Cargo container "foundation"

[PNWguy]

Thinking of putting in a 40' container, and possibly adding a second one with a roof (and storage space) between the two.

The soil here is decomposed granite, with a bit of topsoil. It'll be placed on a leveled portion of a small slope, so there will be some water, but the drainage is pretty good.

What would you put under the container, after scraping off the topsoil and leveling the pad?

If I had an endless budget, I'd pour a slab. I've considered plastic & gravel, just gravel, railroad ties, concrete pads or blocks... Flat on the ground, or suspended by the corners.

I don't want it to settle much. I don't want animals living under it. I don't want water to rust through the bottom.

So many options. Love to hear some opinions.

 

[NUTTSGT]

After seeing the shed my step-dad built on top of RR ties and the way they have lasted, I'd use them set on gravel from drainage. I'd use some rebar to stake the ties down while setting the container in place to less their movement.

I was just thinking of this the other day ashis shed does need replaced and I'm going to suggest to him to get a 20' container rather buying/building another shed.

 

[rsanter]

Compacted gravel

 

[gunguy]

Are there any tax implications, such as temporary vs permanent structure? It may hinge on the type of foundation. I'm sure it varies by locality. Anyone have any insight?

Jim

 

[Ilikeike]

I used Road Base/Aggregate Base... It's a bit higher than the surrounding grade,so no drainage issue.

 

[HOTFR8]

Mine all sit on concrete slabs. One at each corner.

 

[BruceMc]

A railroad tie (or equivalent) on each end is sufficient. The containers are engineered to be supported only on the 4 corners. They are basically big, hollow box beams, so unless you plan to start cutting holes in the sides, anything more is really money wasted.

 

[bad_idea]

A railroad tie (or equivalent) on each end is sufficient. The containers are engineered to be supported only on the 4 corners. They are basically big, hollow box beams, so unless you plan to start cutting holes in the sides, anything more is really money wasted.

What he said. You need to level the four pads you set the box on or the box will rock. Cut some 6"x6" steel plates out of 1/4" steel plate and use them to shim the low corner once you set it.

 

[Loose Ctrl]

Most of the construction yards here, not to be confused with construction sites, use a nice crush stone or road base compacted to help stop settlement.

 

[machsnell]

Stone. I would never put anything on wood. It's like a timber wall. They ****.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, Roman empire. Did they build their permanent structures out of wood? Hell no...make this modern day sea container shrine something that will last through the ages. We want successive generations to marvel at our architectural and construction prowess.


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[bad_idea]

Stone. I would never put anything on wood. It's like a timber wall. They ****.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, Roman empire. Did they build their permanent structures out of wood? Hell no...make this modern day sea container shrine something that will last through the ages. We want successive generations to marvel at our architectural and construction prowess.


Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Is this one of those 'drunk posts' duckface was talking about?

 

[PNWguy]

Is this one of those 'drunk posts' duckface was talking about?

I don't know, but it was awesome!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

 

[Retlaw 66]

4 or 6 concrete pads would be sufficient. If you want something more permanent, a concrete footer or pier would be a good choice. It really depends on your climate and soils.
Here's a brief article on footings:
https://containerauction.com/read-news/storage-container-foundations-concrete-footings-part-2

Getting it off of the ground will improve ventilation but may cause a critter problem.

I bought a 40 footer last year, it's sitting on gravel next to my pole barn. I love it. Thinking of getting 2 more placed 20 ft apart and putting a roof across them. I'll likely use some sort of concrete pad/pier at the corners and gravel for the parking area.

There's a ton of vids on youtube of container builds, even a guy that built a castle out of them!

 

[PugetDude]

I'd use what they use under big municipal water tanks- oiled compacted sand, it's cheap, stable, and nothing will tunnel under it.

 

[CJM8515]

Compacted gravel, about 3-4" deep should do it.

 

[LXCam]

How important is it to you they be level both directions? Since my 40ftr is one wall of my shop it needed to be need nuts on plus I have a 20ftr on the other side. I poured three 2ft x 2ft footings the full width of both containers (front/center) plus just the back width of the single to set mine on and 8yrs later everything is still dead nuts on.

 

[Nuccio]

I have 3 of them at my yard I leveled with asphalt millings and have a PT 2x12 at the corners. Thay have been there for about 15 years with no problems. If more permanent solution is required a sonotube footing at the corners with a steel plate embedded to weld the corners down.

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[denis4x4]

See my avatar. Corners are supported with treated 4x4 blocks on road base. Welded tabs on each side and then used lag screws to attach 4x4 plates for the roof trusses. Been up for 12 years with no sign of settling. These are considered temporary storage and no permits are necessary. These are “genuine” containers with hardwood floors. Now they are building single use containers in China that are sold or rented as soon as they are emptied.

 

[acer66]

Stone. I would never put anything on wood. It's like a timber wall. They ****.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, Roman empire. Did they build their permanent structures out of wood? Hell no...make this modern day sea container shrine something that will last through the ages. We want successive generations to marvel at our architectural and construction prowess.


