I’m “Growing” a HOME…

Lately, I’m getting more and more distressed emails from families that are worried that the US is headed for the proverbial cliff.

As the media in America bombards us with images of “Doom and Gloom”, many American families are thinking about “The Great Depression” that many of their loved ones barely survived.

Many of these families believe that we are destined to repeat that difficult time, as America struggles under the weight of it’s own spending and stumbling created by what some see as a bureaucratic leadership crisis.

Here’s just one example of the email I’m getting; 

Dear Ronin,

More and more (as the “global village” gets smaller and smaller) we start seeing HOW others really live.

Information that used to take years to trickle out now moves at the speed of light!

As the stone foundation that used to be the economy in America gets pummeled into sand, some of us are starting to think more and more about what it’s like to live in “distressed areas during distressed times”.

Many of our families lack a safe home. The gap grows larger each day… as that canyon that separates us from a banking or lending institution that will even talk to us about a mortgage gets so wide that not even Robby Knievel can jump it on a Jet Bike…

AND if you can get a mortgage, do you really want one, in times where housing values are fluctuating up and down like a roller-coaster ride? It’s like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded revolver!

So, I ask you;

Are ISBUs really an answer? Really?

Signed,

Raindrops keep falling on my head

*

Dear “Soaking wet”,

Bill Gates (like him or hate him, he’s a smart guy) once said:

“Is the rich world aware of how four billion of the six billion live? If we were aware, we would want to help out, we’d want to get involved.”

America USED to be part of that “Rich World”.

But now… we (those “empty suits” in DC) can’t even seem to agree on a balanced budget (or even a debt ceiling) as America slips farther and farther into a debt picture that will chain our children and grandchildren for generations, while the “powers that be finger-point and saber-rattle” until the next elections.

Am I a bit jaded? Yes.

Look, it’s not the “rich” that will suffer. It’s the middle and lower class Americans who will bear the brunt of this economic calamity. At some point, the dam will burst and we’re all going to drown… in a sea of debt.

Face it, I’m sad to have to say that America is becoming a “second rate” nation. And we can’t blame anyone but ourselves.  And as that hole gets deeper, we as FAMILIES have to start thinking about ways to fill it back in, before it’s so deep that we can’t climb out.

One of the most important issues for a family is SUSTAINABLE SHELTER.

ISBUs, just like ANY alternative housing solution, are dependent on many things. Here are just a few of the things you must consider;

You need;

• Good solid design
• “Sustainability” programmed in from day one
• Reasonable materials costs
• Possession of the skillsets required to execute the designs successfully
• The ability to adapt to the sustainable lifestyle that these homes will foster
• The drive and dedication to complete the tasks successfully that will lead you to your goal.

But, back to singing the praises of ISBUs;

The strength of the ISBU is in it’s CORTEN STEEL shell and it’s ability to be used as a building block…

…a building “module”. It’s just a steel building block, like those Legos that you kids play with.

It’s weakness is in it’s requirement for a high performance insulation system to shelter it from heat gain and heat loss.

It’s METAL. Without insulation, it’s just like that oven you have in your kitchen.

That insulation program gets expensive, depending on the direction that you go.

Anyone that reads this blog (or my books) knows that I like SPF (Closed Cell Spray Foam) or Rigid PolyIso insulation boards.

These types of insulation don’t rot, settle, decay or degrade like other common kinds of insulation do. You don’t need to be a “rocket scientist” to install them. In fact, it’s a pretty fast operation to insulate a container using these materials.

And once you put them into place, they stay there, working diligently…

… well, I’m hearing “Until He-double ‘L’ Freezes Over”… in the back of my head…

… but you won’t care, because your family will still be warm and comfortable.

While both of these foam insulation types perform terrifically, admittedly neither option is “cheap”.

You will have to “pay the piper” and then sit back as the insulation pays itself off in energy savings over time. This is called ROI (return on investment).

