Living in a tin can

The real live Living part of 'Living in a Tin Can'

2012-01-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been awhile since I've posted, but I promised I would give reports as to how living partially underground is working. I am thoroughly enjoying my house. It is spacious (at least to me after living in a big rig for 8 yrs) and comfortable. It has been unseasonably warm here in OK the last few months. That is definitely not a complaint, I love it here.

But it was not possible to test whether or not we'd remain warm in cold temperatures until now. It is 23 degrees with a wind chill making it feel like 9 degrees, outside. In the containers it is 73 in the front area where the pot bellied stove sits. In the back area of the place it is 66. To me that's about as perfect as one can get.

The electric bill is pretty stable. I'm not anticipating any major rise in my electric bill due to colder weather. The nice thing about having a pot-bellied stove for heat is that if the power goes out, I still have heat. When we initially discussed it, I decided I didn't want to have to deal with propane/gas for anything. Even with a gas heater one has to have the electricity to run it. Not to mention if we get snowed/iced in we'd never be able to replenish the propane. And I can cook on this stove, my husband bought this particular type of stove for that reason.

My husband says he's glad he decided to add 18,000 BTU A/C though, he's not sure whether the building will remain cool enough in the summer, which can at times be brutal here. Last year was exceptionally hot, temps into the 100s for months at a time. But, he is adding an enclosed porch to the entrance, which I think, along with this special paint I purchased (Kool Seal) will help keep things moderate in here.

Kudos to my husband, Tom, who did a wonderful job building this place! And thank you to Ronnie for all your help, you also did a great job.

Here is the view from my front door!

Moving in....

2011-11-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

We've gotten most of the things we have moved into the house. There are a few more things to do, organize the closet space, put the little things away, etc. But for the most part I am extremely happy with the way things look now.

We had temps down into the twenties outside, but the temperatures have remained steady inside, not once has it been below 60. We have used the pot-bellied stove a couple of times to ward off the chill which brings the temps up to around 72, very comfortable living in my humble opinion.

Here are the pics I promised...

The kitchen is completely finished. And as I'd noted in an earlier pic of the kitchen, there isn't as much space as there looks to be while everything is empty. However, I do like that I don't have to cram everything into the cupboards, I can access the things I need regularly without have to pull out half a cabinet of stuff first.

View of the kitchen and dining area.

Our pot-bellied stove where the living room starts.

The window side of the living room.

Moving around to the back of the living room.

The back part of the living room, to the left of the image is the doorway which leads into the computer room, bedroom and bathroom.

This is the computer desk (before shot) that was custom built for me.

The after shot with all my geeky computer equipment in place. On the left is the lovely old bookcase I purchased from my friend Kathy West.

This is the bathroom, all finished.

The shower area, not much has changed from the earlier pictures I posted, other than some carpeting and the addition of a shelf to hold my towels.

This last one is of Tom putting in the pipe for the pot-bellied stove. We still have to add the siding to the outside front. But Tom has been busy doing odds and ends inside. Looking for studs for me so that I can hang my pictures, etc.

The Livingroom is just about finished

2011-10-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

We are almost there....woo hoo...Tom finished up putting down the floor in the livingroom. He's put the pot-bellied stove in place and there are just a few more things to do. The guys will be caulking the kitchen, putting the baseboards up in the livingroom and Ronnie will be building the computer desk (the guys came up with this wonderful idea when I was having problems finding desks I liked that would fit into the space we had for them) in the room next to the livingroom. We plan on being in the containers by the end of the week. I'm not saying I will have everything in there by the end of the week, I'm too old to be moving that fast, pardon my pun. But it will be livable. Our wiener dog has already moved in, check out the picture of the pot-bellied stove. You'll notice there is a sleeping bag/bed next to it. That belongs to Gator, our dashie, he moved in last week. I had a heck of a time getting him to come back up to the RV in the evenings, he evidently was quite comfortable in the containers.

