Container Shop

[PTFab]

Hey guys,

I'v been lurking here for years.. Never had a reason to post. I recently my first, and hopefully last property up here in Powell River, BC, Canada.

I'v been an employed fabricator/machinist (by preference) for over ten years. I have no construction background. I went strait from a high school dropout into the fab shop. I'm leaving behind a shared work shop that me and my close friends have pooled our equitment know how behind. I'v been working out of this shop self employed for over two years. Enough background..

The property does not have a shop. I safrificed the lack of a shop for a 15yr old custom built timber framed home. Im not a carpenter all though I'd love to build my own home, I'm realistic.

Since I have on going work from clients I need an instant work space. A lot of my jobs are small. I can basically work on a 4x8 table for most things. So heres my plan.

Pour 3 footings supporting ends and center
Drop a 40' sea can
Cut out one side, install a 14' roll up bay door.
Build a temporary deck off the bay door..

I all though tight I think I will have enough room for mill/lathe/aircomp/toolboxs/bandsaw/coldcut/material rack.

If put my bench in front of the bay door I can work around the table from all sides on a nice day. That being said, the climate is fairly mind here Im not going to worry about insolation .

Down the road when money is available here's an what I had in mind.. The idea is I can build this in sections as time goes on. Oh, and we have no building codes, permits, inspections to deal with

Looking for your opinion, pro/cons.

Thanks

 

[Strouty]

I have wanted to do what the pictures show for a while. I plan on doing it with a clearspan style shelter. I only have one 40' container now, but I plan on buying the second one soon.

I will say that you should look for a high cube, that will give you more headroom. Also look into spray foam insulation and I would make a secondary roof, it should keep the container from sweating.

Another member has done a shop inside one of these and it came out beautiful.

 

[LXCam]

Just popping in for the benchmark. I'll show some of my bs later. There is one recent thread here about a 20ftr that is just stellar you should search for. I posted in it so that should make it easier to find.

 

[Carves]

I should have done something similiar to those pictures, as I intended ... instead of building a shed.

This is probably the thread that LXCam was thinking of ... http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301768


Some piccies of commercial units down here ... http://www.portcontainerservices.com.au/container-products/portable-workshops.htm


Keep an eye out for side door containers ... More expensive initially but may save on roller door mods and costs ??

 

[matt_i]

I think you would have to do some metal fab or more serious concrete work to make sure the containers don't shift apart or closer together on you.

Trusses would be much cheaper than the clear span architechtural SIP build pictured.

I think there would also be some metalwork to keep the trusses braced and spaced, etc, there is no wood frame to cross-tie and anchor clips to, you'd probably want some uplift connectors so it doesn't try to become an airplane in a 50 year derecho windstorm.

For a single container shop I'd build some structure right from the container itself and setup a carport-style metal roof with about a foot of airspace. Cut down the sun load to keep the temps reasonable inside of it.

 

[LXCam]

This is probably the thread that LXCam was thinking of ... http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301768]

Yup that's the one and there's this one as well.



http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301337&highlight=container

 

[nadogail]

Can you imagine two containers on a slab, parallel to each other, with a 16 foot separation and roof trusses spanning the separation?

Rolling barn/hanger doors on both openings.

With a plasma cutter, sawzall, or torch cut windows and a "man door" on opposite ends of the "office container. Use the plasma cutter, sawzall to open up the walls inside the building as appropriate.

 

[johnbennetch]

This is my 34x32 container garage, two story. I put bar joist between the containers and with reclaimed barn beams ran twelve feet past the end of the containers to allow the opening of the swinging doors to the inside of the shop area. I am putting lath on the containers and covering the whole thing with insulation and tin. The hole in the back will be a small walk in grease pit. The second floor is a car port flame that I welded a 10' pipe in the peak to give greater strength and the 2x6 roof at the side also made it ten times stronger.

 

[Sunbimmer]

This is my 34x32 container garage, two story. I put bar joist between the containers and with reclaimed barn beams ran twelve feet past the end of the containers to allow the opening of the swinging doors to the inside of the shop area. I am putting lath on the containers and covering the whole thing with insulation and tin. The hole in the back will be a small walk in grease pit. The second floor is a car port flame that I welded a 10' pipe in the peak to give greater strength and the 2x6 roof at the side also made it ten times stronger.

That is cool, how about a build thread?

 

[Rogue1987]

This is my 34x32 container garage, two story. I put bar joist between the containers and with reclaimed barn beams ran twelve feet past the end of the containers to allow the opening of the swinging doors to the inside of the shop area. I am putting lath on the containers and covering the whole thing with insulation and tin. The hole in the back will be a small walk in grease pit. The second floor is a car port flame that I welded a 10' pipe in the peak to give greater strength and the 2x6 roof at the side also made it ten times stronger.

I'd love to see a build thread as well.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Denwood]

X3 on the build thread

 

[M1TCH]

Just a thought, if you plan to make it permanent then I would insulate as it will condensate and in some cases will be like working in the rain, also your machinery will rust, how about spray foam ? not from a can but when Ive built Narrowboats and a Barge we fixed 2x1 timber batterns then a company spray foamed between, needed the odd high spot cutting back then screwed 8x4 ply to the batterns warm cosy dry and when you slam the doors “sounds like a golf” VW that is (forget can’t say VW over there at the minuet sorry)

 

[johnbennetch]

Still new and trying to figure out the system of posting.

 

[johnbennetch]

Check out the floor upstairs. It is FRP scrap from new truck boxes. The large sheet is 26'x102". I need some paint with grit in it or it will be a skating rink.