Say it with me:

R-O-I is G-O-O-D.

However…

That’s why all those schemes to “house the world’s poor” using a single ISBU Container won’t work. You simply can’t make a single High Cube Container cost-effective enough to house enough people  (unless you build GROUP homes using multiple containers).

For example – You don’t use one 20′ box (framed out and insulated on the inside) and expect it to house an entire  family – longterm.

No matter what you do to it, it’s just going to be “an expensive closet”.

By the time you acquire the ISBU container, transport it to the site, drop it onto your prepared foundation,  replace the existing flooring, frame and insulate it, and then provide electrical wiring and plumbing – you have no budget left to actually turn it into someone’s HOME.

On a “Cost per square foot” basis, it just doesn’t make any sense.

Sure, if you have $10,000 a pop to throw at these “homes”, you could do it. But who will pay for them?

CERTAINLY Not the future inhabitants! You might as well make that price tag a million dollars. It’s beyond the reach of most of these families.

We found that out the hard way, in Haiti.

And beyond expensive… it’s time consuming, it requires a “well-funded factory” (complete with tools, inventory, supply chains and logistical support – not to mention trained workers) and more importantly, it’s just folly, plain and simple.

The only way “that” type of program will work is if you establish additional community structures that house “common” kitchens, bathrooms, showers and laundry areas, to be shared by an entire villages inhabitants.

NOW you have something that is scalable, robust and easy to replicate. You can use the single ISBUs as secure SLEEPING and family areas without the requirement for dedicated bathroom or cooking spaces.

And, it’ll work cost-effectively when amortized out among the entire population.

Plus, it promotes social interaction and exchanges between the villagers, further bonding them together.

This model is already being used globally. Why reinvent the wheel?

But what if you really DO want a “stand-alone” solution?

Here at RR we’re working on a series of low-cost HYBRID homes that combine alternative building principles in their construction.

The idea is that you draw the strengths from your components while negating their weaknesses, by combining them with other elements that “fill that gap”.

The Corganix Home uses a solid steel ISBU core, to provide a “spine” to build off of, using earthbags and SIPs.

We’ve been talking about “The Corganix Project” for over a year now.

It’s been a long, hard struggle to make all the pieces fit together.

And, I can tell you that some of the biggest experts in Alternative housing and Alternative Home Systems are involved in it’s development.

We're pushing "Alternative Housing" to the NEXT level!

What guys? Well… guys like Dr. Owen Geiger – who in my view (a view harbored by many others, I might add…) is “THE Earthbag Genius”.

About Corganix, Owen says:

“Outstanding design. The concept of combining earthbags and containers is a great idea. Hybrid designs like this that incorporate various ideas are often the most appropriate. And like I mentioned to you before, there’s no wasted space in this design, everything works perfectly.”

[Just to be clear, this is Alex’s design. He’s just been bouncing ideas off me.]

Editor’s Note: Just to be CLEARER – Without Owen Geiger’s help, this hybrid home would NOT be achievable. The man is the Earthbag GAWD – and only with his assistance and shared wisdom is this even possible.

This ISBU CORE contains the bathroom, the kitchen, a dining area (and even a ‘hidden’ double bed).

Yes, you could actually eat and sleep (and “other” stuff) in it, from day one. Shsssssh! It’s a secret!

And, yes… sleeping in it during construction would violate most U.S. Building Codes to do so, but…

Shipped with it are palletized poly bags (and even some of the basic earthbag tools that you’ll need) that will be filled with soil to create additional space AROUND the ISBU. And, we’ll even include rebar so that you can fortify those earthen walls that you create, further.

Think of it as “a monster of a weather resistant home in a kit”. And you USE “the box”  it’s shipped to you in, as part of your home construction.

