The Titan of Tiny Homes!

Okay, some of you saw this yesterday, because my fat fingers, or the scheduler (I blame the scheduler) released it too early. It wasn’t supposed to run until the 29th of July.

So, if you’ve already seen this…

Good stuff is worth re-reading!

After the release of my new book;

“Introductions to Container Homes and Buildings”

I was deluged with people interested in my view that a 20′ High Cube ISBU can make a splendid “Tiny Home.”

Some of them wanted an “overview”, a “walk-thru” (if you will) about how you could turn a small ISBU into a Tiny House that could be completed (affordably and economically) in one place (like… say…  your backyard) and then hauled somewhere else behind your truck or SUV.

So, after giving it some thought, and using a few “similar projects” as “inspiration points”, here is my “general take on Tiny Steel Houses.”

Okay, so my spin on this is not exactly “a more traditional and conventionally constructed Tumbleweed Home” (made famous by a very talented and inspiring guy named Jay Shafer ), it’s more like “the mad scientist industrial approach” to modern “Tiny Home” building.

Muuuwahahah!

I like to think that maybe someday I could become the “Michael Janzen” (a “pallet-headed” genius if ever I knew one) of Steel Housing…

This is a guy who said (and I quote);

“Shouldn’t the true value of a home be measured by the happiness and security it brings instead of its size and cost?”

-Michael Janzen

Ah crap… he’s smart, too…

But wait! A “pallet-head”? I called Michael a “pallet-head?”

I stole this from his blog to show you what a genius he is. We’re talking housing. FREE.

Yep. Michael has “pallets on the brain”, and he uses them to do some of the most intriguing and innovative things that anyone can possibly imagine.

“Just like Mike”, we try to rub pennies together and turn them into quarters.

And using Shipping Containers to achieve “transportable affordable housing” does the same thing. ISBUs repurposed to build a “rolling tiny home” simplify several first “Tiny Home” steps.

In the beginning…

First, dropping an ISBU on a foundation made of masonry blocks, pilings (that you cast out of scrap sonotube), or even a footed slab, is a cinch. Line it up, and drop it down. Securing it is pretty simple too, that ISBU comes with “attachment points” built into it. It’s a terrific place to start tying that house to the rock. And yes… “common sense” rules apply.

If you aren’t old enough to know what “common sense” is, please follow this URL…

Disney Freakin Land

Still here? Good.

Unlike a traditional “tiny house”, some people decide to put these gorgeous little homes on wheels.

I hate these “Tiny Mobile House” guys with a passion. I HATE them!

Why? Why on earth would I hate someone with the ability to haul his/er little home masterpiece along behind him, every freakin where he/she goes?

Because I’m jealous! I don’t have one! I lust after them!

Have you seen some of these rolling homes? There are Tiny Mobile Houses out there that look like they belong in museums… not stuck in traffic trying to get out of Los Angeles at rush hour.

So, how do these Tiny House afficianados make these homes so mobile? Well… they do that by dropping the home onto a small trailer that resembles that Uhaul single car trailer that Jed rented when “he packed up his kinfolk and moved to Bever-ly…”

And that fact gave me my starting point.

If I were to do “it”… if I wanted my house to be on display to everyone that ever got stuck on Pacific Coast Highway, making them cry uncontrollably into their steering wheels over the sheer awesomeness of my “towed abode…”

… if I really wanted my home to be “mobile,” I could just find a decent single car hauler-trailer, and rehab it.

But “AH-HAH!” you say…

… those “Tiny Housers” already do the same thing!

Well, maybe they do, and maybe they don’t…

But I’d just use “more beef”, because I just roll that way! I wanna be the “Tim Taylor of Titanium Tradewinds” when I grow up… Arr, arr, arr…

But you don’t have to buy a new trailer or go to some exotic fabrication shop to have them build you “the mother of all trailers.”

Now most of you know that I don’t have wads of Benjamins to toss around like tickertape. When I think of Paris, I don’t think of Paris Hilton driving her Bentley to an exclusive Hollywood party, I think of US Marines crawling around in the dirt and mud, at Perris Island.

I’m betting that many of you think likewise.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll look at how you could do it.

Stay tuned.

The BRIGHT ISBU Shines!

(Editor’s note: WHAT? This post was up, and then it wasn’t… A brief scheduler malfunction, probably caused by too many late nights dealing with other stuff, and not enough sleep. So, here it is again for those who haven’t seen it.  For those who HAVE seen it, the New post will air on the 29th. Sorry, Craig!)

Back to the post:

Recently, I was contacted by a guy from “The Great White North”  (named Craig Moorhouse) who had some ideas that he wanted to share with me about ISBU Home construction.

