[shabba1985]

Greetings,

I have been scratching my head at what foundations does a container home

need for 2 or maybe 3 containers to be stacked ontop of one another to be

suitable for living in??

Have a look at the pics below, I am really amazed at their beauty and even

large scale builds just with container homes :O !!!!

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Foundation would depend upon local requirements
Here it is below the frost line 42-48"

 

[forresth]

I've been thinking about these quite a bit lately too.

you can go with piers for the easiest way. they are made to be suported by the 4 corners if you keep the structure in tact.

they have the empty weights painted on them. I want to think they weigh a bit over 10,000 lbs for the most part

I don't see a reason why they couldn't be left on a slab or on top of a basement wall either.

 

[kwikfishron]

Container swimming pool, do they really do that?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Container swimming pool, do they really do that?

I guess they do !!

 

[shabba1985]

I've been thinking about these quite a bit lately too.

you can go with piers for the easiest way. they are made to be suported by the 4 corners if you keep the structure in tact.

they have the empty weights painted on them. I want to think they weigh a bit over 10,000 lbs for the most part

I don't see a reason why they couldn't be left on a slab or on top of a basement wall either.

Hi, yes I dont see why I couldnt just make it on some kind of a raft

structure, maybe a plinth (square concrete slabs).

http://www.swiftfoundations.co.uk/swift_plinth.php

What is a pier by the way???

Also any other ways to support a double story container structure... but

really I don't see why you could just stick them ontop of one another like

lego.

 

[shabba1985]

I guess they do !!

wow the possibilities all in a tin!! without foundation work??? is that rly true :huh:

 

[Thurman]

The U.S. D.O.D. has multiple contracts now for companies which turn these containers into "apartments" for two (2) servicemen/women stationed at remote post such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine being there and being assigned to live in a big tent, then getting one of these to live in, even with another grunt. I'd call them Heaven if it were me. They come completely wired, plumbed, and furnished. Just set them, hook up wiring, plumbing, etc., and hand over the keys. There stacked two-story high with balconies running the length of ten units with stairways. Not bad for our service people in my opinion. The Officers get single occupied units--of course. :yes: David

 

[nap]

Greetings,

I have been scratching my head at what foundations does a container home

need for 2 or maybe 3 containers to be stacked ontop of one another to be

suitable for living in??

!

If you live in an area that has building permits and code requirements, I suspect you might have to have an engineer design a foundation, method of attaching the units together, and possibly even giving an engineers report of the structural strength of the unit itself.

 

[forresth]

What is a pier by the way???

Also any other ways to support a double story container structure....

a pier is a vertical pole pounded into the ground, often seen with raised structures near (or above) the ocean

The cheapest way would be to put a short wall the width of the container at each end, going down below the frost level the frost wall would have to be strong and the footings very large to hold all that weight without shifting

for a double story;
I was thinking of doing 2x 40' containers spaced apart to make a 40' cube, then repeat but turn the structure 90 degrees the next story up.

This would take care of all the load bearing walls, and leave a big open "courtyard"

I wonder if you could just burry 1 container to make a foundation and basement?

 

[vsheetz]

The U.S. D.O.D. has multiple contracts now for companies which turn these containers into "apartments" for two (2) servicemen/women stationed at remote post such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine being there and being assigned to live in a big tent, then getting one of these to live in, even with another grunt. I'd call them Heaven if it were me. They come completely wired, plumbed, and furnished. Just set them, hook up wiring, plumbing, etc., and hand over the keys. There stacked two-story high with balconies running the length of ten units with stairways. Not bad for our service people in my opinion. The Officers get single occupied units--of course. :yes: David

any links to pictures or more information? construction details? Thx!

 

[shabba1985]

I wonder if you could just burry 1 container to make a foundation and basement?

wouldn't a normal concrete floor be just as good then?

