Preparation for project involving timber cladding....

[James McGrath]

I am in the process of buying a house and want to place a 40' shipping container in the back garden, convert it into an office - cladding it with timber in the process.

Its with regard to the timber cladding people here might be able to give me some pointers on. I want to achieve a similar sort of effect as shown in the pic on this webpage. Considering that I don't want to bore into the container itself during the cladding process, how can I best go about this?

- What timber would be best suited?
- Back of cigarette carton costings anyone?
- If anyone has come accross a diy manual/guide which covered a similar type of project, I would appreciate it if you could post details.
- As a plain old container would look unsightly, I need to get this clad ASAP once the container is put in place (or the neighbours would be likely to lynch me). What prep could i do pre-arrival of container - to allow for it to be clad superfast?


I have little diy/woodworking experience but I am determined to bring this project to fruition - so any input greatly appreciated.

[Thomas Becknell]

can't be of any help to you james but welcome to the creek

[James McGrath]

Cheers Thomas!

[Don Baer]

<CENTER></CENTER><CENTER> </CENTER><CENTER>I'd use something like this</CENTER>

[Michael Sloan]

I'll take a shot at it. This is off-the-cuff speculation, since I have never done anything like this.

First, you are going to have to build a wooden frame around the shipping container to attach the siding to. Could be simply furring strips glued to the metal with construction adhesive. 2x4s bolted to the container would be much better. You could also extend the 2x4s all the around the container in order to avoid any permanent attachment. This would be a series of wooden squares vertically around the container. They could be fixed to a wooden beam on the ground if you did not want the container to sit on the wood. Wood siding then attached to the wood frame. I would figure on $2 - $3 per square foot of siding total, depending on attachment method, although you might be able to do it for less depending on where you live.

You are also going to need insulation (probably) between the siding and the container box. Alternatively, the box might already be insulated, or you could insulate the inside of the box. The insulation will be critical to avoid interior condensation. You will also need either a roof, or extensive flashing to drain water off the top, and to keep water away from the inside of the siding and insulation. Think through the wiring pretty carefully. You're going to need lights and AC at a minimum, and I would be very careful about wiring a big ol metal box that I intended to sit in.

Personally, I would start from scratch, or buy a used trailor. I doubt that it would end up being much more expensive, and would give you a much more comfortable result. However, maybe that's just my natural pessimism poking through.

Good Luck,

[Steve Clardy]

Hmmm. Now thats quite an idea.
I've always talked about having a 48' semi trailer drug in here on the back 31 for overflow storage. Remove the axles and dollys. Sit it on blocks.
But--------the Wife objects.

[Norman Hitt]

[QUOTE=James McGrath]I want to place a 40' shipping container in the back garden, convert it into an office - cladding it with timber in the process.

Its with regard to the timber cladding people here might be able to give me some pointers on. I want to achieve a similar sort of effect as shown in the pic on this webpage. Considering that I don't want to bore into the container itself during the cladding process, how can I best go about this?

- What timber would be best suited?

- As a plain old container would look unsightly, I need to get this clad ASAP once the container is put in place (or the neighbours would be likely to lynch me). What prep could i do pre-arrival of container - to allow for it to be clad superfast? QUOTE]
-------------------------------000--------------------------------------

1. James, as to pre arrival prep, you could pour some pilings, (or I would prefer some footings (across the width of the unit). to have a foundation of some type to set it on when arrives, and have material available too block it to the desired elevation and shim material to shim it level AS THEY SET IT in place, and don't forget to put some plastic sheeting down for a vapor barrier to protect the flooring.

2. As to a suitable cladding wood, I would use 1 x 12 cedar fencing material, as this would be a LOW Maintenance item that could either be left unfinished to weather naturally, OR it can be sealed, stained and sealed, or even painted with regular paint or like a washcoat.

3. To fasten the wood to the container, I would NOT try to do this using ONLY adhesive, as it's long term holding power would be of very questionable results in my mind, expensive (would take a LOT of adhesive), very time consuming, AND you would need something to hold it in place while the adhesive sets.

4. Since you don't want to bore any holes into the unit, I would get a welder to come out and weld a row of metal tabs, (made from 1/4" or 5/16" x 2" x 2" angle iron about 3 or 4 inches long with a 5/8" bolt hole in each one), welded every 4' along the both the top and bottom of the outside walls. You can then bolt a 2 x 4 "Rail" around the entire circumference of the unit, level with both the top and bottom of the walls. With these two rails in place, you can then simply nail the 1 x 12 boards vertically in place along the top and bottom rails, (or whatever other material you decide to use for the cladding), and they will be solidly connected, the wood will keep direct sun off the metal, and the 2" angle + 1 1/2" thick rail gives a 3 3/4" airspace between the boards and the metal wall of the unit, which will allow airflow since that space is open at both the top and bottom, and will help keep the temperature down inside the unit, (very important). If you are going to cover the top of the unit also, the top 2 x 4 railing around the unit will give you something to connect the roof cover to at the edges as well, but the tab spacing in this case might need to be closer together than 4'.

Note: Where there will be 2 x 4's joining along the top and bottom rails, you need to have a tab that is maybe 5" or 6" long with two holes in it to be able to bolt the end of each adjoining 2 x 4 to the unit.

Once you get the "Tabs" welded on, and the rails bolted in place, the rest of the project will go as fast as you can nail the boards in place. Then you can Trim it out (if you so desire), at your leisure and to your taste.

Note 2: If I were going to do any insulation, I would do it on the Inside of the container, not on the outside of the metal walls..

Good Luck, and post pics when your project is complete.

[Steve Schoene]

Is this going to be permitted by local zoning, building code, etc. Certainly some of the things you will have to do to make it tolerably habitable as an office will require building permits and possibly inspections unless your new how is in one of the few benighted areas that don't require such things. Beyond cladding you are going to need lighting, ventilation, heating/and/or cooling just for starters. I can't help but think that a basic garage type building would end up being no more expensive, and a lot more comfortable. The container is great for straightforward storage, but conversion into space for people is going to be quite messy to do right.

Another point--I assume this is going to be a used container. Global demand for containers continues to expand, so I wonder why the container leasing company would sell used containers if they were still servicable.

Anyway, best of luck if you go ahead.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

James, welcome to the creek!!

Can you post on why would like to use a container instead of a free standing "shed"? The reason I ask is that my intial thought would be to build four walls around the container and then put on a roof, but in essense, you just built a shed!

Good luck with your project, it sure does sound interesting!

[Dev Emch]

This is a hard project to do right. Not sure I would attempt it myself as its more trouble than its worth.

But there is one way to do this. Wrap and Strap. This tin can is going to get very hot and very cold over the seasons. So its good to insulate it.

Others with more experience in wrap and strap can fill in more details. But in general, build up a rough frame from say 1x4 or 1x6 stock etc and bolt this frame to the container over its entire length. Then install say 1 inch or 1.5 inch foam insulation board. Then tie the insulation onto the frame and container with more straps (1 by stock). Note that these tie strips hold the insulation in place and provide a nailer for the outer cladding. Lastly, nail on your outer cladding. T&G board stock will work. Or you can use clap boards or hardiplank sideing. Whatever you like and can get a good deal on.

As I said, this project is a bunch of work and may not be worth while. It may be easier to just build a shed from scratch rather then trying to modify one of these cans.