And the more I looked at them, the more I thought you might like to look at them too!

So, I “arm-twisted” him into writing a post, “defending” himself!

There are several cool ideas incorporated in this concept of his. See if you can spot them all.

(And pay attention, because there’s gonna be a test at the end!)

Alex:

It’s good to see you’ve posted the Bright ISBU on your blog – it’s certainly an honor. The work you are doing on this blog is very important and adding my voice to it is an exciting challenge.  The Bright ISBU design idea came from my desire to draw something simple – a home that an average person with a bit of construction skills could build.

I’ve been trying to keep my exceptions of what I can achieve at “You And Your Wacky Sketch-Up Project That Don’t Go Anywhere” realistic ones.

What I see myself doing with the blog is throwing out ideas that other like minded people like Alex can explore and develop and maybe new design ideas can evolve out of my eclectic bunch of 3D models. I am definitely not looking to get rich from my ideas but I would like to build my own home someday and if I could help other families; in some small way, build safe affordable homes that they could be proud of – that would be very rewarding.

Alex’s book “Introduction to Container Homes & Buildings” gave me the motivation to design something that I could do myself right now.  I really like how the book illustrates how putting hard work into planing can save the perspective home owner a sizable whack of cash on what we will end up spending on a dwelling.

There are much better things to with the year/hours that many of us spend in debt slavery to pay off mortgage interest so some guy in an Armani suit can buy another island for his personal yacht to dock at.

The Bright ISBU is a passive solar design with a inexpensive, light weight roof that can be built quickly.  I’ve seen many container home designs that use the flat top of the container for the roof.

I have the same thoughts as Alex when I see this – that’s dumb. A roof will shed rain – why have standing pools of water on top of your house . A roof will shed snow – I’ve seen Canadian container home designs with the flat roof of the container.

I guess these people don’t know what damage heavy snow loads can do to a home. Many people die every year from roofs that collapse under heavy snow loads. Roofs provide a great place for insulation and closed cell spray foam insulation will do a great job of water proofing as well as adding to the roof’s structural integrity.

A roof will also keep your beer drinking buddies off the top of your house.  I also wanted to add a bit of a personal rant here against people who have this negative comment on homes with steel roofs. ” You won’t be able to hear yourself think when it rains because the steel roof will make so much noise”.

When you see this please fire back – the insulation not only will keep your home warm in winter – cool in summer but it insulates against noise as well – these are well thought out homes, and NOT  barns!

I found it important to give the Bright ISBU good 3 foot overhangs.

In passive solar designs you have the majority of your window space on the south facing walls of your house – the sun shines in and heats up the home but in the summer heating up the home during a heat wave would make the home unbearable. In the summer the sun sits on a higher angle in the sky in relation to your house – a 3 foot overhang will block out the direct sunlight in the summer from entering the home. ln winter the sun sits lower in the sky so the direct sunlight comes into a home.

Keeping the home narrow along the north south perspective will increase how much the sun will warm the house in winter, this makes container homes perfect for passive solardesigns.

The Bright ISBU actually has a five foot over hang – I added the two extra foot so the over hang will cover a 2 foot wide straw bale exterior wall so you have the 3 foot overhang past this to protect the plaster on the bale walls from moisture damage. Anything less then a 3 foot overhang over a natural plaster wall would be asking for trouble. Straw bale walls are very attractive if you take your time to plaster  them right and they offer a very high R value.  This will protect you from high heating and cooling bills.

There are many websites that can offer better information on straw bale home building than me – the one that comes immediately to mind is the “Building with Awareness” site which will show you the complete construction of a small straw bale home.

Rant # 2.

If you hear anyone posting some negative comment on a straw bale blog like;

“ya, but it’s going to catch fire – good luck with that ”

… you can reply;

“straw bale homes have a higher fire safety rating than a wood frame house.”

“Straw is a cellulose material and is highly combustible ( the same as wood) but when it is tightly packed into a bale than oxygen has a harder time getting in  making combustion almost impossivle – it’s like trying to light a telephone book on fire. Add a proper plaster job and oxygen simply can’t get in so there is  no chances of fire.”

I have the three containers butting up against each other so the locks can be used to give the home more strength.

( I didn’t know about the locks until I read “Introduction to Container Homes & Buildings”- thanks for that information, Alex.)

I placed two 20′ containers side by side ( north / south) on the east side and one 20 ft. container in the north west corner and an open space in the south west end which will be shaded by the overhang. This shaded area will keep the home from warming up when the summer sun falls in the west in the late afternoon. I added some shade blinds in this area to to farther protect the home from over heating.  This area could be screened in to be use as a Florida room  or you could build a green house in this area sometime in the future.

