Shipping Container shop project

interesting
how much frost heave does your area get though?
not for PAE, for my numbers
because my shit heaves like a foot or more, sadly so shit's unlikely to hold up without a fuckton of steel in it
The fact that your ground is constantly saturated with moisture is a large part of your problem.
 
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That right there is my reason for the full concrete slab, IE so a can does not shift and the 2nd floor does not collapse.

The fact that your ground is constantly saturated with moisture is a large part of your problem.
 
interesting
how much frost heave does your area get though?
not for PAE, for my numbers
because my shit heaves like a foot or more, sadly so shit's unlikely to hold up without a fuckton of steel in it
Frost depth is 36", heaving depends on how well drained the ground is.
The buildings I have seen go up there got a perimeter inside and outside drain down next to the footer which ties into the drainage system and eventually goes to the retention pond.

Aaron Z
 
Was thinking about just unstable (cans not attached to slab) from moist soil more than lifting from freezing soil.

With both first level cans tied to the slab it seems more likely that they wont shift or settle and disturb the 2nd story floor thats suspended between the two cans.



A slab does not guarantee the ground will not frost heave. My buddies brand new slab lifted 6" last winter:homer:.
 
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Was thinking about just unstable (cans not attached to slab) from moist soil more than lifting from freezing soil.

With both first level cans tied to the slab it seems more likely that they wont shift or settle and disturb the 2nd story floor thats suspended between the two cans.

A proper pier would probably be less likely to lift than a slab really.
 
The fact that your ground is constantly saturated with moisture is a large part of your problem.
well yeah, but better drainage isn't happening on that kinda scale any time soon
Just do like everyone else in Alaska. Best I can tell they just stick whatever garbage lumber and scrap metal they can find together, and pretend it's liveable. Seems cheaper anyway.
I'm sure the meth helps
 
Frost depth is 36", heaving depends on how well drained the ground is.
The buildings I have seen go up there got a perimeter inside and outside drain down next to the footer which ties into the drainage system and eventually goes to the retention pond.

Aaron Z
looking like I might have to tile around where I plan on drivewaying
county HATES drain tile though, so it might need to be done quietly (which means poorly, because good grade is more difficult to achieve when done in steps)
 
A slab does not guarantee the ground will not frost heave. My buddies brand new slab lifted 6" last winter:homer:.
this

something like a shed will heave most in the middle, because the middle gets the coldest without the insulation of snow, if you're heating it then the edges heave the most

up in AK you might be building on permafrost though
so no idea, but sonotube footings set deep into that shit (and insulated from heat above, maybe with a layer of really high density foam a few feet down from the surface) feels like the correct way to go
 
looking like I might have to tile around where I plan on drivewaying
county HATES drain tile though, so it might need to be done quietly (which means poorly, because good grade is more difficult to achieve when done in steps)

Seems like an excuse to dig some ditches down your driveway to run hose bibs, electrical and shop air. :flipoff2:

If some perforated pipe finds its way into the ditch well that's the ground's problem. :laughing:
 
Seems like an excuse to dig some ditches down your driveway to run hose bibs, electrical and shop air. :flipoff2:

If some perforated pipe finds its way into the ditch well that's the ground's problem. :laughing:
And it should obviously be at the bottom, so it's not in the way of the other pipes / conduits :grinpimp:

Aaron Z
 
Closest thing Ive found to a visual of what Im planning on building.

High cube cans with a 2-3 ft riser for clearance to park a semi trailer.





banner-20-frnb-1-891x592-612b4e2ec6f7c.jpeg



20230507_103616.jpg
 
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Haven’t gotten caught up on this thread, but I’m gonna guess an 8” slab is worthless, and would not even be sufficient to support the 8 corners of double stacked conex boxes. Footers are needed, the slab is not, other than for maybe rodent control.
 
To post one positive thing here, price of containers seem to have come down significantly. Like half or less of what I was quoted 2 years ago
Half off of insanity is still insanity.

The way lumber came back down stick built is still better in the overwhelming majority of circumstances.
 
I was told $2k for a used 20' , how long ago were they less than that?
Maybe I'm getting old but I feel like 40s were sub 3k throughout the 2010s.

That said, prices are regional. An empty container in the Northeast where building codes proliferate is worth less than one on the west coast.
 
i ve worked out of shipping containers before. and at first they seem super cool. but put up a small work bench or some shelf's to hold your shit and now you just have a narrow walkway of useable space. it will get your stuff out of the weather right now because its a container. but useable space for a shop you will not have.
there are some good ideas people have come up with containers. so as this progresses keep us posted.

:beer:
 
6-7 years ago a single trip 20' was about $1800-2000 here. Now a multi trip 20' is about $2400.
 
i ve worked out of shipping containers before. and at first they seem super cool. but put up a small work bench or some shelf's to hold your shit and now you just have a narrow walkway of useable space. it will get your stuff out of the weather right now because its a container. but useable space for a shop you will not have.
there are some good ideas people have come up with containers. so as this progresses keep us posted.

:beer:
Really depends on what you're used to and what you do.

I think a 40 footer and a ~18x25+ car port/greenhouse/boat height car-port with walls is a pretty damn good option for a "basic shop" if you have the space. Even at stupid prices it's a sub-$8k buy in if you don't need a pad under the car-port.

Line your work bench and all your machine tools and shelves up down one wall of the container and have nothing else on the other wall. Body work and wrenching on big assemblies or complete vehicles gets done in the car-port.
 
Maybe I'm getting old but I feel like 40s were sub 3k throughout the 2010s.

That said, prices are regional. An empty container in the Northeast where building codes proliferate is worth less than one on the west coast.

40s seem to be the same price or sometimes cheaper since they're often more plentiful and people want 20s. My buddy bought ne in 2015ish for $1800.

I didn't think $2k for a used 20 was terrible considering everything else right now. New was $2800.

I did see a new double door 40 for under $3k. To me that's the way to go on a 40. That way you don't need a walk way all the way through. Or if you want to store a rig in one end and not have it pigeon holed in there.
 
Planning on buying a pair of high cube 40's with a pair of side doors that would be situated on the inside for ease of getting to tools etc.

They look like this.

2 SideDoorCan.jpg
 
Planning on buying a pair of high cube 40's with a pair of side doors that would be situated on the inside for ease of getting to tools etc.

They look like this.

2 SideDoorCan.jpg

We have a couple like that at work. Much better than the end doors but they still feel narrow.
 
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