Hi, I'm Ben and this is The House I Built Out of Chipping containers. I've been interested in shipping container architecture for quite some time, but I had a really hard time finding good information about how to get building permits or how much would it cost. We did the research, we documented everything that we did and now we're so excited to share with you what we learned. So check it out. In this episode we're going to go over how we painted the containers and anchor them to the concrete foundation slabs. Let's start with what we did to prepare for the paint. After installing the doors and windows, we use fire blocking spray foam to seal the gaps between the windows and doors and the steel frames that reinforce the cuts in the containers. The reason we use fire blocking foam is so that it won't be damaged by the welding.
We then welded on trim pieces to cover this insulation. For the first few doors, we installed the steel frames first, and then ground away the mill scale to prepare them for primer. If I was to do this again, I would have done this preparation prior to actually installing the frames. It would just be a little bit easier to grind away everything. I used a combination of sanding sponges and the angle grinder to clean the steel. I then wiped down the frames with mineral spirits to remove any grease or dust that might be on them. I decided to try two different primers to see if they would hold up differently over time. First, I tried Rustoleum self-etching primer. This primer calls for the steel to be clean and rust free so I spent a lot more time on preparation. For the other frames I used the much easier to apply rusty metal primer, and I spent less time on prep.
I just wire brushed away any obvious rust with an angle grinder, and then wipe the frames down with mineral spirits before applying. The rest of the metal primer was way easier so for the remaining doors, I pre primed them before installing them. I did have to grind away a bit of primer in order to weld them into place though. Once the primer was dry, I sealed the cracks with GE paintable silicone. I've had really good experiences with GE sealants, and this is also the product that my painter recommended. Now, the single bead of silicone, isn't the only thing, keeping the water out. If you go back to episode three, you'll see how I used angle steel to create an overlap that will protect me even if this silicone should fail. I probably over applied the caulk, but I knew it would be fine once I was done painting. While I was working on the doors and windows, Tony started sealing up the roof vent.
We need soil stacks to vent the areas that have plumbing. And after spray foaming the joints from both the inside and out, Tony screwed down some flashing over the pipes. He very generously applied silicone caulk and he had to bend the flashing to get it, to fit the ribs of the ceiling panels. Once the silicone had cured, he cleaned the areas and then sprayed everything with Henry Stop Leak Roofing Spray. This spray foams up and creates a thick, waterproof coating. Even though I DIY most things, there are some tasks where I prefer a hybrid approach and feel that hiring professionals is definitely worth the time and money. Exterior painting is one of those tasks. Howard's brother Henry is a painter and he got started on priming the hardware on the doors and taping off the windows. For the exterior paint I went to Home Depot and picked up some PPG, timeless, exterior paint in a color called elegant charcoal.
I selected the flat slash mat option and I'm super happy with the color and durability so far over a year later, I'm really glad we hired Henry. It only took him one day to do each coat and he did such a great job spraying, even consistent coats that fully coated every detail on the containers. He also knew exactly what to tape off and didn't spend too much time prepping because he knew he was really accurate since he had a lot of experience with his own sprayer. For the inside we also use PPG paint, but this time in a color called crystal clear white and once again, we went with a flat finish. I love how this color of grade takes on different characteristics depending on the exterior light. Aesthetically, this home rivals any of the high end architecture projects that I did with my firm, but we did it all with things that are available from Home Depot. So consider PPG paints for your next project because I highly recommend them.
Before we get to how we secured the containers to the foundation slab, let me tell you a little bit about the sponsor for this video, Simply Safe. Simply Safe is an easy to use customizable home security system that is free from contracts and hidden costs. I got my system in the mail and I was really impressed with not only how many different types of security and home monitoring devices they provided, but also with how easy they all were to install. But what's more important than ease of installation is the fact that Simply Safe protects you like a pro with 24 seven professional monitoring with a 3.5 times faster police dispatch rate. When there is a break in Simply Safe alarm received the highest priority police dispatch because their security specialists provide real eyewitness evidence to the police department.
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The majority of break-ins are people entering through unlocked entry point and so the Simply Safe lock is designed so that you can make sure your door is locked even when you forget to do it yourself. It can also keep track of who comes and goes and you can grant access from anywhere to guests and visitors, which is really great because sometimes I like to Airbnb the container house. Co to simplysafe.com/modern home to learn more. That's simply safe.com/modern home to better protect yourself, your home and your family. Back to the build. Once the paint is cured, I use spray foam to close up the space between the containers and the concrete slabs. The blocks at the corners of the containers hit the concrete, but everything else floats about one quarter of an inch above it. This foam will provide backing for the grout that I will apply next.
