Family Built ISBU (Shipping Container) Homes and Property Taxes

As we begin fulfilling the “Feasibility Study” that will define the Haitian Medical Clinic Containers that we’re going to start building in the next few weeks…

While the Fat CAT’s fight over funding, WE “little guys” (just “Average Joe’s” in full possession of a conscience instead of a freakin’ spreadsheet)  are gonna actually DO something.

Children are dying. It’s breaking my heart.

Yes, I have one, Yeah, it’s little, and calcified, and probably black, but it’s still beating. And every time I see the Haiti footage on the News, I see MY young son lying there.

If you’d like to contribute or help, you know where the Paypal button is, and you know my email address. (For those of you who don’t they’re both located over on the right side of this blog post.)

We AREN’T gonna talk about helping people in committee’s and conference calls… We’re going to DO something.

Here comes “The Container Cavalry”… pilgrim.

As John Wayne said: “Come Hell or High Water”…

Anyway… where was I? Oh yeah…

… As we start laying the foundation for the aid to Haiti,  I thought I’d take a moment to answer a question that was emailed to me a few days ago.

This is a question that I suspect every ISBU Home Building family faces, so it’s a good idea to just answer it here.

Let’s just jump in, shall we?

Dear Ronin,

First, we appreciate you and your family more than you know. Here in the Sierra’s, our ISBU home is finally complete.

After months of hard work (where you told us what we COULDN’T build as often as you showed us what we COULD build),  piles of paperwork, shop drawings, scans, and napkin scratchings, and lot’s of “last minute hand-holding” (from you), we’re finally in our new home and starting to adjust to a a different lifestyle, one filled with a strange new world of awareness.

Now we actually KNOW how much power we use during the course of the day. And we’ve begun adjusting our lives, as we become self-reliant and responsible. We actually time our showers now, to conserve hot water and electricity.

(BTW: Our teen-aged daughter ‘hates’ us now. Her hair dryer is now basically history. Do you have any idea how much energy a hair dryer uses?)

Wait until she figures out that the extra money we’re saving is going to help buy her first car next year. I bet she changes her tune then…

Speaking of “adjustments,” I need an opinion. Now, I know that asking your opinion on the blog may subject us to your wry wit (and even a few pointed sticks), but we’re willing to risk it.

You’ve been right (and even the voice of reason), at every turn, thus far.

YOU, of all people…  “The voice of reason.” How ironic.

(So, we thought: here’s your one chance to be “spectacularly wrong”, and skew all the data!)

“Obie-Wan, please, use the “Force” and tell us what do to…

Now that our home is complete, one of the first thing that happens is that the Tax Assessor races up the driveway, to slap a value on all of our hard work, thus lining their pockets with our hard-saved cash.

We built this house out of our savings, just like you taught us. We crawled thru junk piles for materials, we recycled, we ‘repurposed’, and we even ‘invented’ some things… We didn’t borrow, and we didn’t overextend ourselves.

I still say that  you’re the Jewish version of MacGiver. Of course Tina (Editor’s note: Tina is Bob’s wife, and FAR better half)  says that you’re a “psychotic Drill Instructor”.  I think that it probably just depends on the day…

(Editor’s note: Okay, maybe not THAT much better a half.)

So, now we have no note, no mortgage, no greedy relatives to pay off, no rent, nada.

We’ve gotten our Assessment, and frankly, I nearly had a Heart Attack when I saw it.  It’s actually over double what we spent on the house, even if you add in our estimated costs of labor.  (Editors Note: They did much of  the work themselves.) We didn’t spend anywhere near this “taxable amount” and with the Real Estate market hemorrhaging, we can’t see how we could ever get this amount, in resale.

(Like we’d sell it, after all the crap we went thru to build it. Now we understand what you were talking about when you said that this process can actually lead to divorce, or “gunplay.”)

We have no intention of ever selling it.

We’re surrounded by foreclosures, and empty vacation homes.

As a result of this, we’re thinking that our house is actually worth much less than the value slapped on it by that “good ole boy”  Tax Cowboy down at City Hall.

We have no desire to use the created equity to borrow against. What we sought from the beginning was a home, free and clear, that no one could ever take. And now, the tax man is trying to leverage that take-over, after all our hard work.

What do we do? Should we appeal the assessment?”

Sincerely…

Bob and Tina

Dear Padiwan Learner,

First, I look more like Yoda, than Obie-wan, according to the “Intergalactic Oracle of all Arcane Knowledge”… my wife… 

Second, I’m not “psychotic.” I’m “special”. I know it’s true because my Mom told me so. And she NEVER lied.

Third, after consulting the “Power of the Force“, a OUIJI Board, a Magic 8-Ball…  and even some people who are paid to  act like they actually know (but probably don’t) – you know… Lawyers and Realtors, and such ilk…

I think that you answered your own question.

You have no intention to sell the property in the near future, if ever. So, you’re not trying to protect the actual perceived or “estimated” resale value.

In your case, it’s just a generated number, one that unfortunately helps to calculate your Property Tax exposure.

I think that you SHOULD appeal the assessment.

And, you should do it quick. You only have 90 days to file it.

Your concern isn’t the resale price of your property, it’s the amount of tax that you’ll pay now, to live in/on it.

And like I told you all thru this process, ISBU Homes frequently appraise higher than the construction costs. Sometimes significantly. I was, in my way, trying to gently get you ready for just this scenario.

(Imagine ME acting “gently.” Now THAT’S Irony…)

Okay… It should be noted that tax assessments aren’t really even a good indication of what your property is really worth. That dollar value is almost completely market-driven.

Now, you’re going to have to prove a few things to make this appeal work;

You’re going to have to demonstrate that the guy “pencil-whipping” you made a mistake. You know… like in adding too many bathrooms, or bedrooms and such to the equation.

In your case, he probably didn’t… as from our previous conversations you said that he was quite thorough, as your construction method peaked his interest.

So, you’re going to have to prove that other houses similar to yours, in your general location, are worth less money. The fact that you are surrounded by foreclosures should help this along.

These foreclosures drive down values in entire neighborhoods, like housing cancer.

If there’s one thing I know about, it’s cancer.

Be forceful, choose your points well, and then, argue your tail off.

In fact, send Tina.

Note: Tina is the wife of this clan, who evidently says “I’m psychotic”. I always liked her, up until about…  um… a few days ago.

Anyway, I repeat. Send Tina. No one on earth can win an argument against your wife or even “get a word in edgewise”. She’s the ‘Henry Kissinger’ of arguments. I love that girl!

At least when she’s not arguing with ME.

And… I know for a fact that you’re a Military Veteran.

Semper Fi, you [expletive deleted]!!

You may just qualify for an exemption that will affect your property tax. You don’t get them automatically, you have to file for them. According to my sources, you have until March 15th to do it, if you want it to affect this years taxes.

I’ve already requested the paperwork, and as soon as it arrives, I’ll publish the information on the blog.