I have two tall narrow windows on the west wall  that are covered buy heavy planks with hinges on top. In the summer you can prop these windows open a little crack – the hot air on this end of the house will push up and out through these openings which would draw in cooler air from vent windows that can be cut into a lower portion of the north east section of house.

People have asked me;

“Why don’t you just have a large window in this area to heat the home in winter?”

…but what you gain in winter from a lower heating bill in winter you will lose in summer from high cooling bills. It’s a trade off that you will have to keep in mind if you plan to design a passive solar home.

I also have a lower overhang on the west wall that hangs down from the steel tubing roof frame to help cool the west wall in summer. I think this overhang looks sharp in a post modern, industrial way and best of all it would be a cheap and easy way of doing this. I also placed a hedge on the west wall that wraps around to the north and south to help keep this wall cool when the summer afternoon sun beats down on it. You could collect water from the roof to water this hedge – it will be pretty much protected from rain.

Ornamental deciduous trees ( like Japanese red maples) would also help shade the west end of the house – in winter the trees would lose their leaves and the sunlight could shine in to help warm up the house.

(Editor’s note: Plus… they’re PURTY!)

I have an exhaust fan on the west wall of the roof – same idea as before – pull in cooler air from a vent in the north east section of the overhang to cool the house down.

The roof itself is a simple design – I have a steel square tubing frame welded (could be bolted in a prefab design) to the top of the containers – this frame extends 5 ft past the edge of the roof to give you the 3 foot over hang.

(4′ x 4′ square tubing  in the case of this drawing – Alex could do a better job of designing this .)

I have rows of 3 galvanized corrugated grain bin sheets rolled for a 42 ft. diameter bin bolted together in a “hoop” and screw bolted to the overhang frame.  The ends of the corrugated sheets are bolted to angle brackets with corrugation on one side of the angle and flat on the other ( Theses angles are used in building the door frames in grain bins – they would have to be custom bent to make the proper angel to meet the overhang frame correctly but wouldn’t be a major undertaking). The overhang frame and the angle brackets would have corresponding, pre-drilled pilot holes to make a quick and neat job of connecting the corrugated sheets to the overhang frame.

As Alex will tell you, closed cell, spray insulation foam would make the best insulation for so many reasons that he could explain better than me. Spray 6″ to 8″ on all interior surfaces – on the corrugation  on the container top and the overhangs. Construct walls of structural insulated panels to enclose the west and east walls of the roof and you have a quick and easy roof that would be light weight and strong.

A couple thoughts on keeping the corrugated sheets water tight ( that comes from years of grain bin building experience);

1. Always join the bolt together seams so water can roll down unobstructed - the top corrugated sheet will straddle the apex of the roof  which will keep the seams lower down the roof – bolt.  The two bottom sheets underneath the top one – the rain wants to go down over the seam and run into a seam edge.

The corrugated sheets should have a seam bolt pattern that has double holes, side by side horizontally  with the holes on the “hills” of the corrugation as opposed to the “valleys” of the corrugations – this would allow the rain to drain through the small “gutter” grooves unobstructed by bolt heads.

2. Seal all seams properly with double rows of butyl rope caulking ( gray sealing stuff that comes in tape rolls – great stuff – lasts for decades- I’ve never found this stuff to fail)  in-between the seams and make sure your bolts have proper sealing washers ( neoprene washers are the best in my mind) and make sure the bolts are at least a grade 8 bolt.

The Bright ISBU isn’t a finished thing yet but I will keep working at it. It is my favorite child of all my designs and I hope that I will find discussions that will help make this a good, affordable house design – like Alex, I am very interested in doing my part in helping people build safe, energy efficient homes that don’t need large financial resources  to build ( sorry mister Armani suit) – that families can be proud of.

My next project at “You And Your Wacky Sketch-Up Project That Don’t Go Anywhere” will be called the Bauhaus Barn – I am reworking a very old modified A-frame idea.

I am glad I started this project because it has given me a great idea for a two story ISBU container home.

Please Stay tuned and please buy “Introduction to Container Homes & Buildings” if you haven’t already.

We could make great progress if all the great ISBU home minds are all on the same page, and Alex is the guy who can get us there.

Thank you again Alex for giving me this platform to showcase these ideas, it means a lot to me.

Craig Moorhouse

Finally, GREEN that you can TRUST.

