What do you mean
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
Yes you are right, it has to be reinforced while in construction mode, as will anything. Even the concrete round are suppose to be supported when they are covered. I also think that a peak of some type is needed to be constructed on top of the final structure to move the water off the top.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
With a shipping container you're paying for something meant to be portable, then paying extra and making it not portable. You have to do extra work to make it suitable for contact with soil, shore it up to handle the weight where it wasn't designed to.
If you're going to make it permanent you may as well just build a "basement" and cover it.
Can you reinforce with lumber like a home or is steel better
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
Perfesser, do you mean like Bruce Beach with his 42 buses. That is the type of structure that I would like to build, but with shipping containers, so that you and I could stand straight in it. Besides that, I have seen some major settling cracks in Basement type walls. Now I don’t know about you, but I have never laid down a row of blocks in my life. The price for the blocks alone is $1200. Since I have no friends that I would trust my life to, I would have to hire some contractors to do the job for me. Rebar I could do, and have done it. But again, labor intensive, and need a good road for a cement truck.
So, apples and oranges. Do it right and you come out smelling like roses, do it wrong and it could mean your life.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
Who's Bruce beach is that the crazy guy from the doomsday peppers tv show with the beard and only will allow young children in his shelter
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
Duffmanprepper- I have seen some footage of people using sea-containers that have found they are not all built the same way or with the same strength. I would imagine the size of them makes a difference also-just thought it was something people would want to take in to account if they were putting weight on top of it. Dirt alone is heavy.
Good advice joy
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
Who's Bruce beach is that the crazy guy from the doomsday peppers tv show with the beard and only will allow young children in his shelter
DONT EVER call this man Crazy, for if he is, than the rest of us are just Chickens without a head. This man has done more in Nuclear defense then any one knows. I have done considerable research in to this mans history. He has done more in his lifetime than most of the entire populous of this Prepper site. He was one of the original Preppers. He has developed such a survival network that most could wish for. You, like most believe everything that the MEDIA has deemed him as. Mr Beach has lost most of his fortune fighting the GOVERNMENT, over half a million dollars in legal fees, from bogus harassment charges. Does he look crazy, maybe so, but you probably look the same if you lost everything trying to provide a future for the children, and having a stroke in the process.
Call him Crazy, if he is , then the rest of us are raving lunatics. But at least he has gotten off his ass to do something meant to help others.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
Hey Ranger.
There's a kind of construction called dry stacked surface bonded concrete block. It's ideal for underground construction as the surface bonding makes a composite sandwich for strength and also seals against water intrusion. Once the blocks are complete you can (with a small mixer) fill as many cores as you desire. This is a great method for anyone not fully confident in their bricklaying skills. First link shows piliasters(SP?) for lateral strength when burying. Second link is a step by step of a house - was a great inspiration for me.
https://www.thenaturalhome.com/drystackblock.htm
http://www.texasmusicforge.com/gimmeshelter.html
Looks great, but I think that if I went this way I would want fiberfill concrete for a filler. This is just a hand full of glass fiber ( not expensive, used in new concrete for roads.) for every cubic yard of concrete, and it gives your concrete a greater lateral bond.
"We 'Prep.' to live after a downfall, Not just to survive."
Fiberfill concrete is polypropylene fibres that have some flex. Glass fibers have much less give.
Concrete isn't what it used to be for sure. Plenty of additives and strengtheners have been developed in the last few decades. You can do much bigger pours without expansion joints and be much more versatile in it's uses.
When you figure a 40 ft hi-cube container is close to $6K and still needs plenty of work (and sure as hell ain't easy to get it where you need it) it's worth thinking about block construction. Like big Lego.
Hey ranger I didn't mean to Arendt just my observation of him was he wanted to store for only children and himself which as a parent would make me struggle if I needed to leave my kids in say his care because he didn't want any adults to come into the ark which puts up a red flag about what his actions could betokids if there's no adults around but him and maybe who he wanted to enter the ark as preppers we prep for anything even the possibillity that something could happen to him and the children would be left to fend for themselves and let's not forget the book lord of the flies and what happens when adults can teach order to children who might not now it but that's just my thoughts and mine alone if I offended you I'm truly sorry
Preparedness is like a condom , I've rather have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it
what about earth bags as an cheap alternative for underground building, link to instructables page:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-an-Earthbag-Dome/
"Beets, Blacksmithing, Bow hunting"
Just for a idea of weight on a seacan roof--approx. 110lbs per sq ft. If you cover it with 1' of clay its about 35500lbs on the roof. The sides will hold but the the roof is going to bend which can cause the sides to collapse. Seacans work great if done right. Cost depends on your abbility. If you can weld, operate a exavator or have someone you can trust, then they are the cheapest to do. The less people you involved the better of you are.