Enjoy your new home. I am so proud of you guys!

And I seem to recall that you owe me a big steak dinner… I’m still waiting…

Ronin

Another Success Story, straight from the bowels of the Deep South!

If Tina and her tribe can do it… especially hampered by having to work with HER husband…

You can do it too!

(Sorry guys, I couldn’t help myself…)

Actually, all kidding aside… Tina’s husband is a ROCK. He’d have to be. He’s a U.S. Marine.

Converting a Shipping Container to a Clinic

Greetings, Campers!

As you know, I’ve interrupted my “posting plan” to shift gears and help the Haitians.

After almost a week of listening to “plots, plans, schemes, and brain farts… mostly from Armani clad guys who’ve never seen a plasma cutter, or even the ugly end of an ISBU… ” gears are shifting…

While we here at RR  prepare to build Cathy’s House, we’re going to pound out a few Medical Clinics, nestled safely inside 20′ ISBUs (Shipping Containers.) Now, we’re not the first people to think about doing this. And we’re certainly not the most famous.

In fact, according to the locals, the only thing I’m famous for is “being a jerk”…

Those guys at STACK Design Build up in Rhode Island have made a pretty good go of it, however… and I’m going to talk about them today.

(No! not being “jerks”. But… um… I don’t really know them. If they’re as passionate about this as I am… Hmmmm. Just kidding!)

Note the number of guys working on the box at any given time.

And, note the TYPE of insulation they used. Does that ring any bells? Hmmm?

In the after math of the earthquake and aftershocks, Haiti needs medical doctors, and an efficient level of triage and treatment. But, what it doesn’t have, is medical facilities in abundance. The facilities that are operational, are more flooded than The South was, during Hurricane Katrina.

What’s needed right now, beyond food and water, is mobile or movable medical clinics to provide basic and essential health services to both localized and remote communities and what are rapidly becoming “refugee camps”.

These clinics will need to be able to deal with everything from treating diseases to the ravaged population, to providing pre-natal and post natal care for mothers and children. The ability to provide wellness education and enhance lives on a daily basis mandates that these clinics be robust, sturdy, and sustainable.

Enter the ISBU;

If you’ve been reading this blog more than one single day, you know that I preach the “Corten Covenant”…

“Thou shalt not kick a Shipping Container’s butt.”

I’ve told you over and over again that shipping containers are Tonka Tough steel boxes, designed to take a licking and keep on ticking. They ply the high seas, thumbing their noses at torrential rain and conditions that would make Rambo faint from fright.

The exteriors are already weather resistant at a level that by far surpasses the needs we’ll have in the conversion process.

The interiors are capable of being converted in any of a hundred ways, limited only by imagination and manpower. Be it sleeping quarters, or a birthing room, laboratory or field office, these boxes are more than ready to take on the task. And, they’re a blank slate.

Your only limitations are your own skillsets.

As we see it, these Container Clinics will be deployed initially, just to combat the health problems facing Haitians at Ground Zero and the outskirts. Later, they could be integrated into “Empowerment Centers” to become something more, permanent localized medical treatment facilities incorporated into schools, distribution centers for food water and medicines, orphanages, you name it.

Like those noble guys at STACKDB, I believe that you have to “respect the container” for what it is, and then make sure that you don’t try to make it do something it’s not designed for.  (How many time shave you heard me say that?)

Shipping Containers are designed to be integrated,  designed to be locked to other containers, stacked together in strong  “Steel Honeycombs”, to safely secure contents against anything that gets thrown at them.

Shipping Containers AREN’T designed to be stacked “willy nilly”, at angles on top of each other, or cantilevered out to create giant point loading burdens on unsupported side rails.

We’re going to design energy efficient, sustainable, affordable clinics that measure up to the job they are being asked to perform.

They’re going to save lives. And they’re going to do it every day, in any weather, facing any storm (be it Mother Nature or man-made)  in a secure and safe fashion.

While we’re doing this, as individuals, the corporations will ramp up, to commit to their funded and vetted programs.

We’ll just accomplish our mission several months before they pick up a “paid for” pencil.

If we save ONE life, it will be worth it.

Stay tuned.

As we sit on the couch watching television, people are being put into body bags. It’s time for it to stop. No matter how hard my life is, it’s just not THAT hard. If you want to help, if you can spare a few bucks or a few hours… you know where the Paypal button is, and you know my email address.

WE can make a difference. The hell with waiting for corporations to profit. Kids are dying. It could have been MINE. It could have been YOURS, too.

Haiti Update:

Greetings;

It’s morning, right? I’m starting to feel like I haven’t slept in weeks…

As you all know, (unless you’ve been living under rocks) that on January 12th, an earthquake rocked Port Au Prince Haiti.

There are hundreds of thousands dead.

There are hundreds of thousands of people injured and ill, as wounds, infection and disease starts to incubate at epidemic proportions.

There are a million homeless.

I usually use a lot of photographs to illustrate my posts. I’m not going to this time. Use your imagination… scattered amongst the rubble are legions of dead bodies, some that even had  the luxury of being covered up by something.

I’ve read reports of people stealing the blankets off the dead, to use to stay warm.  It’s a horror story.

It’s grim, and right now, in spite of all the things we see on cable news programs, in spite of the hard work of the people already on the ground there trying to help, it’s still pretty disorganized and chaotic. The only usable airport is a complete mess.

Last week,  I was contacted by a group (including Ph.D.’s, scientists, engineers, corporate leaders and people who spearheaded Project Africa) working under the Clinton Bush Initiative, to design, develop, and construct “Empowerment Centers” that would provide much needed services to the Haitian people as they begin to rebuild their infrastructure.

These “Empowerment Center” structures are to be built out of Corten Steel ISBUs, one of the few building materials that Haiti has, in abundance right now.

Remember that empty ISBUs are in EVERY shipping port in the world.

These “Empowerment Centers” would provide much needed medical services, serve as triage hospitals, educational centers, and even as  shelters for children who have become orphans. I was recently told that 80% of the Haitian population is under 18 years old. I haven’t seen statistics yet to “prove” that, but if it’s accurate… just imagine how many orphans there are, now. These EC’s would also serve as securable distribution centers for food and water. And, they’d also serve as “communications posts” as well, insuring that a network could be established to accurately define and forecast Humanitarian needs from area to area.

As these “corporations”  try to get vetted (read – so that they can pave a way to the moneys raised by Clinton-Bush and others, and THEN try to build programs to help), people are dying. As they try to navigate funding programs so that they can begin making a difference, people are still suffering.

These programs are using timeframes like “10 months from now, they’ll get the first facility.”

So, here’s what I’m asking;

Does it make sense for US  (I’m talking about ME, and I’m talking about YOU) to actually convert a few easily transported 20′ ISBU’s (that I already have) into small containerized medical clinics and power centers. They’re solid steel, folks. By design they are already  easily secured against Mother Nature… and everything else that accompanies chaos and unrest.