The ISBU CORE will be shipped to you from an established RMF – a Regional Manufacturing Facility. We already have facilities in:

1. the Pacific Northwest,
2. the Midwest and,
3. the East Coast…

… lined up.  We’re in negotiations with a Texas facility now, to handle the “Dirty – Dirty…”

(Hey, it’s what they call the South now… I didn’t make it up…)

Once your “premanufactured” ISBU CORE arrives, you just do the “Christmas Came early – Happy Dance” and then simply drop that box onto your prepared foundation and make your connections to power and water.

People scream about a large chunk of their building budget being spent on “big ticket” guys like plumbers and electricians. Well…

Your plumber and electrician are going to be there for about an hour. MAX. Then, wave bye-bye to them as they get into their trucks. Once they’ve made the initial hook-ups, they’re no longer needed, at this stage. It’s ALL in the box.

Then, day by day, you start filling and stacking earthbags on both sides to form larger rooms. If you’re smart enough to add some of that rebar to your earthbag wall system, you end up with a steel reinforced wall that will thumb it’s nose at Mother Nature, every chance it gets.

(Will it be “hurricane PROOF?” NO. Anyone who says they are building “Hurricane Proof” housing is probably lying to you. BUT, I can tell you that this home will be FAR more “weather resistant” than the “stick or brick” home you’re probably sitting in now.)

And, it’ll go up fast.

With a couple of helpers (within about a week!) you can SEE the difference all that sweat and blood made, as your home starts to materialize, almost organically. A competent team can “grow” a wall segment a day, easy.

Hence the name; “CORGANIX”  — CORE – Organics… Get it?

Top those earthbags with an easy to construct concrete bond beam, and…

Once your walls are in place, you add the roof.

NOTE: You’re also going to add hurricane straps to further anchor that new roof to your walls. Easy-peasy!

And much like the roof systems I put on ISBU homes, (if I have anything to say about it) you’re going to use SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels).

A Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) is just an “insulation sandwich”. It’s a panel construction system consisting of foam (there are three basic types) insulation that gets laminated between sheets of structural sheathing – usually OSB (Oriented Strand Board).

Each SIP panel connects to the next, usually using wood splines, to create strong, durable, quickly erected roof systems. And, better still, it does it with common tools and common sense.

This “foam sandwich” panel forms a simple and amazingly strong insulated panel for building roofs, walls and floors for ISBU homes or even (gasp!) ISBU commercial buildings.

The strength of the SIP is in it’s ability to provide a fast, high-performance roof with very little labor involved. Depending on the roof profile, you won’t even need trusses or rafters, as the roof will carry itself.

A couple of guys can lift the average SIP panel and put it into position all by themselves.

Translation: You can roof a home like this in ONE DAY, easily.

Apply a durable roof surface over a waterproof membrane and you have a roof that will last for decades without any additional “honey-do” labor required.

Can you say SSMR (Standing Seam Metal Roofing)?

Combine SIPs with SSMR and you get an almost “bullet-proof” roof system that will go up fast and last for years. And, you can get almost any color you want! You don’t even have to paint it!

Um… before you ask – No, it WON’T clean out the gutters for you. You’ll still have to do that yourself.

Is there another, less expensive way to build a sturdy, weather resistant roof system?

Yes.

And if you follow this series, we’ll show you how to do it.

We already know that insulating ISBUs gets expensive. SO what if we reduce the area that requires insulation, by surrounding that box with something else?

Those  earthbag walls are simply going to create SPACE. Connected to the steel ISBU (and all it’s pre-existing electrical and plumbing) those Earth WALLS will insulate the structure for you.

And this solution is cheap! All it costs you is “SOIL and Sweat”…

(… and a few relatives and neighbors that you “suckered into toting that barge and lifting that bale”… no offense intended – with a reward of a cool beverage and some great BBQ at the end of the day!)

But… is all this REALLY affordable?

Yes. You can build a 500+ square foot Corganix home of your own – complete and ready to move into…

… for less than the average price of that car parked in your driveway.