 

[jtheissen]

Hi, I am currently stationed in Afghanistan. And there are many 2,3, and even 4 container high 'apartment buildings' here. One of the 2 story 'container buildings' i've watched being built has 8 containers side by side on the first floor and 8 more stacked for the second floor, and the foundation is two footer/concrete wall foundations running the length of the building. The concrete was only under the front two and back two corners. James

 

[forresth]

wouldn't a normal concrete floor be just as good then?

I need close to a 4' frost wall here, so normally everyone just does a full basement. I'm thinking contaiers might be cheaper than concrete.

 

[nap]

I need close to a 4' frost wall here, so normally everyone just does a full basement. I'm thinking contaiers might be cheaper than concrete.

you are still going to need an engineered foundation or an engineers stamp that sticking a box in the ground is in fact an adequate foundation.

the other fact that is getting overlooked is: these containers are designed to support and be supported by the corners only. That means the area in between the corners is not considered to be structural, in terms of supporting the unit. As such, I would doubt an engineer would sign off on just dropping one of these in the ground as you are still effectively supporting any above grade structure by the 4 corners. I would bet they would require a substantial base at each of the corners.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I would dig a basement that the container can sit directly on, then bolt it right down at every couple feet. That way you still get a basement. You'd cut part of the container floor for the stairs, I guess.

How much does a shipping container go for anyway? I would imagine this must be a cheap way to build compared to typical stud home, and is probably able to survive very big storms too. You can get quite creative in the stacking method too.

 

[nap]

How much does a shipping container go for anyway?

depending on the size and condition, I have seen them priced from about $1200 up to over $2k. $1500- $1800 for a 40 foot container (8X8x40) in decent condition seems to be the norm around me.

since you mentioned cost compared to a typical stud home;

don't forget that you will still have to have something to attach the electrical boxes to and a gap that you can insulate. Need to make division walls, attachments for sinks and tubs and plumbing.

remember, these are simple sheet steel sides and top so screwing something to the wall means you will see the screw from the outside.

If you have never been in a semi trailer in the middle of summer out in the sun, let me tell you, it is freakin' hot. It is actually like being in an oven.

 

[Red Squirrel]

depending on the size and condition, I have seen them priced from about $1200 up to over $2k. $1500- $1800 for a 40 foot container (8X8x40) in decent condition seems to be the norm around me.

since you mentioned cost compared to a typical stud home;

don't forget that you will still have to have something to attach the electrical boxes to and a gap that you can insulate. Need to make division walls, attachments for sinks and tubs and plumbing.

remember, these are simple sheet steel sides and top so screwing something to the wall means you will see the screw from the outside.

If you have never been in a semi trailer in the middle of summer out in the sun, let me tell you, it is freakin' hot. It is actually like being in an oven.

Yeah for sure, still need indoor stud walls and all that, and yeah guess by the time you do all that, the savings is not THAT big. You'd still want stud walls on the outside for insulation, electrical, and so on. And probably an oversized AC unit lol.

But these must be way stronger though. If I lived in a hurricane prone area I'd probably look into this myself.

 

[forresth]

for a DIYer, the best part of it that I see is you start with a weatherproof way overbuilt structure, so you don't have to worry about rain or colapse.

I was kind-of thinking weld tabs to suport some 2x2 studs spaced out from the wall, then spray-foam behind and around.

as far as heat, (not a problem for me) there are some real good reflective paints that give an equivalent to R-30 to the sun.

they become saunas if you leave them sealed, not if they are open. I've gone into several semi trailers in baking hot heat, they are only stiffling when they've been closed off, and/or have hot cargo (much of what I was hauling was fresh from heat treating)

 

[Nailer]

Not sure if a container would support the lateral force of wet earth pushing in from the sides. How long would it last underground before it rusted through? In this country I'm sure you would need an engineer to get involved. No local government would issue a permit without one. In foriegn countries this does not always apply. This is why so many building fell in Hati during the earthquake.