The day of container delivery is one of the most exciting moments in constructing your own container home, especially if you’ve purchased them from abroad and haven’t had a chance to see them yet.
On the day containers are delivered, there are several tasks that need to be completed. This article will guide you on how to smoothly take the delivery of your containers and position them on the foundation. We will also look at how you can secure the containers to the foundation and connect them to each other.
Preparing the Base for Your Containers
It’s advisable to clean and insulate the bottom of the containers before positioning them because the bottoms are more accessible. This can be achieved by lifting the container in the air using a crane or other unloading equipment you’re using to remove them from the trucks.
Coat the bottom of the container with sand for cleaning and spray at least 1″ of closed-cell polyurethane foam for insulation.
These steps can be carried out after the containers have been placed, provided you have a raised base like concrete pillars. However, it’s usually easier to do this in advance. The only downside is if you plan to have many utilities running beneath the container, such as water pipes and drains. Insulation can impede their placement. So, keep this in mind to avoid having to scrape off the insulation later. It’s not 100% necessary, but if you can, it’s worth it.
Positioning Your Containers
If your foundation is accessible to the truck delivering your containers, consider yourself lucky. Assuming the containers are being transported on a tilt-bed flatbed trailer, the driver can back up to the foundation and let the container slide onto it. This is by far the cheapest and easiest method.
If the foundation is not directly accessible, you’ll need a crane to lift the containers and place them. Whichever method you choose, be sure to place a polyethylene moisture-proof membrane between the foundation pads and the container.
Connecting Your Containers
Now that your containers have been positioned, it’s time to connect them to the foundation and to each other. Most of the time, you can simply place the container on the foundation, and the container’s weight alone is more than enough to keep it in place. If you want added security, you can place a steel plate at each corner of the container on the concrete before it settles. Then, you can weld your container to the plates for extra strength.
If you don’t want to weld your containers to the concrete foundation, you can bolt them to the foundation. Once you’ve placed the containers on the foundation, drill through the lower corner fittings into the concrete. Now, place the bolt through the container corner fitting and down into the concrete. A 1″ x 12″ bolt or concrete anchor would be ideal here. You may need to use a hammer to drive the bolt down. Once it’s in place, tighten the nut, and remember to use a washer between the nut and the corner connection. One at each corner of the container will keep it secure.
Now, you need to connect your containers to each other. You can use a variety of techniques to connect your containers, including bolting, welding, and fastening.
Bolting Together
To bolt the containers together, connect them at the corner contact points. You should drill through the corner of one container into the other container. Then, place a bolt through the hole with a perforated metal plate inside the corner fitting to act as a washer. Use putty around the bolt to seal any gaps. Bolting them together is the easiest method, but it’s certainly not as strong as welding. Keep in mind that if you decide to bolt them together, you can disassemble them later, which you can’t do if they are welded. This is a consideration if you plan to move your containers at a later date.
Welding Them Together
Welding the containers together makes them much more secure and helps keep both containers level. You should weld the container roofs together along with the overlapping floors. You can use 3″ x 1/8″ flat steel using a stitch pattern to secure the containers together.
Example of Delivery and Positioning of Your Containers
Let’s explore an example of container placement that is of standard height and 40 feet long. They were delivered on a tilt-bed flatbed trailer and simply slid onto concrete foundations. The decision was made not to weld the containers to the foundations because the weight of the containers alone would keep them in place.
Once the containers were lined up side by side, foam insulation was sprayed between the two containers. This helps keep moisture out and also maintains the internal temperature of the containers by stopping drafts.
Then, the containers were welded rather than bolted for added strength. The roof was welded with 3″ x 1/8″ flat steel using a stitch pattern with a 110-volt wire feed welder.
In addition to helping keep the container completely airtight, the end walls were also welded with 2″ x 1/8″ flat steel. Once all the welding is done, the steel is painted with latex paint to help preserve it.
We’d love to see some pictures of your containers delivered and positioned! Feel free to email us with images using the contact page.
If you have any insights on best practices for positioning your containers, please share in the comments below.
«Tu casa con contenedores» es la única guía paso a paso que existe para construir tu propia casa con containers desde cero. No importa si no tienes conocimientos sobre construcción, si pensar en ello te da dolor de cabeza, si eres constructor o trabajas en una oficina. La guía está escrita para que cualquiera pueda entenderlo. MAS INFORMACIÓN CLIC AQUÍ Construye Tu Casa con Contenedores Paso a PasoHágalo Usted Mismo