That’s right… less than about $25,000 USD…

… in MOST parts of the US – providing that you use the “Three R’s” (Recycle, Repurpose and Reuse) and do a lot of the work yourself.

So, I urge you to think about making a list of the spaces you NEED and then I want you to measure them against a list of what you WANT. You may find that one list influences the other.

Then, start learning about HOW these homes work.

Because if you don’t understand it… you probably can’t build it. Capish?

A good start is Owen’s GREAT book on building earthbag walls.

Click the book!

To learn more about ISBU Housing you can get a copy of my book “Introduction to Container Homes and Buildings” (Just click the blue book in the upper right sidebar), email me or stay tuned.

And watch out for my NEW book – “The Nuts and Bolts of ISBU Buildings“... It’s coming SOON!

Somebody said:

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

Apparently, we ALL need to lead.

Who said it? Bill Gates.

Not so crazy, huh?

’till next time…

Image Credits: Money – Uncle Sam via Google Images

ISBU Pile – Google Images

Earthbag Building Guide – via Earthbag Building

I-Spy an ISBU…

AS we work our flu-ridden butts off;

It’s mailbag time;

“Dear Ronin,

Can you tell how old a container is, just by LOOKING at it?

I’m just trying to get a general idea of how old the containers I’m looking at are, before “going head’s up with the owner.”

Signed,

Looking thru the chain-link…”

Dear Peeping Tom,

Yes.

There are ways to get an idea how old the containers you’re spying on actually are.

The best way is to look at the CSC Plate on the container box itself.

CSC is short for “Container Safety Convention.”

It’s just a “Safety Approval Plate” that certifies that the box conforms to international transport standards.

Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t look exactly like this. There are several different varieties of plates.

This plate is usually located on the left door of the container and it’ll have a number on it, like the VIN number on your family car or truck. It WILL tell you the date of the container’s manufacture.

But, you’re “on the outside looking in”, right? How good are your binoculars?

Another good way is to look at the doors of the containers.

Are they flat or are they corrugated?

IF the doors are flat, you’re looking at an almost twenty year old box. Based on current data, the factories building Shipping Containers in China switched over to corrugated doors in the early 1990′s. My sources tell me that they did NOT all do it at the same time.

Another way to tell the age of a container is to look at the wood flooring of the container itself.

By noting the SHAPE of the floor panels, you can cross-reference the manufacturing information to help establish an approximate age. Are they large panels or squares?

Of course, this can be misleading as it’s possible that container has had it’s floor replaced during it’s life “in the trenches…”

Or, you could just pick up the phone and call the guy…

Hope this helps.

The Haps in Haiti – ISBU Style

One of the “Corten Cavalry’s Finest” – John Umland – just sent this it:

It should be noted that he found this on the ‘Net from something called: “Travels with BOB”. We’re just passing it along…

I’ll find a link for it…

“One of the newest hotels in Port au Prince, the Caribbean Lodge, which in the few months since it has opened has become an aid worker hangout.

.

Building is constructed out of shipping containers which appear to have been modified especially for that purpose.

.

Pricey at $125USD per night, a bit out of my range, but free and ubiquitous wifi, free breakfast and dinner, and more A/C than you could possibly handle. The concept itself is quite clever.”

Stacked and Packed - Haitian Style

A "Typical" ISBU Hotel Room Interior there...

Okay, so you’re not gonna travel to the Caribbean Lounge to get the “five-start treatment”.  However, it does show you HOW you could build an inexpensive multi family complex (or perhaps STUDENT DORMS or even Senior housing…), using ISBUs in places like Haiti (or Christchurch or JAPAN)…

I’ll try to find out more about how they accomplished it.

Stay tuned!

I’m Spitting in “the Church”…

As I sit here at the CAD station merrily working on another “Steel Sanctuary”…

I’ve gotten a few emails from families lately that want to build using ISBUs…

That’s nothing new.