Okay, so I wrote a book. It’s not like it’s Tolstoy, or Clancy… or even Dr Seuss…

But if you want to learn about how ISBUs work, my book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings”

… is a good start. I’m sure by now that you’ve seen all the posts leading up to it, and you’ve probably even read the reviews. I get lots of comments and  I’ve gotta tell you that I’m surprised at how well-received it’s been.

If you haven’t got YOUR copy yet, there’s a button on the top right hand side of your screen, that looks just like this book. That’s be mine. It’s the one that says: “BUY MY NEW BOOK” over the top of it. Click it, and then throw $9.95 at it, and I’ll personally make sure that you get your copy faster than you can say;

“BESIDES ISBUs – PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS ARE THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD.”

Speaking of photovoltaics;

I spend a lot of time researching, as I get pointed to “this place or that” by my readers.

There are times when I want to just scream as I see “myth and fairy-tale” promoted. Let’s face it. There are a lot of people trying to re-invent themselves out there, as the economy slowly strangles us. Rarely do I ever follow the winding path, to wind up “in a valley filled with treasure.”

Until now.

Steve Spence, over at www.green-trust.org, is a GOLDMINE of information on topics that we can all relate to. He doesn’t just talk GREEN. He LIVES GREEN, and he helps others to do that as well.

He has a ton of good information stuffed into his “archive” and some of it is in the form of ebooks that you can collect” to form the “Mother of all Reference Libraries.” Some are free, and some you’ll pony up for, but I’m telling you, from what I’ve seen so far, it’s definitely worth the time to go thru his stuff, looking for your personal treasure…

One of the ebooks that caught my attention is one on Solar Power Production, titled:

DIY Solar Install.

In it, he basically takes you by the hand and walks you through a “nuts and bolts” Photovoltaic installation, from start to finish. He teaches you how to do the math, how to point the panels, he does everything but plug in your “caffeine converter”… to the other side of that plug.

On my blog, I do tend to “Proselytize Photovoltaics“. I may preach them… but Steve is the “Pope of Photovoltaics” in my book.

It’s worth your while to go take a good look at his site, and his ebooks. While you are there, take a few minutes…um… okay it’ll take you hours (as you’ll get so absorbed!) at all the Green Goodness his site contains.

(I just hope he keeps his nose out of ISBU stuff, or I’ll probably have to surrender my throne…)

Well?

Why are you still here?

Go on! Git!

Ah, Crimeny, do I have to do everything?

GREEN-TRUST.ORG

Stay tuned.

Good Books and BRIGHT Ideas!

Recently, I was contacted by a guy who read my new book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings.”

NO! He wasn’t demanding his money back! Stop that!

He told me that he actually enjoyed my book, and that he was inspired by it. That’s mail I LIKE to get!

Craig Moorhouse, from up in the Great White North, showered me with (mostly undeserved) praise, and then shared one of HIS ISBU projects with me.

And, it was so interesting, that I thought I’d share it with YOU;

Craig Says:

(I know that he says this, because I stole it right from HIS blog!)

“I put a number of projects on the back burner to rework an old container home idea.  The inspiration for this project came from the architect and shipping container (ISBU) visionary Alex Klein. I purchased (made a donation to) his new book “Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings” Contemplating Corten Castles from his website  http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/.

Al has been working at designing and building affordable green homes using ISBU containers since the late 70s. For those of us who see the potential of building affordable, energy efficient, appealing homes from recycled shipping containers – Alex’s new book ( and the larger one pending) is exactly what we have been waiting for. I’ve seen resource materials on ISBU building  that is short on the “nuts and bolts” of construction knowhow and other material that offer grand architectural visions that will offer very little to those who want to build a home and not be a slave to large mortgage debt.

Today it is very rare and welcome to see an architect that has dedicated a good chuck of his life to designing and redefining “homes” and making it easier for the rest of us to own one. I hope this is the first step towards a more standardized approach to building with Containers.”

Craig (who isn’t an architect, he’s more like an ISBU Savant) has some really interesting ideas about how ISBUs will change housing.

And, he’s attacking it from another angle, one seemingly lost on some architects and designers who are trying to get ISBU buildings into play.

He’s using COMMON SENSE.

I’m betting that if we all “arm-twisted” Craig, he’d get up enough courage to write a guest post, explaining this 480 square foot “ISBU Tiny House” to you.

So Craig, I’m calling you out.  If you’re tough enough to live in the Tundra, you’re tough enough to write a post describing your visions for ISBUs. Am I right?

Or, are ya skeeeeered?”

And… If YOU, Gentle reader…  are interested in ISBU housing, or even just learning more about what the nuts down the street might be building in their garages…

I urge you to hit that Blue book cover at the top of this page, and pick up your copy today.