These medical clinics in a box could be quickly positioned by pulling them off small flatbed trailers (or even dropped by military helicopters if the road infrastructure doesn’t exist in a usable form), to allow the healing to start quickly?

In fact, if you left them on trailers, they could literally migrate from area to area as needed.

It wouldn’t be that expensive. I’m POSITIVE that I could get doctors to help source the needed medical supplies to stuff them with, we’d just provide “the envelope”.

They’d run off  auxiliary generators, built right into the boxes. They’d have lockers, and tables, and cabinets. They’d even have tanks for water, and a pressurized water system.A/C? Yep. Easy.

(And yeah, I’d probably try to bolt a few Photovoltaic panels to them… You know me!)

Forgive me in advance for going all “Thomas Jefferson” on yer butts…

We, the people…

…could convert 20′ ISBU boxes for medical and utility service in a few WEEKS, once we got all the parts and the stockpiles required to actually mobilize these boxes. They could be there in a little over a MONTH. This would help  buy those other agencies the time that they need, to start helping, once somebody PAYS for that help.

This isn’t that crazy, it’s already been done by another medical group. In fact, I wrote about it on this very blog, months ago.

I’m positive that if we could build them, I could get them there, by just contacting a few churches to underwrite the actual shipping fees to get them to Haiti for deployment. Getting them into the hands of doctors who need them, is easy. There are hundreds of volunteer doctors waiting to go help as soon as they have some kind a workable situation to help the Haitians heal from.

I’ve spoken to my wife about it. (For those of you who aren’t regulars to the blog, my wife has advanced cervical cancer.)  Here are her exact words on the subject;

“I’m ill and things aren’t good, but the Haitians, especially the children, are dying NOW. Today. If you can, DO it. They don’t have the luxury of time. At least we have that.”

Give me some feedback here, campers. I won’t be able to do it alone, and it’s a chance for “us guys” (just “Average Joe’s” without “incorporation credentials” and board rooms filled with high-priced execs) to do something profound, immediately, while the “companies fight over money” that they’ll get eventually to compensate them for their ‘philanthropy’.

The Haitian people don’t have the time to wait for  all the red tape to get navigated.

Here’s something else I learned;

I’ve heard about a new 2009 Tax Benefit:

Charitable contributions made Jan. 12 – Feb. 28 2010 in response to the Haiti earthquake can be claimed as itemized charitable deductions on your 2009 tax return instead of waiting to claim these on your 2010 tax return. As with any charitable gift, consult your professional tax advisor.

Hey Ronin: Is my cash donation to Haiti earthquake relief efforts applicable to my 2009 tax returns?

Yes. Charitable contributions made before March 1, 2010, in response to the Haiti earthquake can be claimed as itemized charitable deductions on your 2009 tax return instead of waiting to claim these on your 2010 tax return (see The House of Representatives bill H.R. 4462 passed 1/20/10).

And like I said above, as with any tax concern, please consult your own professional advisor to learn how a gift to Haiti relief bill will affect your tax situation.

I’m going to set up a team to figure out how to do this, “SWAT TEAM” style – Hard, Fast, Accurate.

As we sit on the couch watching television, people are being put into body bags. It’s time for it to stop. No matter how hard my life is, it’s just not THAT hard. If you want to help, if you can spare a few bucks or a few hours… you know where the Paypal button is, and you know my email address.

WE can make a difference. The hell with waiting for corporations to profit. Kids are dying. It could have been mine.

Stay tuned.

Ronin

We’re Helping Haiti!

Greetings Campers!

Much has happened since we last all gathered around the campfire.

Most of you know that I interrupted a series of blog posts on “Finding Financial Aid via Federal Grants” to talk about a home that we’re building for some kids who lost their father.

Thank you’s go out to all those people who looked beyond “the way the system is supposed to work” and reached out to help this family, in their time of need.

This isn’t a question of “death benefits.”

Frankly, it angers me that it’s become that in many places where we’re talking about this.

It’s a question of providing a family with comfort after they paid the supreme price.

While that was all happening, the earthquake in Port Au Prince, Haiti  has turned the focus of most of the world toward Haiti, as we all try to determine how best to help the survivors of this terrible disaster.

Friday last, I was contacted by representatives of the Clinton-Bush Initiative, to help establish a process by which “Empowerment Centers” (consisting of medical clinics, schools and even orphanages) could be built at high speed, to aid Haitians as they rebuild.

It appears that they think I’m an expert. I’ll do everything in my power not to disappoint them!

(Wait until they find out that I’m basically just a cranky old Jew with a plasma cutter!)

These steel buildings are to be constructed out of ISBU’s (Shipping Containers), one of the few materials sitting there on the ground, that can be used as a resource.

As one of the appointed “helpers” I’m aiding those organizers to establish knowledgeable teams to help achieve these goals. Basically, I’m just helping them tap into places where there are skilled people that can help. Ronin evidently know everybody…

The next few days will be as hectic as the last few, days in which I’ve spent endless hours writing reports and fielding telephone calls from points across the ether, as we establish support teams.

I ask you to be patient with me as I get the blog on track, in the gaps between trying to assist these individuals who are doing all they can, to aid Haiti’s people.

Please, PRAY for the people of Haiti, and those who are already on the ground there, trying to do whatever they possibly can,  to provide aid and comfort to the Haitian people as they contribute to  rescue, medical, and vital support operations.

G-d Bless Them!

Ronin

If you have family in Haiti: Inquiries concerning U.S. Citizens living or traveling in Haiti should be referred to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225. Unfortunately at this time, inquiries to search for non-U.S. Citizens missing in Haiti are not being accepted.

The Red Cross family linking response in Haiti will focus on allowing people in the earthquake affected areas to contact their relatives abroad.

Cathy’s Container Casa

Greetings!

Rarely, if ever, do I leave the same post up for more than three days. But, in this case, I’m making an exception.

Most of you already know that my family is having a rough go of it…

But I need you to look past us, right now.

I want to re-introduce you to a family that needs our help. Yes, I’ve introduced you to this family before.

THIS FAMILY IS SUFFERING.

And they are suffering because this HUSBAND and FATHER is a HERO. There is something terribly, terribly wrong with that.

Agree or disagree with the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, agree or disagree with the decisions that put this Marine  in harms way…

… this post is about a man who had the courage to stand up and be counted, as he stood up for his convictions, and his belief in his country.

And now, his wife and children are paying the price for it.

We’ve asked you to help us in the past, as we struggle to keep this blog and “our own dreams of a home” afloat. But we’re asking you to put that aside for now, and help THIS family. They need the help far more than we do. At least we have  roof.

As we begin the New Year, our hopes pinned on building a Corten Home of our very own, we’re reminded that no matter how hard our lives are, life is harder for others.

I’m interrupting a series I’m currently writing on “Finding  Grants for Housing” to introduce you to someone…

As RR chronicles the builds of Container Homes across America and beyond, I’ve told you about people who are building “under duress.”

