councils hate them ....Lately been sseing 2x40 footers with bows and white plastic roof .....supposedly guaranteed 10 years in direct sunlight .....some of these are 2 containers high ,and have survived several big blows,one blow stripped sheets of tin off my 40 footers....admittedly not well secured.
 
Assuming the zoning and the like are OK with it (could be a feature or a problem that it's a container) one thing to realize is that they mostly come in a set of pretty much fixed sizes. So you want to be really sure you'll be happy with a structure limited in width and usually height. Would you really really really be happier with a shed that was 10' wide rather than 8'6"?
 
If you need a bigger space ,you can generally budget buy two with one damaged side each,together with the sides cut out and a roof ,you ve got a very cheap 40x16 shed........If you are used to the finer things ,then for some extra ,a container made of "corten " can be bought......I have one Corten (ID plate)that has been all over ,but fixed for last 20 years.....hasnt got a bit of rust in it ......the 10 yr survey ones,you need to be careful as the strength members will fill with water and rust out quickly ,if neglected.
 
Take a look at some of the office conversions out there for ideas. Doors on each end, or doors in the middle of the side can make for more usable layouts.

I'm looking at 20' at the moment due to a pending move. It'll be a staggered move, so use #1 will be secure storage in a warehouse. After new digs are secured and modified, container may become outside storage if zoning allows.

In my case, doors on each end would be a handy option. I may outfit the inside with some E-track, as I use that a lot in various trailers, too. That way cargo can be secured to the side, rather than to each other. Mezzanine using cargo bars is possible, too.
 
Have a 40ft high cube thats been used for storage at pres.
But yeah gotta watch the water pooling up top causing rust. Putting a lean to roof over it at pres in between jobs - soon as I even consider workin on it again, a big job shows up. Cant complain I guess.

Dont have issues at pres with shit neighbors, so makes life easier.

Seeing more of those domed shaped container shelters put over a pair of em around the traps. Read the fine print on what they come supplied with em tho. Recently had to quote on filling in one one end on a couple of big ones. Cust assumed an end wall was a complete infill. What they got had a 14 x 4mtr hole in it!!
 
same issues here with mine.. every single thing that goes in it dies in short order.

the southeast US CRAZY temp swings combined with crippling humidity = moisture,mold, mildew, rust, etc...

if it's anywhere east of the mississippi and you're putting stuff you care about in it i would set up a dehumidifier and a squirrel cage to exchange the air at the very least.

and buy stock in 'damp rid' haha


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There are some really good ones around here that the railways use ....they have multiple doors,and louvered sides ....but they sell for close to $10k used ,and are in big demand.........The crowd behind Palms yard were a kind of hillbilly horizontal underroad borers....they had containers stacked up to five high to make a kind of office block giant shed .....but Im pretty sure the council got onto their case ,nevertheless ,they had the use of this edifice for years,while I was at Palms.
 








 
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