You won’t be sorry.

Stay tuned.

Cap and Trade = ISBU!

HEY!

Know what? It looks like building an energy efficient, affordable, sustainable alternative home out of ISBU Shipping Containers is starting to look better and better all the time!

What?

Has America finally accepted the idea that Corten Steel houses make sense?

Um… nope.

Is it because I just wrote a book about using ISBUs to build Homes and Buildings?

(Which YOU can buy, RIGHT NOW, for $9.95, by hitting that “BUY MY NEW BOOK” button on the right hand side of the screen!)

Nope, my book isn’t the reason… yet.

The reason that building an ISBU home (be it a “Tiny House” or even a multi-container, multi-story Corten Steel Castle) is starting to look better is that  ISBU homes are usually built out of your wallets and not with money out of some banking institution.

And that might just become a necessity.

Here’s why;

Are you thinking about selling your house any time soon?

If you are… A look at H.R. 2454 (the Cap and Trade bill) might be in order.

Prepare yourself though, because you’re probably going to need medication after you read it.

Beginning 1 year after enactment of the Cap and Trade Act, a home owner won’t be able to sell their home unless they retrofit it to comply with the energy and water efficiency standards of Act. H.R. 2454, the “Cap & Trade” bill.

This bill, passed by the House of Representatives (if also passed by the Senate), will be the largest tax increase anyone in America has ever experienced.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that in just a few years the average cost to every family of four will be over $6,800 per year.

And… no one is going to be excluded from it.

And once the lower income families feel their wallets scream from the vice-like grip Congress seems to have on them… you can be sure that these voters will get a tax refund (even if they pay no taxes at all) to offset this new “created” cost.

That translates to a shifting of the burden of this bill to the Middle Class families in America, who will have to pay even more… and since the rich and corporate America will surely dance out of the way… additional tax dollars will be needed to bail out everyone else in this vicious feeding frenzy.

And, that will be yet another stone placed squarely on the backs of American middle class families.

But wait, there’s more;

This bill (that apparently nobody in Congress has read) has a few more tricks up it’s sleeve.

How’s this one, for example;

A year from now the “average Joe” won’t be ABLE to sell their house. Yes, that’s what I said. You probably won’t be able to SELL your house.

Why not? Well, you’ll have to make all those upgrades to your house, FIRST. Only people with enough cash setting around to do that will be able to move their real estate.

But if YOU don’t you’re out of luck, No sale for you, buckwheat…

And if you live in a Mobile home or a pre-fab? Um… Too bad, You’re in the soup, too.

According to the bill, you’ll need to get permission from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sell your house.

And, that’s not going to be easy to obtain, or cheap, either. You’ll have to get your house tested, to determine if it is up to “energy standards.”  Once it’s tested, some government lackey will show up and tell you what you have to do to make it comply with the new bill, before you can even think about listing it with a Realtor.

It’s called “Modification and Retrofit Compliance of the Act provisions.”

In layman’s terms, you’ll have to upgrade your water and energy efficiency ratings to match the new requirements.

Once you’ve done all that (if you can afford to), you’re not out of the woods. You have to get re-inspected, so that your home can be “labeled” with a sticker or badge that will show that your property is in compliance. It’s like having an energy star rating on your air conditioner or refrigerator.

But, if your house isn’t up to snuff, guess what? You CAN’T sell it. And the EPA is going to be allowed to change the rules as they see it, raising the standards every year, beyond the baselines that the Act itself lays out as groundwork. So, if you can’t reach it now, next year the mark will be even higher.

The Energy czar appointed by Obama, the EPA Commissioner (that’s his title) will run this program under the guise of “the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.”

And he has free rein to reinterpret the standards almost any way he wants, so that he can “act in the government’s best interests.” The “government’s” best interests.

When’s the last time you felt like a politician was acting in YOUR best interests?

And don’t let the loose language of the new standards in the bill fool you, They are intentionally set low, so that the bill will actually pass. Then, after it does, the EPA goon will just raise them up into the sky, to tower over us like Mt Everest.

The Act does already contains yearly increase requirements in energy efficiency for both private and commercial residences and buildings.

But, Mr EPA gets to do whatever he wants, and raise the bar until we get a nosebleed, if he wants to.

Look at Sect. 202:
The Building Retrofit Program mandates a national retrofit program to increase the energy efficiency of all existing homes across America.

IF you’re thinking about selling your house, you’d better do it soon. The Act does allow the government to give you a grant of a few thousand dollars to help out, but it also gives the States the right to decide who gets the grants. So, the state can set requirements to decide where that pool of money will be “best spent.”  Uh oh…

What kind of requirements could they set? Well, how’s this for starters?

