uk-preppers.co.uk

The only parts of a shipping container that can support weight are the corner posts. I have one, the information label says it can support 168 tons ! but if I walk on the roof I can feel it flexing.

Mine is above ground, on concrete blocks, and lined with combination plasterboard/insulation ( a sheet of plasterboard with 50mm insulation and foil pre-glued to it ). I fixed the insulation with expanding polyurethane foam, very easy job, then taped the joins and painted it. It's a very useful office / workshop space. I fitted glazed doors behind the originals as they can't be closed when I'm inside.

Inside, I have 8 metal filing cabinets and a few desks. I store all my electronic spares and equipment there. Mains electricity runs fluorescent lights and a de-humidifier plus PCs and test equipment, this is a weak spot, I should really look for a different system.

Unfortunately my container is only 20ft long - the 40ft was actually cheaper to buy but it wouldn't fit along the narrow road to my house. If a freak weather event or fire rendered my house useless I could camp out in the container for a while, it's a lot more robust than a caravan or tent.

EDIT: Post removed because I forgot I'm still banned.

Briggs 2.0 wrote:EDIT: Post removed because I forgot I'm still banned.

You are not banned; you decided to ban yourself.

Please stop posting your above message. Many thanks.

Briggs 2.0 wrote:EDIT: Post removed because I forgot I'm still banned.

I've worked on online forums for over 20 years, and this is one of the best 'look at me' posts ive ever seen. Do you mind if I share it? If you dont reply,then I will take it that you have no objections

EDIT: I will wait for a reply for 24 hours

digi wrote:

Briggs 2.0 wrote:EDIT: Post removed because I forgot I'm still banned.

I've worked on online forums for over 20 years, and this is one of the best 'look at me' posts ive ever seen. Do you mind if I share it? If you dont reply,then I will take it that you have no objections

EDIT: I will wait for a reply for 24 hours

[Removes Ban]

No of course not, help yourself. I'm feeling super generous, I'm in a good mood, nice and cosy, slightly drunk, wrapped up warm next to the log burner in my 20ft container. Just me, Jack Daniels and the dog.

My container is not buried it sits on three railway sleepers and has a sloped tin roof to keep the rain off. I highly recommend adding a sloped roof to stop water forming puddles in the container's ridged roof that will ultimately rust then leak. Dig around on the forum, I'm sure there are some pics of my water catchment set up, which is currently overflowing.

[Replaces Ban]

Briggs 2.0 wrote:I highly recommend adding a sloped roof to stop water forming puddles in the container's ridged roof that will ultimately rust then leak.

Good idea. Maybe this summer I'll put a wooden sheet roof up there, with a ten or fifteen degree fall, then fibreglass over it to seal it to the top of the container. I recently glassed a flat roof and am very pleased with the results. A small ridged roof will also help it shed snow, plus adding to the insulation.

Briggs 2.0 wrote:

digi wrote:

Briggs 2.0 wrote:EDIT: Post removed because I forgot I'm still banned.

I've worked on online forums for over 20 years, and this is one of the best 'look at me' posts ive ever seen. Do you mind if I share it? If you dont reply,then I will take it that you have no objections

EDIT: I will wait for a reply for 24 hours

[Removes Ban]

No of course not, help yourself. I'm feeling super generous, I'm in a good mood, nice and cosy, slightly drunk, wrapped up warm next to the log burner in my 20ft container. Just me, Jack Daniels and the dog.

[Replaces Ban]

You know what Briggs, take a weeks holiday from the Forum. Banned.

Catweazle wrote:[quote="Briggs 2.0]I highly recommend adding a sloped roof to stop water forming puddles in the container's ridged roof that will ultimately rust then leak.

Good idea. Maybe this summer I'll put a wooden sheet roof up there, with a ten or fifteen degree fall, then fibreglass over it to seal it to the top of the container. I recently glassed a flat roof and am very pleased with the results. A small ridged roof will also help it shed snow, plus adding to the insulation.[/quote][/quote]


add a Apex roof and a hatch inside the container with a domestic loft ladder = More storage space

Wouldn't it be better to put a hatch in the end of the apex roof rather than cut into the container?

There is actually some really cool videos about pros and cons of using shipping containers. There are some people that have used them, buried, for a long time. The point is if you have to do so much work just to make your container structure rigid and long lasting is there really any point?

There are some great ways to overcome the problems with them, but I think that the relative ease in which people can get their hands on a cheap ready-built structure is what is making them so popular. You could fab up and weld a structure ten times as strong and long lasting, but without the skills you end up having to pay someone.

From my research so far, purpose built steel/fibreglass/plastic tanks specifically made by expert are the best option. Once again it comes down to price, for a lot of average people the price is just beyond reach.