The film expanded out of the crack and I just used a knife to cut away the excess. We mixed up a batch of Quick Crete precision grout, and then pushed it into the crack all the way up against the foam. Generously applied the grout, using a really wide putty knife. I use this handy masonry tool to get a nice finish on the grout and the detail ended up looking nice and clean. I scraped away the excess and then use a sponge to clean everything up. This isn't just to give it a nice finished look. This is also critical for keeping out little critters environments from hiding out underneath the container.
Structurally, we were required to anchor the containers to the concrete slab foundations. We looked at several options before electing to use a combination of heavy duty angle steel, steel plates and threaded rod. One of the main reasons to secure the containers to the slab is to prevent movement during an earthquake that could shear the plumbing and electric connections. I measured the locations for the holes and then used my drill press to drill one inch diameter holes in the steel. These sections are three quarters of an inch thick and this took a while. We went through about three different drill bits to do all 72 holes. These heavy pieces of steel will be welded to the corner blocks on the containers. And then threaded rod will be inserted in the holes and into the concrete where an anchoring epoxy will secure them. I ground away a little bit of paint and some rust to prepare these pieces for welding. The building department required that I use a structurally certified welder to perform these specific tasks. I hired a local welder named Don, and he tack welded the plate to the long angle and then check the fit before welding the entire scene. He did all of this with a stick welder, and then he used a torch to cut off the excess.
While Don welded the rest of the pieces. I started prepping and priming the ones that were already done. I used some blue tape to keep the top parts clear of paint and then sprayed the steel with two coats of Rustoleum rusty metal primer. I placed the steel pieces and then mark the hole locations on the concrete with a Sharpie and then use my Milwaukee hammer drill to drill one in a quarter inch diameter holes, one foot deep into the concrete. This is a really incredible piece of equipment and I was super impressed with how fast it drilled through solid concrete. I typically use all Ryobi tools, but I do make exceptions for large industrial tools like this. I checked to make sure that the steel rods fit and then I painted the steel with a roller.
I squirted in some Quick Crete high strength, anchoring epoxy into the holes and then place the steel and used a mallet to drive in the threaded rods. This two part epoxy gets mixed together in the nozzle and is incredibly strong. It has a compressive yield strength of over 10,000 PSI and its pullout strength is 28,000 pounds of force. It's a pretty strong pullout game if you ask me. Once the epoxy had cured, Don came back and welded the steel angles to the corner boxes on the containers. This seemed to be the best option to us at the time, but let's go over to the studio and discuss our other options. Let's talk about anchoring containers to concrete slabs. Obviously these are some pretty heavy duty chunks of steel and they weren't the easiest things to work with. Of course, we look for a different alternative first.
Originally, our structural engineer suggested using something like these. These are called bridge clamps and they suggested using a slightly different variation of this, where this clamp part could slide freely and then you use a nut behind it on this really thick threaded rod to tighten it down. That would have been a great solution, but there are two issues that we had with this. This specific bridge clamps that met the specifications were about $350 each and we needed 12 of them. The other issue is with this detail, we would have had to embed one foot of this type of rod into the concrete before we actually poured the slab. That means we would have had to be pretty accurate with our measurements and our placement and I just didn't want to have to have only one shot to get that perfect. This other solution involving this heavy duty three quarter inch thick angle steel certainly was cumbersome, but it wasn't too hard to do. It was very flexible. Even if we got the placement of the containers just a little bit off.
I get a lot of comments about how this container house is totally overbuilt and frankly, I totally get it. I had the same impression when I look at the details that are required, but it's really not about this sort of common sense approach. It's really about what you can prove through calculations and more importantly, getting a licensed engineer to stamp the drawings. If you don't have that, it doesn't matter how smart you think you are. How clever of a detail you have or how overbuilt you think something is. You simply can't build it unless you can prove it through calculations.
That being said, I do want to hear your ideas. Even the ones that might be a little bit out there because I plan on building more of these shipping container houses. I'm willing to look for the engineers that will put the numbers behind it and actually stamp these kinds of details so we can start publishing some options that are a little bit easier than what we did for this first one. Ideas and opinions are welcome, but false certainty is just a waste of time. If you say that, you know, for sure that you can do something or that would hold, then prove it, put your numbers where your mouth is or shut up. The one thing we don't need about shipping container houses is just more wild misinformation.
This house is the first of many. I hope to improve all the details with each iteration and I'll try to provide the best explanations I can for why I did things, even if they don't make sense on the surface. I'm also working on trying to get an interview with the engineers that worked on this project. So you can actually hear from them why they pick the things that they did. Our next episodes are going to focus on building out the interiors, the kitchens and bathrooms and all that stuff. And then we'll conclude with a final house tour, as well as an episode dedicated entirely to breaking down the budget. If you're interested in obtaining the PDF plans for this project, there's a link in the description box below, just click that and it'll take you to Gumroad where we sell them. Thanks for watching. And thanks to Simply Safe for sponsoring this video. Bye.