I get hundreds of emails from families that want to use ISBUs.

But these guys… these guys… want to hide all that glorious Corten Steel from the neighbors. And what’s worse (I’m spitting and tossing salt over my shoulder as I type this…) they want to insulate on the INSIDE of the boxes.

Okay, so I can’t reach thru the monitor and smack them… at least not yet… I’ll get Al Gore right on it… after all, he “invented the internet”… right?

One family suggested that perhaps they could use cargo pallets to “conceal the boxes”…

Okay, stranger things have happened.

We’ve talked about shooting stucco onto them to “soften them up” visually…

IF you could find enough pallets, I suppose that you could do something like this:

From those crazies over at Inhabitat.com

And, if that’s not enough…

Again with the Inhabitat.com craziness…

If you really look at it, you can see HOW you could actually conceal all that Corten Goodness from those with an unsophisticated palate by using this ploy…

But could you live with yourself? Really?

I suspect that you’d go into “Corten Withdrawals” and within no time at all… you’d be out there scratching at those pallets, trying to re-establish your connection with that box that gave it’s life protecting your family.

Shame on you…

Attic-CA! Attic-CA! ;)

As we work on a pair of hybrid projects that I guarantee will shock some of you…

We’ve talked about taking ISBUs and setting them far enough apart to allow the center section to be “reclaimed as living space”.

In fact, we’ve been talking it to death. It’s a REALLY great way of creating cost effective space using ISBUs as perimeter…

In many of those conversations, we’ve talked about how that space can simply be capped with a SIP/SSMR to allow a small home to be quickly created. Admittedly, it’s my roof solution of choice.

• But what if you need even more space?
• What if you live in the land of big snow and heavy rain?
• What if you’re building on a budget that doesn’t allow for SIPs?

You just might want something that “sheds and spreads”, allowing you to live safely and securely while harnessing all that created roof area for water harvesting and a “panel farm”…

A lot of you don’t live in Hurricane Alley or in a Tornado Belt. And some of you don’t even have to worry about earthquakes. So, you can build just about whatever you want… you lucky SOB’s…

That means you can do some things that we don’t normally do… like combine ISBUs with traditional “stick” builds to create “Corten Cool Homes” for cheap-er…

So, after a bunch of conversations (we’ve had ‘em here, you’ve seen ‘em…) and some play with Google Sketch-Up…

One of  “The Corten Cavalry’s” Finest… Craig Moorhouse (who hails from “The Great White North”), sent this idea in;

This is a configuration I get asked about  all the time.

People absolutely LOVE that traditional “barn” look. I can just picture this painted red with white belly band planking setting it off…

You get great roof area for a “panel farm”, a really nice second floor that can become a pair of bedrooms or the “monster media lounge”… and much more.

You will really be surprised at how much “comfortable family living” you can get into a 20′x36′ footprint.

Over the next few weeks or so, we’re going to run a series that takes a hard look at this design and then talks about how you could actually build it  using 20′ High Cube ISBUs – VERY cost effectively – using a combination of ISBUs and traditional construction practices.

It’s going to really surprise you.

Stay tuned.

Bags of dirt are better than bags under the eyes… :)

Many of you know that we’ve started working on a NEW hybrid home.

That home, which we’re calling the “Corganix Project“, uses both ISBUs and Earthbags to form a family friendly home that can be built with basic tools and a lot of sweat equity.

Corganix combines ISBUs and Earthbags – to combine the best of each system into one solid, weather resistant, affordable  home that will stand for decades.

Guys like Owen Geiger, the High Potentate of  the Earthbag Nation, even featured it on his own blog:

Corganix-Disaster-Resistant-ISBU Earthbag-Homes

We’re even exploring using a “smaller” version of this extremely energy efficient and cost effective home in the third world.

Many readers have expressed an interest in building this little beauty.

It looks like this:

We're pushing "Alternative Housing" to the NEXT level!