I told you about our friend in NC  who is rebuilding her life, as she helps kids rebuild theirs.

She’s got a strong roof over her head now, she’s safe from the bite of winter, and she’s working on plans to expand her property, to create a “home work center” in order to help autistic kids grow strong and healthy.

Are we proud of her? You bet we are!

I told you a while back about a home that we’re going to build for the family of a fallen US Marine in Iraq.

The land has been generously donated by her “extended” family. The containers are being “fabbed’ as I write this. Some of the cabinetry has already arrived. The appliances are pledged. And as the terrific time approaches for that Container Home build, we here at RR want to give you something to think about;

As we start this New Year, remember that when America goes to war, American  families go to war, too.

Our military families are on the front lines…

… and they don’t have the luxury of “simply having an opinion about the war.”

They must deal with the raw consequences of war. When their loved ones are wounded or killed, there is a very real, very emotional, psychological and financial toll attached to it.

As we support all the families of our fallen soldiers (and I’m sure that you do, too), I’m asking you to pledge support to the family of one of America’s fallen warriors.

Cathy needs the time and space to rebuild relationships with her 3 young children, to find solace and peace as they all grieve and adjust, and safety as they heal the physical and emotional wounds that devastate all  families when they lose a loved one.

If you can’t volunteer to help build this home for Cathy and her kids (and many of you have), pledge a couple of bucks to pay for building materials. There’s a Paypal button at the top of this page.

Don’t do it for us. Do it for Cathy, and more importantly, do it for her kids.

Just add “For Cathy’s Containers” to the memo line.

Many of us are struggling to rebuild, after hardship comes to the door. But Cathy’s fight is harder. She is doing it without her husband and his strong shoulders to rely on.

And as you help this project become more than just a “success”, keep this in the back of your mind;

It isn’t simply the “Men and Women in Uniform” in Iraq, Afghanistan, and “All Points Elsewhere.”

In that support you harbor in your heart for the Brave MEN and WOMEN in our military and all its veterans, please pledge to keep in mind their families here at home..

Those brave warriors don’t fall alone.

Their families also fall with them.

Cathy’s family is just one of them.

Stay tuned.

SPECIAL ADDENDUM: January 22, 2010

In the last few days, I’ve gotten an email or two that basically reminded me of the death benefits paid to killed soldiers families.

I posted this as a comment on the “Origins of this build post”, but I’m going to post it here too, to insure that it isn’t missed by anyone:

The commenters make it sound like having your husband or wife killed is like winning a government sanctioned lottery. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most of us know that when a soldier gets killed, his family does eventually get $100,000 tax-free. And it’s possible that life insurance may add some more to that amount, over time.

But, I spoke to a Chaplain (One of the guys who comes to your house to tell you that your husband or wife has been killed), who reminded me that although there are programs available to dependents of killed soldiers, they don’t happen “overnight”.

In fact, it can take some time for them to start working thru to the families that need them.

Additionally, with the increase in troop deployments, housing officers are pretty aggressive in dealing with housing, and this does convince some families to leave the base “early” only to find out that the housing allowance they’re entitled to won’t cover the actual cost of housing in the resettlement place of their choosing.

There’s a lot of duress attached to this. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you can only imagine.

He also reminded me that this is the last actual “paycheck” this fallen soldier will ever get. If he’s young, it’s nothing but a pittance when you consider how long he or she would have lived and worked, in Middle America supporting his or her family.

Nor does it take into consideration existing debt, like car loans, or credit card debt, and feeding and clothing your kids. Most enlisted soldiers and their families live at what is basically the poverty level. Credit cards become life rafts, until you can no longer make the payments, because Mommy or Daddy is dead.

Let’s do some math;

Paying off the cars, and clearing the credit card debt. Plus clothes for the new school year. There goes $30-40 thousand, maybe even $50 thousand right off the top, to keep the wolves at bay.

That “death benefit check” isn’t going that far, is it?

And I’ll remind you that analysts are saying that the REAL unemployment rate in America is over 20% right now. Mom or Dad is gonna pay daycare while they look for a decent job, IF they can find one, and they have the skillset demanded for it. And then, they’re going to pay for child care so that they can work to fill in all the gaps.

And day care isn’t cheap. There goes another $20 thousand dollars a year, at least…

That “death benefit” money REALLY isn’t going to go very far, all things considered.

And, you still haven’t addressed a regular mortgage payment over time, just to have a roof while you try to adjust. mortgage. Even if you live in a slum, there’s another $12-15,000.

Let’s see… you got $100,000 grand, eventually. And just to survive, you had to spend at least $60-75 thousand, just to try and prepare for whatever will come in the next few years, while you face life alone. (Okay, you CAN get a TAPs counselor on the phone, if you have to.) Yeah, that’s “lottery” riches.

Regardless of what programs this family is entitled to eventually, one thing is certain, they won’t lack for a home, NOW.

They already have enough to deal with.

And if they get a “decent” amount of money later, the surviving parent can insure that the kids will go to a “decent” college.

Nut’s to all that stress… I’m building them a house. I’ll use my own stuff if I have to. It’s one less thing for them to worry about.

Ronin

Looking Out the “Door to the World”…

Greetings, campers!

I dropped off the face of the earth for a few days. I didn’t do it voluntarily.

Look, “Today” isn’t exactly the “Tomorrow” that I had hoped for, but…

It happened because we just couldn’t stretch far enough to keep the “cable company”  happy, and they turned off our internet connection.

They don’t care that we’re having a hard time. They don’t care that diapers and my wife’s prescription drugs for her cancer are more important than checking email and writing blog posts.

I know that it doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re struggling from month to month with cancer living in your house, everything gets put under the microscope, and last month… it was “medicine or bandwidth”.

As we rebuild, and as we teach other families to rebuild, we could use your help. I’ll continue this blog as long as “our wallet” allows  us to.

But frankly, when it comes time to choose between my family’s “We can’t live without’s” and the blog, the family will win, every time.

If you like the blog, if it’s helping you to rebuild, if it’s fueling your ideas and it’s making things easier for you, then I’m asking you to help us continue doing it. We set up a Paypal account for that purpose, and it’s easy and secure.  The button is up there on the right side of the monitor screen. Paypal spends millions of dollars to secure your transactions and keep your personal information safe.

And… we’ll never see your info,  just your donation to the blog.

We all have these struggles as the economy commits sepuku, and jobs disappear. So, like I said… we’re behind right now, and over the next few weeks, I’ll do what I can to try and get caught up.

While I was “away”, I received several emails from families who are trying to figure out HOW to cut a container up, like we’re doing in the “Dawg Trots of Dixie” experiment/project.

Now… I’m not talking about making boxes “shorter”, I’m talking about making holes in them to put doors and windows.

