We decided to buy a shipping container for extra storage. At first we wanted a 40 foot container and then decided that there would be no way for them to get it where we wanted it because of the angle coming in from the driveway. We then ordered a 20 foot container and poured the two concrete pads for it it sit on. When the driver called to deliver the 20 foot container he said he was bringing it on a 40 foot truck and that they don't use anything smaller. We where surprised to hear this and talked to him about the truck and the area we wanted the container to be in. He explained that the wheels on the truck actually move from front to back to help aid in steering large loads. So we changed our order to a 40 foot container and paid the difference in cost. We had to pour two more concrete pads for the extra length added. This was a drag but we got it done.

I was not home during the actually delivery and had the camera with me so Jim did not take any pictures of it being backed into place. I am glad I was not home because Jim said it took a few tries to get it back there and the driver could not get it onto the concrete pads correctly. When I got home it was crooked and 11 of my stepping stones on that side of the house were broken from the weight of the truck. The driver also drove right over my apple tree that I planted last year. It is still alive just a bit bent over from the trauma. We were able to get the container moved into the correct placement by a winch, some jacks and metal pipes as you can see in the pictures.

Jim made a custom work bench for working on lawn equipment and Peter has moved in all his lawn gear. There are many pieces that Peter has been wanting to tinker with and try to fix. So far the draw back is that it can smell a bit too much like fuel in there when the doors have been closed and it is hot out. We will add some ventilation later but for now we have the big doors to open and air the place out.

We will be painting it and adding Insuladd beads to the paint to help insulate from the exterior. We will also spray the inside with foam and add some windows with an AC/Heat unit to make it more like a shop. All will come in time......

We have decided to make half of the container a guest house or very small cottage. It will be 160 square feet. The bathroom will have a 4 foot one piece shower stall with seats, a pedestal sink, and a toilet. There will be a small kitchenette. We are using the sink unit that we had planned for our playroom; we also used it while we were building the dome. The small fridge and microwave from the playroom too. (The playroom is bigger now! ) The rest of the area will be a shared living /sleeping area. It has two windows and a door with a screened window. It also will have AC/Heat and an on demand water heater. It should be cozy and comfortable.

We started by bringing in the shower stall unit because it would not fit through the guest house doorway, so we used the double doors on the storage side. Then we framed in the wall to separate the two halves. We hung two sheets of drywall so we could foam from the storage side. This wall is where all the electric and plumbing are to be accessed.

Jim cut out the door and window holes and then started to weld metal for their frames. He installed the door and windows and foamed them in with can foam. He then started the framing with metal studs because he thought he could tact weld them. No luck there! He had to screw them together and then used canned foam to kind of glue them into place and to insulate. He then began the electrical smurf tube and boxes. He cut the whole for the plumbing drains into the floor and hang the waste lines. When doing this he realized that we did not have a proper slope for drainage so he had to raise the container a foot. This freaked me out but he and Peter got it done pretty easily. Needless to say we now need a skirting and a deck to hide the beautiful 3 inch PVC pipe to the septic system. We will come up with something clever.

I also had been working on the exterior of the container. Every rust spot needed to be sanded, treated and then re-primed. I then had to wash the area I was working on and let it dry before I could start to coat it with a marine paint with Insuladd beads and Elastomeric Cool Coat for the roof. To date I still have one whole side left to do which you can not see from the street. When it gets a bit warmer I will start to work on that again. It will be so good to be finished. What a pain it has been to repaint the container the correct way.

After the wall were framed we sprayed the inside with 2 pound foam. We used what we had left under the container but it will need something more to insulate it well. We are thinking foam board. The foamed walls really made a difference in the temperature inside!

We then hung the drywall and made our first attempts at Taping and Mudding more then just a small area like a crack or hole in the drywall. It took some getting use to but I think we got it done pretty well for beginners. The texturing was next but we had done that before in past houses. It is now ready for paint and the weather is bad here in Texas. Normal for February, but I can’t get to the store to buy paint until the roads are unfrozen. Hopefully this weekend. More pictures to come when the paint is done and we can move onto flooring and setting everything up.