“You can’t have an income of more than $50K per year”

They could limit the value of those tt be sold using this money…

“Home selling price can’t be more than $125K”

And they could do anything else that they want  to transfer the load to the same place it always seems to land… right on the neck of the middle class family.

That means that most families won’t get a penny of this grant money, and they will have to pay the entire cost of the retrofit out of their own pockets. And these pockets have already been picked pretty clean by the horrid economy and the housing roller-coaster that we can’t seem to get off of.

That’s more transfer of wealth, more “change you can believe in.”

The Stimulus, ObamaCare, and now this… I sure hope that we can survive all this “change”…

Stay tuned, because next time we’ll talk about Section 204:

“The Building Energy Performance Labeling Program.”

Was Moses made of Corten Steel? :)

Ryan R. from Milwaukee, WI say;

“First, got your book….LOVE IT! Worth every penny and more… hoping it will be the ground work for what will one day be my modest dream of making and living in my own house.

Looking forward to the full blown version to come out!

… Ive been interested in building a home out of ISBUs for quite a while, and have followed your blog for about a year or so…and have found your attitude and desire to build a REASONABLY priced (for the working stiff), sustainable residence out of ISBUs closest to mine out there…that…and you seem to be a genuinely decent human being…which pulls a lot of weight with me…”

Muwahahah! “He don’t know me vewy well, do he?” 

Actually, thanks, Ryan.

I’m not Moses, I’m more like a “heretic monk being chased from town to town, by those who would rather watch me fall flat on my face.”

Admittedly what I’m preaching isn’t “popular’. I’m teaching families to be self-responsible and self-reliant.

I’m teaching families to step away from banks, mortgages, and developers bent on perpetuating “lives lived in excess” and the “McMansion Myth” until it chokes us to death.

I’m teaching families to live sustainably in a home designed and built out of alternative and recycled building materials (ISBUs specifically) for that exact purpose and then increase that sustainability even further…  through acquired skills like gardening, energy production, and resource management.

I’m teaching those families to become “empowered.”

And “those other guys…” well, they don’t like it. They don’t like it one bit. It represents that dreaded of all dreads… CHANGE.

Why? Why would I stir up trouble? Why would I try to turn the masses seemingly against them? Well… you see… it’s harder to turn a herd, when that herd is “driven by brains” and not fear.

And in “unity”, they’ll have to deal with us. We aren’t going to go away.

Look, we’re all in this together! Our families will either perish or prosper, based on what WE do, and apparently not what happens on the Beltway in DC.

It is OUR time to shine. In spite of those who would see us fail.

Amen.

I can teach your family that, too.

My new book will show you a new path, a way to make a difference yourself, without being beholding to anyone. A way to increase the strength of your family, in spite of the ignorance of those around you who say it can’t be done.

And, it’s not going to cost you an arm or a leg. It’s going to cost you about the same amount as a lunch at McDonald’s.

Up there at the top of this page on the right hand side of the screen, there’s a little blue book. You can’t miss it, it has “BUY MY NEW BOOK” screaming above it!

If you’re ready for your life to change, it’s the first step.

Buy my book.

Stay tuned.

ISBU Housing is tough, tough, tough!

For a few years now, I’ve been telling you about the virtues of using ISBU (Intermodal Steel Building Unit) Shipping Containers, to build housing.

And I’ve told you about some of the places I’ve put these boxes.

NOW, I want to show you where our men and women in the Armed Forces spend their sleeping time, when they’re lucky enough to have a  roof over their heads;

These quarters get tested daily.

Now, imagine a place where you could build clusters of cost-effective Corten Steel habitats  right here in America, to house the homeless, the needy, and the poor.

Sure, according to the National media, your neighbors, your relatives, and even Planning and Zoning… those Industrial strength metal boxes are probably going to start out “housing life” as “stark and ugly” in many peoples eyes, but to the families nestled safely inside them, it beats a shelter, or the underside of a bridge all to heck.

And… they can look like anything you want. They’re just BOXES. They don’t have to look like a “The Sci-fi prison on Planet 9.”

Right now, there’s a LOT of homeless people in the South (and there are going to be more) as the economy and the oil spill take their toll. Jobs are scarce, and places to live… even harder to find.

And, ironically in the South, right now, there are HUNDREDS of  little 20′ ISBU boxes sitting in piles… just waiting to be repurposed into  Communities like the one you might be able to imagine, as you look at this photograph.