And, it wouldn’t be possible without this great book, written by… guess who?

Earthbag Guru – Owen Geiger.

Owen’s new book: “The Earthbag Building Guide” is about as comprehensive and well organized a book on the subject of Earthen Homes as ANYONE might like.

In fact, if you can’t go out and actually build an Earthbag home after reading Owen’s book…

well… you’d better stick to trying to stay within the lines when you use your crayons.  And don’t run with scissors, huh?

Like any home building project, using earthbags can seem daunting and complicated at first.  Somebody should have told Owen that.

He’s boiled it all down to a fine art and made it just about “idiot-proof”.

And I can say that with assurance, as I used an advance copy of his book to actually build a small earthbag shelter (approx. 60 square feet), just to “test the teacher”… Suffice to say, idiot or not, the book details all the steps required and my Earthbag test project went off without a hitch.

The Earthbag Building Guide is aimed at people who actually WANT to learn to build Earthbag structures. Even if you’ve “packed and stacked earthbags” before, I guarantee you that you’re going to learn a few new tricks.

The book spells out HOW to build safe, sound, reliable Earthbag walls and then takes you to the next step, as you insulate, prepare, and finish them.

And, The Earthbag Building Guide is packed with photos and illustrations, so that you almost don’t have to be able to read, to figure out HOW you SHOULD be doing it!

And what’s more, the biggest names in the Earthbag Nation have all lined up to shower the book with praise.

Here’s an example:

“I have built with earthbags for over twenty years, having helped develop the concept with Nader Khalili in the early 1990′s. Of all the texts on earthbag building that exist (including mine), I have to say that Owen Geiger’s Earthbag Building Guide is by far the most thorough, detailed and technically useful book on the subject yet to emerge. I will be referring to it often in my own projects and look forward with keen interest to forthcoming titles from this talented researcher.” Joseph F. Kennedy, editor The Art of Natural Building and Building Without Borders

The only way Owen could have made it any easier…

… would be to actually show up at your house to help you stack those Earthbags himself.

Corganix combines the “Corten Goodness of ISBUs” with the “back to nature strength of good old  Mother Earth”.

And frankly, folks… you can’t do it without Owen’s book.

For the price of a McDonald’s Lunch, you can literally learn how to build a home that will sustain your family for generations.  I’ll walk right past a Big Mac every time for that!

And yes… you probably could build an earthbag home without “The Earthbag Building Guide”, but it’d be a MUCH harder task.

Your wife will leave you, your kids will hate you, your dog will bite you and I won’t even mention what your cat is gonna leave inside your workboot…

Click HERE to learn more.  Please tell Owen that Ronin sent you. 

And… NO! I don’t get a single dime for “pimping” Owen’s Book.

It’s simply one of those books that you absolutely MUST have on your “digital bookshelf” if you’re really intent on building a safe, affordable, energy efficient home for your family.

‘Nuff said.

To See or Not to See – ISBU Camo :)

Greetings Campers!

Recently, I’ve been working with a group building a small colony out of ISBUs.

They’re going to stack them up (2 deep – three high) to form perimeter walls and the interior will be “reclaimed” as greenspaces, commons and gardens.

However, they aren’t looking to go “All Mad Max” and they want to somehow disguise the boxes, to soothe the tempers of surrounding neighbors who are afraid that “Armageddon” is being built next door.

They ARE insulating inside the boxes, using blown in cellulose.  So, they’ll give up square footage to stay warm in winter and cool in summer. 

It’s not how I’d do it, but it’s their call.  

There are more than a few ways to turn an ISBU into something more “neighbor friendly”, but some would claim that there isn’t a way much faster (or even more affordable) than this:

Note that almost ALL of my ISBU dwellings are insulated OUTSIDE the box using SPF or rigid insulation. Then, hardiplank or some other material is used to “clad them out”.

