Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Jan 08, 2014 11:14 pm Hey all, I went through Burbank a few years back to build me house out in Pakenham a few years back; however, over the last 24 months there's been quite a large flood of people and the semi-rural town is no longer the same place it used to be. Therefore, I have decided that I'd like to change it up and build a house on an acreage block a bit further out. I am looking at building the 'dwelling' using shipping containers, to lower the overall cost, but mainly because I think it's different. I was wondering if anyone on the forum has previously and/or currently building their dwelling using shipping containers? Cheers, bigred Re: Shipping Container Build 3Jan 09, 2014 1:42 pm Owner Building on 1800sqm Sanity Intact so far Locked up March 2012 Re: Shipping Container Build 4Apr 23, 2014 1:36 am I know this thread is a couple of months old but if you're still interested I may be able to help you. I owner-built (and currently live in) a three bedroom house made out of four shipping containers. I'm currently working out a house made out of seven containers. I drew the plans myself and everything is council approved. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. Re: Shipping Container Build 9Apr 24, 2014 8:43 am Interesting idea. Does Council have any views ? Those kit homes might be good too - the ones that are metal framed etc. Re: Shipping Container Build 10May 26, 2014 11:59 pm i am going to build my house using shipping containers. i have always liked the look of these types of homes. i am still in the research phase but i am trying to locate a friendly draftsman/designer who can assist with my design. can anyone offer any advice or give me any information in this regard? B Re: Shipping Container Build 11May 28, 2014 2:36 am Sorry about the long delay. Have had a crazy couple of weeks. Saint Mike Interesting idea. Does Council have any views ? Those kit homes might be good too - the ones that are metal framed etc. Council's view was that structurally it complied with the BCA and since I was cladding the outside there was no particular reason to knock it back. Despite taking 5+ months to approve the DACC they have generally been very supportive. hard_aground i am going to build my house using shipping containers. i have always liked the look of these types of homes. i am still in the research phase but i am trying to locate a friendly draftsman/designer who can assist with my design. can anyone offer any advice or give me any information in this regard? B I've drawn the plans for two container houses that have both been approved by council. I built one and am building the second. If you want to bounce some ideas off me I can give you some feedback if you like. waxinggibbous, I've had a look at what you've got planned and it definitely looks interesting. If you like I can private message you my number/email if you'd like to have a bit more of an in depth discussion. I may be able to help you avoid a few of the gotchas that containers can throw at you. For instance - I hope you've noticed that container corner posts and container bottom rails are (in every container I've seen) on different levels at the bottom. It's not a big gap but it's big enough to make you have to do some packing on every support point but your corners. I'm working on the thread as we speak. I'll post a link when done. Re: Shipping Container Build 12May 28, 2014 8:12 pm ^ look forward to your thread. what programme did you use to do your drawings? thanks for the offer of some advice etc. Re: Shipping Container Build 13May 29, 2014 10:02 pm Hi ixuzus - thanks for the tip about the bottom rails - it's something I had picked up when I first began designing my house a couple of years ago and then promptly forgot all about it! I've been out to my containers and it's a 10mm gap. I intend embedding steel plates (with kinked reo bars welded to the underside) into the concrete piers after they're poured but before they set. The containers are then welded to these plates wherever they touch. As the plates are 10mm thick, I think I will just push the corner pier plates into the concrete until the top surface is level with the concrete. The side rail piers will have the plates sitting on the surface of the concrete which will then take care of the 10mm difference. I'll PM my email - would be great to be able to discuss ideas with someone who has already gone down this path. Also looking forward to your own thread showing your build. Re: Shipping Container Build 14May 31, 2014 12:46 pm I've got questions i would like to ask but rather than go down the path of sending PMs, i would rather ask them here so everyone can join in and disseminate knowledge and information etc. my current questions are: is it usual to coat the exterior (where it may not be clad ect) of the container with a ceramic paint? is this necessary if i am going to lay insulation in the walls? i was thinking of framing up in timber as i work with timber all the time. i expect i would have to get steel battens or similar welded to the container walls to take the timber frame fastenings? im not a welder but may do a TAFE course if i go ahead with the build. do most people just do arc welding or use TIG or MIG? is it possible to hire plasma cutters and small sand blasting units? is it possible to lay cement flooring in the bathroom and then tile as one might do in a traditional house build? thanks in advance Bernadette Re: Shipping Container Build 15May 31, 2014 4:19 pm Quote: is it usual to coat the exterior (where it may not be clad ect) of the container with a ceramic paint? is this necessary if i am going to lay insulation in the walls? Ceramic paint ? A good acrylic over a suitable primer will do the job. Necessary - only for cosmetic purposes although it would help prolong