Okay, so maybe only the ones in Texas would get this kind of sand-blasting… but you know what? I bet a lot of families would be willing to risk it, for a safe place to live, while they struggle along with the economy and the current state of affairs here in the USA.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Now take that same logic one step further.

My new book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings”

… will show you how you can use ISBU shipping containers to build REAL, affordable, sustainable, energy efficient homes for YOUR family.

ISBUs aren’t just for “Public Housing” or prisons.

Don’t believe me? Google “Peter DeMaria + Redondo Beach”.

I’ll take you through What ISBUs are, How to use them, Who is using them, Why you should use them too, and WHERE you can put them.

(Insert your own joke…)

Oh, just stop it! You were thinking it too.

For less than the price of a couple of Big Mac Meals at lunch, you can learn how to use these Corten Containers to change your life.

I’ll show you some of my favorite floorplans, and even whisper some tricks into your ears that will save you thousands of dollars while you’re constructing and living in these Corten Steel Castles!

Craig M from Florence, Ontario, CA says:

… I just finished your book ( my air conditioner broke down during a heat wave and I’ve been spending time in a small trailer, away from my computer).  It’s a great book and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for! Almost all the material that I’ve found on container homes isn’t backed up with any working knowledge of the subject or it’s “high minded architect art” ( not that I disapprove of “high minded architect art” – but I am looking for something more “doable” on a modest income)…

Robert C from Hemet, CA says;

Ronin, after seeing all the “almost impossible to afford or build” ISBU projects on some Architectural Sites, I’d almost given up! Your great book reaffirmed for me that I can build an ISBU  home out of Corten Steel for my family that will rival anything in my neighborhood and I can get rid of my banker and his outrageous mortgage at the same time. Bless You!

You Sir… have a new disciple! Hoo Yah!

Doris L from Reno NV says;

Alex, Thank you for your great book! I’m not a builder, or even a technical person, I’m just a single mom. My dad bought your book for me. And your book taught me more about ISBUs in one evening (pouring through your terrific book from start to finish), than I’d learned going from “ISBU expert site to expert site” on the Internet in months. And you did it in plain English! I want an ISBU Home and I want you to help me build it!

(I grew up on Dad’s farm, I can even weld!)

And, now my dad wants an ISBU Home too! Thank You!

The cool thing about writing this book is that I know it is going to plants seeds that are going to change lives.

If you’re ready to change your life, that path is ONE button away. And that button is the little image of my book right up there on the right hand side of your screen!

NO! It’s not the monitor power button! Stop that! It’s the button in the sidebar that is clearly labeled:

BUY MY NEW BOOK!

Sheesh… everybody’s a comic…

For $9.95, you can start building a bridge to a new life.

Buy My Book.

You won’t be sorry.

Help Me! My Book is on FIRE! :)

Greetings… my Corten Cronies!

Can you believe it?

My new book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings”

…is selling like wildfire! The book is moving from “Bahrain to Bakersfield!” So far we’ve sent copies to every continent (except Antarctica) and enough countries to make me feel proud, proud, proud!

We’re talking America, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, England, France, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, New Zealand (Did you know that if you die and go to heaven, you might end up in New Zealand fishing for trout!), Morocco (I love Tangier!), Israel, South Africa, Australia, The US Virgin Islands, Tortola, the Philippines and then some…

(In fact, I need to buy a bigger baseball cap, because my head is swelling from all the praise!)

And, my wife won’t stop rolling her eyes… Oy.

You guys and gals are terrific!

I really had no idea that so many people would buy my book!

After all, most of them have read my blog!

Here are some early quotes from buyers, about the book;

• Jeanne from Punta Gorda, FL says; “I love your book. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to build my own “escape”.”

• Aaron T. from Atlanta, GA says; “I’ve just ordered your book and was totally gripped from cover to cover! What a great intro to a topic I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember. I managed to finish reading the entire thing in an afternoon.”

• JJ from Sacramento, CA says; “I would love to build one of these dwellings for myself and have been very intrigued with the container models over “bricks & sticks” types of tiny houses.  Am so glad you are doing this and hope to see these models catch on in the US.  The possibilities are endless!”

• John U. from Quaker Hill, CT says; “Thanks Al. It’s a good read. It gives me hope.”

• Craig M. from  Florence, Ontario, CA says; “Quite an impressive book.”

I wanted to insure that it wasn’t just the tradesmen who bought this book!

Note: To keep the cost as low as possible (instead of going the expensive “printed publication” route – which would have DOUBLED the price of the book), we’ve released it as a “Digital Book”, in PDF format. That means that you can download it and then read it in all it’s glory, on your computer or Kindle!