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This.

 

[Flail]

I have one 18" square concrete block under the 4 corners of a 40 footer. This has 4 cars (made a second level in a 9' tall container) in it and tons of ****. It sits on the local clay soil. Hasn't sunk in 12 years.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Dependent on your soil type and how well your property drains, in speaking to the vendor I bought mine from, he said that really, per their design, these containers are made to sit on 4 contact points, one at every corner. With that said, since I was having some other dirt work done at the time, I had a clay (our soil is heavy clay already) pad 40 ft long put down and compacted but in essence I could have just prepped the 4 areas where the corners were going to rest. Then I put down 4 ea 12x12 concrete stepping stones, one at every corner with an 8x8x8 concert block on top and its worked great thus far, YMMV

 

[BlindViper]

Are there any tax implications, such as temporary vs permanent structure? It may hinge on the type of foundation. I'm sure it varies by locality. Anyone have any insight?

Jim

Unless you build the shed and attach it to a foundation. They will consider it a temporary structure. At least thats what I was told when the house we bought was appraised.

 

[HOTFR8]

Are there any tax implications, such as temporary vs permanent structure? It may hinge on the type of foundation. I'm sure it varies by locality. Anyone have any insight?

Jim

The answer to that is on where location in your profile is going to help with an answer. Here for example you used to be able to have a container without permits as it would be something you can move. Council here then decided you have to have a permit to put a container in. I have two and they came before the rule / regulations changed so I am lucky.

 

[kbs2244]

Just realize you are putting the entire weight of the container, and contents, onto the 4 corners.
That is a lot of concentrated weight.

I would go with 4 piers down deep.

 

[OldNeons]

I have three 40' and one 20' here and all are sitting on 3"crushed concrete. I had a small slope to my grade that I needed to level so this worked well to take care of that and allow drainage, while still being a pain for the critters to "dig" and live under. There is no way I would set one up above grade, this would become a permanent home for all the *****, skunks, cats and who knows what else.

I leveled the rock as best I could with my skidsteer using a laser to spot check. I have three 40's arranged in a "U". The first two were easily placed right where they belonged by the delivery truck. I spent most of a day pushing the connecting one in place as there was no access for a truck. I'm cheap or I would have hired a crane. I used telephone poles and my buddy's tractor (40' containers just laugh at skidsteers- ask me how I know). It wasn't easy but I got it up a 4' slope and in place. I picked up one end at a time with tractor and placed more rock as required to get it level.

In short, after several years I've been very happy with the crushed concrete and its cheap too. Make sure to get the cleaned variety so you have good drainage.

Would love to see what others have done for roofs between two containers? I put a high cube on one side so I have some built in fall for a future roof between the two....

 

[Aerospace Eng]

Stone. I would never put anything on wood. It's like a timber wall. They ****.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, Roman empire. Did they build their permanent structures out of wood? Hell no...make this modern day sea container shrine something that will last through the ages. We want successive generations to marvel at our architectural and construction prowess.


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Old thread, I know, and going slightly off topic, but the Brooklyn bridge rests on wood foundations.

Although I personally would use gravel or millings as a base, there is nothing inherently wrong with wood.

 

[Loose Ctrl]

But you can't get large old growth tight grain wood any more to use as a base material. All the wood now days is too soft and moves too much with temp changes.

 

[crf731]

Mine is sitting on about 6” of crushed concrete.

 

[kelpaso1]

How good are these containers for snow load? We get a lot here. My Shelterlogic canopy shed it getting beat up and I have to constantly clean the snow off the roof.

 

[BruceMc]

But you can't get large old growth tight grain wood any more to use as a base material. All the wood now days is too soft and moves too much with temp changes.

Railroad ties - cheap, readily available, and designed to hold really heavy stuff up off the ground.

 

[Falcon67]

Stone. I would never put anything on wood. It's like a timber wall. They ****.

The Greeks, the Egyptians, Roman empire. Did they build their permanent structures out of wood? Hell no...make this modern day sea container shrine something that will last through the ages. We want successive generations to marvel at our architectural and construction prowess.


Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

So let it be written, so let it be done.

 

[acer66]

Railroad ties - cheap, readily available, and designed to hold really heavy stuff up off the ground.

But they also rot away, about to replace a retaining wall made out rail road ties with cinder blocks because of that.

 

[Loose Ctrl]

How good are these containers for snow load? We get a lot here. My Shelterlogic canopy shed it getting beat up and I have to constantly clean the snow off the roof.

I know they'll hold four inches of heavy wet snow. I've also seen some collapse with 6 inches of snow on them. The strong points are the steel corner posts.

Railroad ties - cheap, readily available, and designed to hold really heavy stuff up off the ground.

As pointed out by acer, they rot away quickly against soil.

But they also rot away, about to replace a retaining wall made out rail road ties with cinder blocks because of that.

The ones I have seen on RR ties were bedded in gravel or sand and only half buried. I'm sure they last a little longer that way.