So, while “I don’t personally do” what you’re looking at in this video clip, it will give you some ideas about different ways to achieve your ISBU based goals.

More on this Colorado based project as things develop.

Stay tuned!

The Angle of your Dangle… ;)

I recently received  an email from a guy who wanted to build a Green roof on top of his ISBU Home.

He’s using SIPs to create his roof. Why? Because he’s S-M-A-R-T.

However, “green roofs” are HEAVY. You have soil (sometimes, as Kim pointed out, “engineered” using perlite or vermiculite), sod, planting materials, decking… the water in the soil… the weight of a torrential downpour… blah blah blah…

By the way… thanks, Kim!

This is the diagram of what he wants to do.

Green roofs come in all shapes and sizes. The rule of thumb is to divide them into three categories;

• Extensive – less than 6″ thick
• Semi-Intensive – 25% above or below 6″ thick
• Intensive – Over 6″ thick

The actual Green Roof weight can range from about 35 – 150 pounds PER SQUARE FOOT.

That means that even using SIPs, he has to reinforce the roof, to carry the load.

You CANNOT just chuck potting soil up on top of the corrugated steel and expect the earth to act as insulation. That’s ridiculous.

Beyond that, the corrugated steel isn’t designed to be used for that purpose. By itself, it won’t support that kind of load. You’re courting disaster.

You have to build a REAL roof, first.

And even though SIPs (my roofing material of choice) are “Tonka Tough”…

SIPs WILL NOT carry that kind of load without some kind of support.

I suggested he think about building a steel subframe to support his SIPs,  thus supporting the weight of his Green Roof. I suggested that he even explore using “simple” angle iron stock.

Shortly after that, all heck broke loose in my email in-basket.

People started hollering about how “limited” the sizes of angle iron are.

What? I’ve never found this to be true!

Sure, sometimes I have to source a piece of steel stock specific to my requirements, but it’s all good. Steel doesn’t fall from the sky, except maybe at Skyway Steel, where I got that terrific photo!

Here’s a table that will give you some ideas about WHAT SIZES of angle iron are readily available.

Included is thickness and dimensions of the angle iron stock, the weight of the steel per 20′ section and some pricing. Disregard the pricing as steel is moving up and down all the time. When you need the steel, price it locally.

Or better yet, find some to recycle. You’d be surprised what you can find, if you really go look for it.

Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size-1 / 8″x		wt20′		Per/ft.		/10ft		/20ft
1/2″ x 1/2″		7.6		$0.75		$5.50		$10.00
3/4″ x 3/4″		11.8		$1.00		$5.50		$11.00
1″ x 1″		16		$1.25		$6.50		$12.00
1-1/4 x1-1/4		20.		$1.50		$8.50		$15.00
1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″		25		$1.75		$10.50		$19.00
2″ x 2″		33		$2.00		$14.00		$25.00
Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size-3/16″x		wt20′		Per/ft.		/10ft		/20ft
1″ x 1″		23.		$1.50		$9.00		$17.00
1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″		30		$2.00		$11.00		$20.00
1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″		36		$2.50		$14.00		$26.00
2″ x 2″		49		$3.00		$18.00		$32.00
2-1/2″ x 2″		55		$4.50		$24.00		$45.00
2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″		61		$4.00		$23.50		$43.00
3″ x 2″		61		$4.00		$23.50		$43.00
3″ x 3″		74.		$5.00		$28.00		$52.00
Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size – 1/4″x		wt20′		Per/ft		/10ft		/20ft
1″ x 1″		30		$2.00		$12.00		$22.50
1-1/4″ x 1-1/4″		38		$2.50		$15.00		$28.50
1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″		47		$3.00		$17.00		$31.00
2″ x 2″		64		$4.00		$22.00		$42.00
2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″		82		$5.00		$29.00		$54.00
3″ x 2″		82		$5.00		$29.00		$54.00
3″ x 3″		98		$6.00		$34.00		$64.00
4″ x 3″		116		$7.00		$43.00		$80.00
4″ x 4″		132		$8.00		$49.00		$86.50
5″ x 3″		132		$18.00		$49.00		$86.50
Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size-5/16″x		wt20′		Per/ft.		/10ft		/20ft
3″ x 2″		100		xxx		$41.00		$77.50
4″ x 3″		154		xxx		$60.00		$110.00
5″x 3″		164		xxx		$66.00		$125.00
6″ x 4″		206		xxx		$90.00		$160.00
Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size-3/8″x		wt20′		Per/ft.		/10ft		/20ft
2″ x 2″		94		xxx		$35.00		$65.00
2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″		118		xxx		$44.00		$80.00
3″ x 2″		118		xxx		$44.00		$80.00
3″ x 3″		144		xxx		$58.00		$105.00
4″ x 3″		182		xxx		$74.00		$140.00
4″ x 4″		196		xxx		$79.00		$150.00
5″ x 3″		196		xxx		$79.00		$150.00
4″ x 6″		246		xxx		$100.00		$190.00
6″ x 6″		298		xxx		$125.00		$220.00
Angle Iron		Wt.		Price		Price		Price
size-1/2″x		wt20′		Per/ft.		/10ft		/20ft
6″ x 6″		392		xxx		$165.00	1	314