So, I’ll interrupt the series on “Finding a Federal Grant”, so we can spend the day talking about actual fabrication. No, not the “creative writing” kind… The “get the plasma cutter, Martha, we’s gonna do some whittling” kind…

If this sounds familiar, it’s because I ran a similar post last year. Bear with me, huh? Some things are worth repeating…

All you really need to turn a container into a house-frame, is a plasma cutter or torch, a welder, and a grinder.

I know what you’re thinking…

“Wait a minute. If that’s true, how come they make circular saw blades for metal?”

Well… pilgrim… you can use a circular saw with a metal blade on it, but you’re gonna be there all day, and you’re going to go deaf.

A good plasma cutter will cut through container panels like butter.

Now, a torch will do exactly the same thing, it’ll just take a little bit longer.

I bet you’re thinking these tools are going to be massive and unwieldy, huh? After all, you’re trying to “frankenstein” heavy gauge steel…

Well, you’re wrong. They’re so small, you can carry them around the shop, all by your “onesies.” Now, I wouldn’t make a habit of it, but… here’s what they look like:

And since my personal exposure to injury is directly related to my durational exposure to power tools, less is more… Trust me on this. If you don’t believe me, ask my wife… LOL!

Doors and windows are easy to create…

… and the framing is done pretty much like on a “traditional” house. You just simply cut away the steel skin you don’t need, to get your openings. Depending on the size of your openings, you may add a structural support or two, but all in all, it’s not really difficult to get the “room of your dreams.” You’re welding steel to steel, so you don’t even need a special welder.

A small Lincoln welder will do just about everything you need to do.

(I love name dropping, don’t you? After all, merchandizing is the name of the game!) LOL!

Once you have your opening, you just frame in your door or window using steel tubing, or even steel sheet. I frequently build window boxes out of 1/4th inch steel sheet, and then “screw” the windows into that treated opening.

For doors, I actually build a rough opening using square steel tubing, because I like the rigidity it creates. Once I have my door framed in, I just install it like a normal door… right to that new “frame.” SOLID.

Ever try to smash down a metal box? I bet that even the HULK has trouble with ‘em!

Okay, so I threw that one in for Joshua… Sue me.

Since I know what doors I’m using in advance, I can pre-build the door frames and then just tack them in when I’m ready to install my doors.

In fact, aside from the “extra” metal-working skills you’ll need… if you really look at it, you’re not doing anything out of the ordinary.

You can use use the same kind of stuff as the house next door, on your “Steel-built” house. In our house, for example, we’re using the same stuff you see at Home Depot or Lowes (how’s that for a blatant plug?),  just  “regular” doors, windows, sliding glass and French doors.

The containers you use have integral locking points built into them, allowing them to be locked together, for all those sea-going trips to wherever they go. A twist lock is inserted into that lock opening, and it allows other containers to be attached to it, in a big Lego-like honeycomb of steel.

This is a “fancy” twist-lock,  but they look something like this.

Those locks are stronger than anything you can imagine. They have to be, because these containers get loaded up to the brim with everything you can think of. A failure at sea would be a disaster. So, the guys and gals who build these boxes make them “Craftsman tough…” And we use those same connectors to allow these boxes to become houses. We can even use these same connectors to attach the boxes to the foundation of the house. Talk about tough!

Once you lock these puppies in place, they ain’t moving for anything.

Shipping Containers are designed and built to have forklifts race around inside them. The plywood flooring is massive. So, you’d think that you could  just put “flooring” over it. Tile, carpet, you name it…

NOPE.

In our case (and in EVERY case that I PERSONALLY get involved with), we’re gonna remove the plywood (you can never tell how much formaldehyde  and toxins were used in the creation of that plywood) and shoot a floor out a new floor of  lightweight concrete. That way, we can install a radiant floor system, to heat and cool the house. And, aside from making your house even stronger… it’s easy.

That plywood gets recycled, too.

Right into a dumpster headed for a safe hazardous landfill. In most cases, shipping containers are floored with teak or bamboo. Although that’s a very valuable commodity, it’s one to be reluctantly discarded.

It can’t be re-used. It’s TOXIC.

So, you have a customized steel shell, locked together like a two pit bulls fighting over a t-bone steak, ready for whatever weather comes toward it.

And, because you got the shell for a song (they average about $1200 bucks for a used 40′ container), the cost per square foot is way below the normal construction price of a new house. Even with the labor, the primer, the insulation, and the configuration, you’re still under $15 a foot. Way under…

Once you get to this stage, all you need is some creativity, and about four or five friends who can use hand tools. You’d be amazed how fast you can wire and plumb a container, before the sheet rock goes on (if you must) and the paint starts to dry.

At least, that’s the story I’m telling my wife…

Stay tuned… because next time, I want you to meet someone…

So your Container Home could use a Government Grant…

Greetings!

As my family continues it’s trek down “Political Paradox Road”…

While we try to find a place to park our Shipping Container Home, so that we, like thousands of American families stretched across this great land, have windows to clean, and yards to mow…

Hundreds of families just like ours (okay, maybe not as dysfunctional as OURS) begin the exploration into that foggy canyon that is…

Container Home building.

And where does it all start?

Home building always starts with having THE LAND to put the house on.

And there’s lots of ways to do that. You could commit, conspire, or cajole to find some wealthy relative to knock off… um.. er… convince that you were a good investment (and not “that rotten SOB that married her ‘idiot’ daughter…”),  you could collect cans found beside the highway and then recycle them for “lot money…”

Some of you are fortunate enough to already have the land to build on, and now, you’re just looking for the money to build with.

And as we all know, one of the best ways to build is with someone else’s money, right?

Now… who do we know that has money?

Not Uncle Charlie, that’s for sure! He wired all his money to Nigeria, ever since he got that “next of kin inheritance” notification. Now, he’s just waiting for his UPS package filled with Benjamins! Oy, what a rube!

Not my “Mother-In-Law” either, apparently. She says that she spends all hers on BINGO.

Okay, we gotta look somewhere else. Hmmm…

Why? Well, I don’t know about YOU, but  I want to avoid “the snakes in the tall grass”, relative or otherwise…

And you could apply for a Government grant.

Hey, you see them on infomercials all the time, so that goofy guy in the glasses must be talking about free money, right?

Well, okay then! If you saw it on TV, it must be true. Right? That settles it…

So, you wanna get a grant…

Well, here’s another “tri- (or maybe even quad) postal” information bonanza, guaranteed to… um… er… show up on your monitor.

What you actually do with it is on you.

As I struggled with this accursed child-terrorist… um… er… series of posts on “Finding that perfect place to live”…

I got bombed with email again from people asking over and over again about Federal Grants for housing.

Hey! What if we look at the biggest moneybags of all!

CONGRESS! They’ve got money! Heck they’re giving away trillions of dollars!

Let’s get us one of them “grants!”

Um… er… Okay. First off… What in the heck is a Federal Grant?

Now fess up. You’ve seen him too….  that idiot on late-night TV, that “infomercial nut” who acts like he’s a cross between Richard Simmons and Myley Cyrus.

Whaaa? Bald-headed Ronin say “Whaaaaat?”

