xiaoya131412One of the most important parts of this Container House, second only to the container itself. As previously discussed shipping containers are not designed to withstand constant pressure on the side/top panels. Burying a shipping container successfully involves properly engineering your structure to withstand the amount of pressure exerted by however much dirt you plan to have around it. It may just be a few inches, or it may be a few feet. No matter what your plans the sides and roof of the container should be properly reinforced in the manner of your choosing to prevent accident or injury.
You may choose wood framing, or bricks, or even cement but you must choose something. If you’re not sure hire an engineer or architect. It will be worth the extra bucks when your shelter is still there after the ground shifts from an earthquake or the next big rain. If you’re building a structure to keep you or your stuff safe, why take any chances?
This is another thing that might be easy to overlook but could end up being crucial to your project. Though corten steel is rust resistant neither the paint that is on the cargo container nor the metal are designed to withstand the effects of standing water or whatever other potentially corrosive factors hide in your soil. What things should you consider when looking into paint/sealant? Quality, durability, and chemical composition, I will not comment on the type you should or shouldn’t use because there are different schools of thought here.
However you do want to ensure that you have successfully protected your surfaces from wandering streams of water and whatever other negative effects soil and ground moisture can have on your container.
The very last things to consider are the potential toxins that come with the territory. Both the floor and the paint could potentially hold toxic chemicals, whether they were used to treat the surfaces at the point of origin or to fumigate the cargo in transit, pesticides are definitely something to consider when you intend to live or store things in a cargo container. Australia has some pretty strict pest control regulations and let’s face it…There are millions of shipping containers out there and who has the time to track which ones have been where, so everybody fumigates to Australian standards.
This leaves pesticides trapped in the wood of the floors and leaves the possibility of potentially harmful vapors being released over time. There are a few ways to deal with the paint and floors when it comes to this. Rip it out! You could tear out the entire floor (or in case of the paint, sand it) and replace it with something a little more safe and aesthetically pleasing. Or you can seal it in with an epoxy or some other carefully chosen paint/sealant that doesn’t have harmful characteristics. The original toxins can be identified using the placard on the outside of Modified Shipping Container Home.