the life of the container and if it was a light colour would help deflect heat from the sun. Quote: i was thinking of framing up in timber as i work with timber all the time. i expect i would have to get steel battens or similar welded to the container walls to take the timber frame fastenings? Timber battens screwed to the container sides would be cheaper and quicker. Quote: im not a welder but may do a TAFE course if i go ahead with the build. do most people just do arc welding or use TIG or MIG? is it possible to hire plasma cutters and small sand blasting units? Yes, but in reference to your question above I think timber would be better. Quote: is it possible to lay cement flooring in the bathroom and then tile as one might do in a traditional house build? Yes, as long as you install waterproofing and decent fall to a floor waste you should be fine. Stewie Re: Shipping Container Build 16May 31, 2014 8:45 pm stewie, thanks for your comments. i want to frame up in timber but screwing direct to the container wall (skin) will perforate said wall and then i have waterproofing issues. i read somewhere that ceramic was good in terms of heat insulation. thats why i mentioned it. i doubt i would use ceramic paint anyhow. Re: Shipping Container Build 17May 31, 2014 10:31 pm Bernadette - you asked me via private message to give you my email to answer questions you have, but I am happy to answer in the forum instead. There are a lot of ways to cover the exterior of containers, ceramic paint is just one. You could also consider putting your insulation on the outside thereby not reducing your interior space by bulky insulation. I am going down this road and using insulated panels which are about 150mm thick. This way internally I can choose a mix of gyprock and/or container steel for the interior walls. One of the most common interior wall covering systems I've seen on container houses is using steel channels. I plan to use this method as I can spot weld the top track and screw the bottom track to the floor, and all the verticals are attached to these channels and not the walls. Gyprock and blocking (timber) then attached directly to these. See: http://www.steelframing.org/PDF/issuepa ... rWalls.pdf Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Welding is not a difficult process - Arc should suit most of your needs. I looked into plasma cutters to remove walls but I will not be on the grid so must rely on a generator. To run a plasma cutter you need both the cutter plus a fairly large air compressor to run concurrently with the cutter. This woudl have been too big a drain on my generator. I will settle for a large angle grinder to cut our walls and window holes etc. I think it would be worthwhile doing a course to learn welding if you intend doing a lot of the work yourself. For cement flooring you could consider removing the wood floor in the bathroom area and replacing it with concrete so there is not such a large step up. Here a a few links which might be useful (the first three show buildings being constructed and are worth looking through for ideas.) - http://8747house.blogspot.com.au/ http://www.cottonwoodmeadow.blogspot.com.au/ http://brightcontainerhouse.blog.com/ http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/06/16/cont ... rcia-saxe/ http://news.distractify.com/culture/it- ... -home/?v=1 Re: Shipping Container Build 18May 31, 2014 11:41 pm hello terry i just figured it might help other people to discuss container home building on the forum…that way other like minded people have access to our discussions and the information and for those of us doing a build, we have a resource available in one place. i actually do a lot of speciality work in timber but when it comes to steel (i don't particularly like the material) i am a novice so i need to find out as much as i can…! the top and bottom rails is a good idea. it would provide enough stability and strength to the interior framing. and spot welding seems adequate. thanks for the notes on plasma cutters. i will be on mains power so no problems there. i want mains anyhow because i was hoping to get myself a cement mixer and pour my own foundations. not sure of the volume of both the footings or how much of a load a mixer can handle. whats the exterior panels you are going to use? removing the ply to replace with cement sheeting…another good idea! see it pays to talk about these things!!! thanks for the advice. much appreciated. PS> just had a look at the links. i am heading towards the blue container home type of build…one bathroom, one bedroom, one study and a big open living space to suit the tropics. and a little off track…my best ever little mate, "pookie" my dog died on wednesday night. he died a horrible death. still not sure if it was 1080 poison or snake bite. we were going to build the house together…he seriously was a constant companion and good helper. RIP pookie. Re: Shipping Container Build 19Jun 15, 2014 3:02 pm hey terry how's your house building going? I've got two weeks of my 10 month long contract to finish then I'm off home…to start on my own house. B Re: Shipping Container Build 20Jun 15, 2014 8:28 pm Maybe an idea that's worth considering. When I put up my container shed I used old used concrete pipe (the type used under driveways) for the piles. I then filled them with concrete and set the metal plate in the top. It saved a lot of concrete mixing and acted as the formwork. They were available from my local shire roadworks depot. They come in various diameters and are about 1200mm long. One end is flared which gives you a wider space to allow for "adjustments" in the container placement. 1 10488 Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 7 17628 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. Given its a corner plot approx. 400 sqm just a standard design may not fit the… 0 8578 |