(Yeah, I admit it… I watch Hannah Montana. My son Joshua adores her. He just sits there in front of the TV and cracks up every time she comes on the tube. He’ll actually stop what he’s doing, and park his butt right in front of the TV, to watch her. I don’t understand it, but if it keeps him happy, I’ll kill a few brain cells watching it with him. Oy. Parenthood. Mom said there’d be days like this.)

As I write this, it’s a little after 2am on New Years Day, and Joshua is up drinking juice and watching Myley Cyrus on the Disney Channel. With all the fireworks and gunfire in the neighborhood, I can’t keep the poor kid asleep. Makes ME want to go outside and shoot someone…)

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, “the crazy infomercial guy…”

You know the one… That Lesko character! He’s hawking a “yellow pages” sized paperback book full of listings, email addresses and URLs virtually guaranteed to help you find that perfect place to send your “John Hancock” to, so that some government program will give you some free money, just for that asking.

Oh yeah, don’t forget that you have to read several hundred pages to make sense of it all.

Does it actually work like this? Could it really be that easy?

Save your money. No!

Well, okay… some people may get grants by using that book, but I’ve never met one. Not ONE. And I’ve looked!

They either avoid me like I’m a bill collector, or they just can’t be found for some suspicious reason… Hmmm… what could it be?

So, let’s just start this “the hard way”, from the beginning, okay?

A federal grant is a “gift” of money, from the federal government.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Well, it’s not. It’s a minefield with your name written all over it. “Gift,” my butt! Those grants are designed to be difficult, if the truth be known, to keep people from actually spending all the time it takes, to actually successfully qualify for one, and then to actually receive it.

Why is that, you ask?

Well, politicians love to talk…

… about the money that they give away. But, come election time, ask a politician how much money that he personally got “funded” actually got “spent”, and he’ll clam up tighter than Ebeneezer Scrooge at Christmas-time.

What politicians hate to do…

… is actually spend the money in those funding pools. You see, a federal grant is “designated for a specific use that is bestowed upon an individual or organization by the federal government.”

And politicians and bureaucrats get to legally define that “specific use” in ways that make you wonder if there’s really any common sense in the 20066 zip code.

That’s the zip code for the District of Columbia, people…

Anyway, that “definition” and all the attached paper-shuffling is the leash around that money “that has to be spent.” And, they don’t want to do that.

There’s a reason that companies employ “grant researchers” to go after Federal money. It’s a full time job jumping through all the hoops, let me tell you.

According to “the powers that be”:

The purpose of Grant money is to facilitate the American public’s (citizens) work (which they call “private party research and development”) in areas where the government hasn’t grow enough tentacles to get into and ruin. Wait, that’s not it… Or IS it?

Grants are supposed to get paid out to the public to commit to “works” that are critical to the advancement of the nation. You know, stuff like housing, job creation, and energy conservation, stuff like that…

“Uncle Sam” isn’t just giving out Benjamin’s for “fun”…

… the government learned long ago that grants are much better way of achieving specific tasks, than simply tasking already overworked government workers. So, they pay us to help move the ball forward ourselves. After all, many citizens and privately operated companies are better streamlined for specific tasks and have infrastructure and expertise to carry them out.

And, those “private operations” operate on common sense, or they vanish like the dinosaurs…

Us “private citizens” don’t seem to get “bailed out”…

Speaking of “bailing”… I have a kid to get in the tub, so…

Next time, we’ll talk about applying for that Federal grant…

Stay tuned!

I write this blog, because like many other families in America and beyond right now…  my family’s SURVIVAL is at stake.

I’m asking you to get involved.

IF you can, throw us a bone, huh?

If I’ve helped you, informed you, educated you, or just entertained you with the hundreds of informative posts we’ve  written… please consider donating a few bucks to the blog, to help us survive and rebuild OUR home. Every dollar counts, and  every penny gets very carefully spent.

There’s a Paypal button located right up there at the top of the page. It’s easy, it’s SAFE, and it’s SECURE.

And we’ll appreciate it more than you can possibly know.

Meet the RR Architect – Pick of the Month: Adam Kalkin

Greetings, Corten Crusaders!

Every once in awhile I throw another architect onto the bonfire… um…er…  “showcase” a talented guy or gal who’s making an impact in the ISBU – Container Home movement.

Enter – Adam Kalkin.

Now, I ain’t worried about Adam getting irritated at me, because, frankly, I’m pretty sure that I can take him. I don’t smoke “stinky cigars”…  and I even know “Jew-Fu”, after all…

I hadn’t thrown Adam to the wolves here, because frankly, I figured that everybody already knows who he is. Although his work is a “little bit abstract” at times, his work has inspired just about anyone who has ever put a plasma cutter to a container. He certainly inspired me.

He did this project:

.

And this one:

And even this one;

But at a time when many architects are trying to “re-green” themselves, to try and find some commerce in a dying market,… Adam Kalkin is “the real deal”.

Okay, some people don’t get his “stuff.” But, I do. And, I think that if you look at it carefully, you will too.

This guys isn’t just an architect, he’s an artist.  He gives birth to projects that contain the essence of  “industrial grit mixed with poetic touches and a dash of performance art” to quote a source I have over at Dwell Magazine.

If you look up “Mad Genius” in any on-line dictionary, you’ll probably see his photograph. But, he has the project bio to back it up, let me assure you.  And, most of those projects involve the use of shipping containers as a structural component.

He’s been featured in the New York Times, and even in architectural Bibles, like Dwell Magazine.

Adam’s the guy who came up with the “Quik House“.

This home is a prefab kit, using shipping containers. It’s an 8 week endeavor, and you end up with  3 BDRMs/2.5 Baths – 2000 square feet of Corten bliss. All this, for the low, low price of about $99,000.00.

Now, I’ve built a home similar to Adam’s, we used a ton of recycled and repurposed materials,  and we were pretty careful… but we still spent about $110,000.00. to complete it. So, YMMV.

By the way, it appraised out at over $200 a square foot.

If this concept is any indication of Adam’s insight and brilliance, well…  it’s clear that the man knows ISBUs.  Adam knows what he’s doing, and he has some real vision when it comes to repurposing “cast-off” Corten containers into homes that families will cherish for decades to come.

Yeah… Adam is a little bit arrogant. Hey! All brilliant men are!

Or so I keep telling my wife, who thinks that “arrogant” is my middle name. Adam does come off as a bit of a know-it-all.

But, he comes by it honestly He’s gotten it the old fashioned way. He EARNED it.

Is he “too cool for school”? Probably.

But, if you pay attention, you can learn “stuff.”

And like Michael Douglas said in that movie; “Stuff is good…”

Or was he talking about something else? I forget.

Every time I think of Michael Douglas, I think of Sharon Stone in the interrogation room, or Catherine Zeta “I must be crazy to marry a Douglas.” So sue me.

For those of you who aren’t impressed by this guy…

NO! Not Michael Douglas! Try to keep up, huh? 