As you can see, there are lot’s of options.

Just do your homework and then use your head.

William H. Johnson said: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Dedicate yourself to being dedicated to yourself. Think things through until the solution is reached. It’s that self-reliance and self-responsibility that will guide you through hard times.

That is all. End of transmission…

Spiritual Spaces

People ask me all the time if it’s really possible to live in a shipping container home.

They just can’t seem to wrap their heads around the idea that space is based on how you USE it. They think that people using ISBUs are trapped in long narrow rooms, as the walls slowly close in.

People don’t usually build homes using single containers. They combine them to create open, airy spaces wrapped securely in steel.

In fact, it should be noted that  we very rarely get involved in Single ISBU builds.

When you do that… you’re talking about “shotgun” spaces that can be very defined and even claustrophobic, unless you are VERY careful with design.

We’ve all heard about “Micro Homes”. We’ve all seen the photographs of ridiculously small Hong Kong and even New York Apartments.

But wait, there’s MORE:

The Japanese have almost turned small footprint homes into an artform. 

In fact, some would say that is exactly what they’ve done.

A reader sent this to me and asked if it could be reproduced using containers.

Atelier Tekuto architects have pushed what some would call “ridiculous” to a whole new level. They’ve built an incredible “small house” in Tokyo, Japan. They’ve embraced that narrow footprint.

In their own words:

“With its ten feet wide and three stories tall design “Lucky Drops” fits perfectly into the Japanese micro-home movement.

The house is built on a extremely narrow and long lot, giving main architect Yasuhiro Yamashiita the huge challenge to design a house that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

He used flexible translucent walls and perforated floors to provide the building with as much daylight as possible and, according to the architect, the house is as open and airy as possible.”

Okay, it’s certainly not ISBU’s. It’s 10 feet wide, after all.

But what if you did the same thing by stacking (2) 48′ ISBUs on top of each other? You’d have an 8 1/2 foot wide home, 3 stories tall (2 stories plus the “attic”).  AND, you’d accomplish it in minutes. Like about 15 of them. You can easily stack an ISBU on top of another one in 15 minutes time – even with a rookie crew.

We’ve seen examples of this before;

Remember this?

Now think about how many of these little steel sanctuaries you could place on a small piece of property without anyone feeling like they were packing into subdivisions like sardines.

Granted,  the Atelier Tekuto house isn’t for everyone. But…

I like this… The home is almost “spiritual”.

It’d make a wonderful studio…

Image Credits: (ny apt) Google Images and

(Lucky Drops) courtesy of tekuto.com