While we’ve sent it to quite a few building professionals and organizations, at only $10.95, my new book is really aimed at FAMILIES! My book is affordable, informative, and stuffed full of facts about ISBUs and their conversion to affordable, sustainable housing that you can build with your own two hands! There’s even some stuff in there that the guys building these homes don’t want you to know!

From cabins and “Tiny Houses” built using single 20′ High Cubes to mega-builds using multiple 48′ boxes, we’ll talk about it all!

If you haven’t already, I urge you to get your copy now, by clicking on that little book icon (The one up there at the TOP of the page with the “BUY MY NEW BOOK” banner on top of it!) on the top right side of your screen. That book icon will take you straight to our distributor… and my book!!

Know also that E-Junkie and Paypal are the most secure ways to buy across the Internet, let me assure you. We don’t see any of your financial information. We just see your desire to increase your knowledge about these wonderful boxes!

And, please know that we work hard to insure that you get your copy within an hour of notification that you’ve placed your order!

They’re going fast, fast, fast!

What are you waiting for? Your own affordable, sustainable, energy efficient, weather resistant, Corten Steel home is within your reach! All you have to do is GRAB IT!

BUY MY BOOK!

You’ll be glad that you did!

Ronin

John Wayne could fix it…

As the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill brings heartache and disaster to all…

…we sit here shaking our heads wondering why somebody didn’t do something RESPONSIBLY to stop it from happening in the first place.

And I find myself asking questions I don’t want to give voice to, like:

Why is a multi-national company STILL making US policy after they’ve created the biggest oil spill in history?

America wasn’t benefiting from that oil and BP isn’t beholding to us, at the end of the day. They can just go home. WE have to deal with the mess they’ve made, and all the terrible hardship that they have created.

I wish old John Wayne was here, he’d know what to do.

He’d just take a deep breath, free-dive down to that stinking hole, and cram a few of these into the pipe to plug up that leak…

And then he’d start kicking some BP Oil Company Butt…

I miss old John… May he R.I.P.

Stay tuned.

PS. Did ya know that my NEW BOOK is out? Hmmm?

Stacked and Racked, those ISBUs are packed!

Funny, funny…

So, I’m in the middle of releasing my brand new book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings”

and I get this email from a wise guy who includes THESE photographs:

Note: these photos came from Inhabitat.com, one of my very favorite places to lose track of time on the Internet. I go there looking for one thing and an hour later I’m still there “cruising the coolness!!” I love these guys!

And, he wants to know if my new book will teach him how to do the same thing.

The short answer is;

No.

While ISBU shipping containers are often used as  building blocks to create homes and other structures, apparently only in Sweden are they used to intimidate anyone who’d be crazy enough to want to stay at your ISBU house.

Michael Johansson decided that he wanted to “make a statement.”

It took me a while, but I finally figured it out.

The statement is;

“Mom-in-Law, dearest… of course you can come visit. We finished your new guest room! It’s that travel trailer right there in the middle… We wanted you to be front row center…” 

Seriously, beyond committing sacrilege by maiming that poor Volvo (look hard and you’ll see it) he demonstrated that ISBUs can be stacked creatively and even artistically. He also demonstrated how to build an ISBU structure that is sure to give the Planning and Zoning guys aneurysms, and the neighbors fits of apoplexy.

It’s “Win-win! I tell you what…” 

But, if you want to learn enough about ISBU containers and the art of turning them into solid, safe, energy efficient homes, homes that you can AFFORD… I urge you to check out my new book;

“Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings.”

In it you’ll learn WHAT ISBUs are, what they AREN’T, HOW to use them, WHY you should, and then…

I’ll share some “insider tricks of the trade” with you, about actually building them with your own two hands…

Pop quiz: Which ones AREN’T REAL ISBUs?

I’m going to show you a bunch of my favorite floorplans, just to get those creative juices flowing!

And speaking of juices, it’ll cost you less saliva than salivating over your lunch at most fast food restaurants.

For only $9.95 (okay, you’ll have to buy the “Big Meal Combo and a half… with extra cholesterol”) you get a good look inside the world of ISBU Construction and enough inspiration to keep you up late at night with a sketchpad as you start planning a Corten Container Home of your own!

What’s “Corten”, you ask?

Well, you’ll have to read the book, won’t ya? 

There’s a big button at the top right of this page (in the sidebar) labeled ;

“Buy my new book.”

Please. Buy my new book. My wife thinks I’m an idiot. Please help me prove her wrong!

Alex Klein

aka: Ronin

BTW: She doesn’t really think I’m an “idiot.” She’s just thinks I’m “slow.”