I’ll be waiting for your videos of the homes that YOU built using shipping containers.

Here’s Adam;

Stay tuned.

Okay, you all know what’s going on with my family, so I’m not going  to beat you up with that…

If this blog has helped you, educated you, amused you, or even just made you shake your head and wonder why I’m not locked up in some room clad with rubber tiles…

Please know that this site has required a great deal of money, time and effort to develop & maintain. If it’s been useful to you at all, and you can afford to…  you can help my family and support this site by making a small donation by hitting that Paypal button up there on the right. Paypal is the BEST “secure” way to donate to any cause… especially one like ours. This will help keep us alive while we try to remedy our own situation, and empower us to continue writing, maintaining, providing countless hours of hard work, and including any updates or topics that I think might interest the readers here.

And the Winner is…

Greetings, Corten Campers!

I’ve spent several days writing a series of comprehensive posts, guaranteed to hold you spellbound on the edge of your seat, and make you wonder where Ronin gets all this wonderful IQ from…

Okay, maybe not…

And, even “I” wondered just what the first post of the New Year would be about, as I struggled with research that includes navigating government documentation, periodicals, and “pages deep” websites designed ( I suspect) to “confuse and amaze you”, thus preventing you from actually using the gained information to successfully navigate the Federal Grant Process….

So, while I finish up a “multi-part post marathon”, chew on this;

“Fast-build” a 320 square foot ISBU home;

ZEROCabin does it again! Do they actually BUILD anything?

My thanks to Jesse at Texas Container Homes (who builds homes for the elderly), for reminding me of this.

Um… I’d had it in my scheduler for months and I meant to run it earlier, but somehow I forgot to post it…

Senility… Who knew?

And we’ve all heard about the controversy about Ceramic Insulation that you just spray onto a container instead of using “regular” insulation. Right?

I get asked about this “mysterious and magical” stuff at least five times a week.

Well… here’s how it started:

Bob Vila (you remember Bob Vila, right?) talks to an expert about Ceramic Insulation;

Now ya gotta love “The BOB”, and I even admire David Cross.

Now David is a good friend of the blog. “Mr Famous” Bob Vila? Not so much. He’s apparently  “too good” for us!

But Dave… we were talking about DAVE, remember? He’s  “the Power behind the power” that is SG Blocks, which is one of the leading ISBU Based construction giants on the “GREEN” planet today.

While I admit that I agree with him about most ISBU related topics. I’m just not convinced about Supertherm.

Here’s a “private company sponsored” promo for the material;

And yet another;

Sound’s good, huh?

It seems good, but if you can’t verify it with “Industry Accepted Redundant Testing,” it’s just …

…um… “nonsense. “Ask any engineer.

Or… if you don’t know an engineer…  you could start with this article:

“Insulating Paint” Merchants Dupe Gullible Homeowners

I love the “Cookie Sheet and Court” segment in the commentary. It’s just brilliant!

And if you’re a Rep or better yet, an Engineer with a Ceramic Coating Company, and you’d like the chance to rebut this post, just drop me an email. I’ll be happy to post your response. Here at RR, we’re all about discovering the “truth.”  You know… the kind based on facts.

Sheesh… now “we’re clouding the issue with facts”… is it any wonder that building with containers gets so confusing?

Ronin

I’m asking you to get involved.

If I’ve helped you, informed you, educated you, or just entertained you with the hundreds of posts we written… please consider donating a few bucks to the blog, to help us survive and rebuild OUR home. Every dollar counts, and  every penny gets carefully spent. There’s a Paypal button right up there at the top of the page. It’s easy, it’s SAFE, and it’s SECURE. Every family deserves a home, and ours is no different. Our family needs a home. Our situation is dire. I’m not going to waste bandwidth plastering pictures up of my wife in her sickbed… or my 2 year old little boy who orbits it. I’ve written about the circumstances here, already. If you can spare “a donation to the cause”, we’d appreciate it.

FYI: Anybody who doesn’t love Bob Vila is a “Commie.” I know it’s true, because my Mom (the Major) told me so. And unlike those “other guys”… Marines know EVERYTHING!

‘Nuff said.

Happy, Happy… 2010! Now shut up, and pass the Plasma Cutter!

Greetings, Corten Campers!

Happy Freakin’ New Year!

Hey, at the very least, I can say that it’s been pretty exciting here at Renaissance Ronin over the last year!  In looking back at the blog post statistics, I have to tell you that I was surprised at the posts that actually made it into the Top Ten.

As we move into 2010, I can’t wait to see what is yet to come! Corten Container Homes are springing up across the land! I can almost hear it now;

ISBU Homes in Indianapolis!

“Metal Mini-Mansions” in Madison!

Corten Communities clustering in Columbus!

Shipping Container Suburbia’s in Shreveport!

Okay, so I wasn’t completely shocked at the posts on the top of the pile, because the truth is that some of those posts represent what I think was my best work! (I know, I know… I have really low standards!  Man, you guys are tough!) 

And in 2010, the best is yet to come! I have some tricks up my sleeve…

Muwahahahah!

To recap 2009, here’s a look at what happened here;

In 2009 RenaissanceRonin (thru the WordPress servers alone) had visitors from 197 countries, over 61,000 New Visitors in America alone (acquired by recording “unique” IP addresses) and 135,628 Pageviews as I type this.

Currently, Renaissance Ronin has over 20,000 RSS Feed subscribers.

Renaissance Ronin is “syndicated” (meaning that other people run my blog posts on their sites as well), and my posts appear on many other blogs and websites as well. Those view numbers ran conservatively over 400,000 pageviews.

That means that over a half million times, I made people reach for the Tylenol Extra Strength! Man, Mom would be so proud!

I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year, one filled with prosperity, and love, and joy! Thank you again for all your support and it’s my hope that you will continue to read Renaissance Ronin!!

Happy New Year!!!!

Here, in a nutshell, are the top 10 posts of 2009:

10. I ain’t the Energizer Bunny…

“As we build our new “Shipping Container Casa” we’re taking a hard look at ways to cut our power consumption.

You see, we’re planning on using photovoltaic systems to make power the house will run on. And since  we’re gonna be responsible for that power, we need to start looking at ways to manage it.

This is NOT our house, but it’s a nice one, huh?

Now, a while back, I wrote a post about ways you can actually save energy. But, now that we’re starting to get serious about this house, it’s time to get serious about our power consumption. And we’re not the only ones, I’m sure. With heating and electricity costs soaring, and the economy teetering on the edge of disaster, it makes sense to muster a few troops, and start looking at ways to make energy-saving efforts around the house.”…

Container House - Main Floor

9. Look! It’s a “recycled house,” Martha! I think they used GARBAGE!

“Welcome to ALTERNATIVE HOUSING 101.6 and a half…:

Okay, I think I have it all figured out. (Kings “X”!)

The goal is to build housing, El Rapido!

And, it has to be “semi-conventional,” and provide all the usual amenities.

