Hello everyone!
I have been further preparing for construction of my house
since March 28.
Moving the Container
onto its Blocks
When I purchased my container from
Moe's Equipment in October of 2014, it was delivered on a trailer with a winch.
Moe's did not have a crane to lift it off of the trailer and place it onto its
blocks. Instead, it was slid off of the trailer directly onto the ground near
of the blocks, which is where it sat until March 28, which is the day that my
Uncle Ken came with his tractor and, with the help of his son Laine and my
father, towed the container onto its blocks.
The first task was to remove the majority of the container’s contents, which my
father, Kevin, helped with. I have been using the container to store many of my
building materials, including my insulation, flooring, kitchen sink and
cabinets, and kitchen stove. Everything except for the insulation was removed. My
kitchen cabinets, stove, and laminate
flooring are currently being stored in my grandmother’s barn.
I was concerned that Uncle Ken’s
tractor would not be able to move the container. He had come earlier that week
to see if he would be able to move the container with his tractor. He said that
since the container had been placed directly on the ground, he was concerned
that it was frozen to the ground, in which case the container could not be
moved until the ground thawed, which is generally mid to late April.
Fortunately, the container had been placed over a slight dip in the ground,
meaning that only a small portion of each end of the container had contact with
the ground. To be safe and to make sure that the container was not frozen to
the ground, a space heater was placed in the container with the doors cracked a
few inches for airflow. It was operated for approximately an hour, and the
container was not frozen to the ground.
Uncle Ken’s tractor was not capable of lifting
the container onto the blocks as a crane may, so it was instead towed across
the blocks lengthwise. Uncle Ken attached two chains to the back of his tractor
and then attached each chain to the two corners facing the blocks. It was then
pulled onto the first row of blocks. When he drove onto the first set of
blocks, he was at first unable to pull the container any further. My cousin
Laine used my father’s tractor to push on the opposite end of the container,
and they were able to push/pull the container onto the blocks.
Washing the Interior
of My Container
When the container was placed
on its blocks, both Uncle Ken and my father suspected that the container was
not level. On Friday, 4/3, my father and I pressure-washed the inside of the
container to remove the dirt. This does not
mitigate the issue of pesticides in the floors. To mitigate the issue of
pesticides in the floor, I will be applying a no-voc epoxy to the floor. I have
purchased this on eBay and am currently awaiting its arrival. However, pressure-washing the inside of my
container confirmed Uncle Ken and my father’s suspicion that my container was
not level. It slopes to the southwest. This may be partially due to the ice
buildup on top of the blocks, and it may also be partially due to the fact that
the blocks were leveled only by sight when they were first placed. This issue
will be addressed once the ground thaws and once the ice on the blocks melts. Pressure-washing
the container was slightly difficult due to mechanical issues with the
pressure-washer’s engine. Additionally, the fact that the container slopes away
from the doors caused the water to pool in the southwest corner. I was able to
remove much of the water with a push broom. Temperatures were in the 50s
outside, with a warm breeze (a stark contrast to the blowing snow, temperatures
in the mid/high 20s, and cold winds), and they were considerably warmer inside
the container. The container became steamy just a couple of minutes after I
began pressure-washing it, and the south wall was hot to the touch. This helped
to evaporate any water that could not be swept out.
I have found this project to be
very exciting thus far. I hope the weather will begin cooperating more so I can
work more consistently on my house, instead of having only stray afternoons
scattered throughout the month. Fortunately, there are warmer temperatures in
the forecast. As I begin construction, I will be posting more updates, so
please check back!
Devin
No comments:
Post a Comment