Now, I’ll warn you in advance that this is going to be a long “post,” because I’m going to discuss the house I‘m building out of “aircraft hangar parts, and shipping containers,” specifically.

It’s my hope that by the end of this post, you’ll start to be able to picture exactly what we’re about to do.

Now obviously, you’re going to have to use your “mind’s eye,” so use your “nice” crayons, okay? We have enough obstacles as it is! LOL!”…

8. The Many Faces of a Shipping Container – “Recording Studio in a Box”

“When last we met, I told you all about “living in a box, underground.”

This time, I’m gonna tell you the story of a life “recording underground” (well, nearly… It IS Australia, after all… It’s “under ground…” from here!), in a box we call an ISBU, to MAKE a living!!

(I know, I know… stop groaning!)

As my family slowly builds our new home out of Shipping Containers and other recycled materials, some guys are making a living, by turning the same boxes into businesses.

Pay attention folks! Thanks to the President, there’s about eleventy-gazillion dollars in Stimulus money out there floating around waiting for people to grab it.  And, this falls into about three categories I can think of off the top of my head; New (small) business, “Green” application, recycling materials… and I bet there’s more!  I wanna be one of those guys!

“Ronin like money. Money goooood!”

You should wanna be one of those guys, too!”…

7. “Mi Casa Es Su Container!!!” It is too! Honest!

I get all kinds of email. Some of it is interesting, some of it is inflammatory, and some of it is downright entertaining…

“People get really emotional when you start talking about houses. They start to draw mental pictures, and depending on their “special talents,” some of those pictures can start really interesting dialogs.

As I read my email each day, I get to reflect on those images. Hey, some are really nice, “Mental Monets,” that sooth my soul. But some of them are “Industrial nightmares, right out of Freddy Kruger movies…” Brrrr!…

6. Drumroll please! Welcome the $8,000 Shipping Container Home!!!

While out scouring the web for porn… um… er… news, I came across this little gem…

“It seems that the idea of using Shipping Containers as housing is picking up steam!

Rather than recap an already good journalistic piece, I’ll just butt in from time to time, okay? Hot off the AP Wire:

CORRALES, New Mexico (AP) – It was a side trip through a destitute, ramshackle neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, that detoured Brian McCarthy from building houses in Albuquerque to an idea to offer the very poor a chance to own a home.

His answer lies in a humble steel shipping container 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8½ feet tall.

See, it ain’t just moi!”…

5. Doctor, Doctor! All this “Wind Power” is making me sick!

“Those of you that have been faithfully following along (and shame on you if you haven’t!) know that my family is building a home in Southern Mississippi, out of junk, rubbish, flotsam, jetsam, and even some old garbage. Yes, we are!

At least, that’s what the neighbors are saying…

The reality is that my family is one of those that got caught between the “fine lines of insurance litigation,” and we have to find our own way through the “we don’t have a house anymore” maze, seemingly without any real assistance, after Hurricane Katrina ate our old house!

So, we’re building an “alternative” home. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s an “extra” one, or that there will be punk rock music screaming out of it at all hours while Ronin and scantily clad girls gyrate on the front lawn”…

4. While my IQ gently creeps…

“And now, for something completely different;

While we struggle and toil, down that garbage strewn path that will lead us to “Container Home Ownership,” my brain is starting to hurt!

Now, according to my wife, that’s not surprising, since I’m operating at a “diminished capacity” anyway.

Well, I suppose that’s true, I have lost a few IQ points, since I got married… In fact, it may have happened while we were dating… Hmmmm…

As this goes to post, I’m writing  “An Idiot’s guide to Geothermal Activity.’” It’s heady stuff, and I’m operating at a deficit, so you’re gonna get what you get, huh?  As I struggle through a “Do It Yourself” Geothermal Heating and Cooling series, try this one on”…

3. “The Stimulus” has stimulated my brain…

You know… it’s funny…

“All things really do come back around!

When I was a kid, my parents (“Gawd fearin’, man-killin’, shoot–em-up and eat the entrails”)  US Marines, had us convinced that the world was going to come to an end in our lifetimes.

So, while most kids grew up on Bambi movies and trips to the Ice Cream Shop (does anybody remember “Foster’s Freeze?”) we grew up on “Bambi Burgers” and instead of settling down in front of the TV every Sunday night to watch Walt Disney”…

2. Like it or not – Shipping Container Homes are coming to a lot near you!

“My family is building a home using shipping containers as structure. When I started this project, I thought I’d just throw up a picture from time to time, interspersed with whatever rant I was currently on, to demonstrate “what a nut-case that idiot “Ronin” is.” But”…

And the number one post for 2009 was (fanfare please!);

1. I’d like a Number 3, extras Won-Tons and hold the sulphur!

“Where we live, here in Mississippi, it seems that as the heat of summer comes on, the reports of odors, respiratory complaints and corrosion are surfacing.  Now you’d think that was normal, because this part of the woods is filled with crusty, cantankerous old b@st@rds that have been alive since the Civil War. Just ask ‘em… boy, will you get an earful!

But, it’s not the “cranks” this time. It’s Ma and Pa Normal (okay… okay… “nearly-normal”), in their newly rebuilt Bayou Bunkers!…”

Well, there you have it, Boys and Girls!

An entire year of psychosis, neurosis, and even nostalgia… wrapped up in one page.  Hundreds of posts, scores of rants, and even a pretty picture or two! 

And there’s more to come! You see, I got this”Crazy Med’s”  medication refill, that guarantees…. we.ll… um… never mind!

C’mon, admit it… Where else would you see Captain America, Walt Disney, Paul McCartney, and Charles Manson all woven skillfully into the same post? Hmmm?

I look forward to meeting you here (man, some of you should at least dress up a little bit  before you park yourself in front of that computer! Brrrrrr!) as we share good times, hard times, and CONTAINER HOME BUILDING!

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

Stay tuned!

As my family recycles, reclaims, and even BEGS for building materials (sometimes “on my knees”) I write this blog, because like many other families in America and beyond right now…  my family’s SURVIVAL is at stake.

I’m asking you to get involved.

If I’ve helped you, informed you, educated you, or just entertained you with the hundreds of posts we written… please consider donating a few bucks to the blog, to help us survive and rebuild OUR home. Every dollar counts, and  every penny gets carefully spent. There’s a Paypal button right up there at the top of the page. It’s easy, it’s SAFE, and it’s SECURE. Every family deserves a home, and ours is no different. Our family needs a home. Our situation is dire. I’m not going to waste bandwidth plastering pictures up of my wife in her sickbed… or my 2 year old little boy who orbits it. I’ve written about the circumstances here, already. If you can spare “a donation to the cause”, we’d appreciate it.

Okay, ONE picture… Santa came!

We want THIS YEAR to be the year that we heal, and become a family again, living safely, warmly, and productively.

We want that for each and every one of your families, too!  And working together, I know that we can accomplish that. Thanks!