When we first decided to build with shipping containers, our reasoning was two-fold, a inexpensive customized house and one that would be energy efficient. Which is why we've bermed the outside of the containers, Tom will continue to build up dirt on the outside of the containers. Tom strengthened the container wall which will carry the most load, the rear wall, by welding steel beams to the container. I'd looked around the Internet for guidance on building a home with containers, needless to say, there was not much in the way of actually building a shipping container home, as far as materials and how-tos go. This is when I decided to write this blog of our journey of creating a home out of a shipping container. As we've built our home, some of our original ideas for the place have changed. Some of this was due to need/wants and some due to the fact that we had to adjust our theories based on what was physically feasible to do with a shipping container. For instance, we did add an air conditioner, which we had not planned on doing until this summer, when temperatures here in eastern OK got up around 105 plus degrees. We were also going to put a breakfast bar into the kitchen beneath the window, but the space would not allow for it. Had we added a fourth container, we would have been able to have the bar. Tom had to talk me into 3 containers as it was, I didn't want to have to clean that big of a place, as I said in the beginning, I'm old and getting older. I wanted something manageable in my twilight years. We also originally had planned to have the roof covered with dirt, however, containers have their strength on the four corners, not all over, so this idea was scrapped and we put a regular tin roof on top, pitched so that the heavy snow and or ice wouldn't put extra weight on the container. All of that being said, I've decided to keep the blog going for a bit. I will keep you abreast how living in a tin can compares to what we thought it would be like living in a container. I will let you know over the coming year how stable the temperatures are within the place and if we run into any problems that need attention.

This is the before the floor went in shot. I was still staining a few things. I decided on a darker stain to break up all that white.

This is where the TV will be hanging. Below are two shelves to hold the cable box and whatever else I need for the TV.

In this shot the floor has been laid, ain't it purdy? And the door on the right leads to the computer area and bedroom.

You'll notice Gator's sleeping bag next to the stove. He will sleep in it no matter what the temperature. He has three different kinds of sleeping bags. This is because if I have to wash one or something happens to one, we won't have to listen to him whine and cry until he can get back into it.

Here is the other side of the livingroom. The stove just needs the pipe going out. One of the great things about this particular stove is that if the electricity goes out due to an ice storm or something, I can cook on it and keep warm all at the same time.

This is going to be the computer desk. I will be able to fit the desktop PC and the laptop on it. The men thought this up for me after I was measuring the area to see what kinds of desks would fit. I will eventually have a shelf above the desk for speakers and computer stuff.

P. S. If anyone out there is deciding they might like to do this also, don't hesitate to contact us and ask questions....I'm also thinking since he has so much experience now, I might hire out the hubby for a few extra $$....:)

The Bedroom and my new platform bed...

2011-10-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

We have a sleep number bed, which by the way, I highly recommend. It doesn't require a foundation if you have a platform frame. I also wanted storage under the bed and not with drawers. So, I looked in the furniture stores and I looked online, I looked and looked but couldn't find anything that suited me. So, my very talented hubby built one to my specs...and here it is bare bones. Notice the floor is almost completely laid also. Just a few finishing touches on the bedroom and it too will be finished. That leaves the livingroom and the closets.

We still have some finish work to do on it, but basically, the bottom half, where the bed will rest, lifts up and I can store all kinds of stuff under there.

Woo Hoo....The Kitchen is finished!!!

2011-10-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

The men went down today and finished up the little bits in the kitchen. They put the baseboard down, the spice cabinet in and the exhaust fan along with framing the window. I did some more painting on the rest of the baseboards and the window frames.

More work on the Upper Cupboards

2011-10-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

Almost finished with the kitchen. The upper cabinets are painted and most of them installed. The men built a spice cabinet for me which, when finished, will go above the exhaust fan/hood of the stove. Tom has put down the rest of the flooring (pics of that to follow in the next post).

The raw cabinets.

After I got them all painted.

Here is Tom checking to make sure everything is level and lined up properly.

Look at all that cabinet space! Woo Hoo, I said to myself, then I started thinking that by the time I get all my stuff into them, I will mostly likely be crying that I don't have enough room.

Here are the other pics, I promised of the kitchen.

Here you can see the flooring finished and the cabinet on the counter will go above the stove's exhaust fan. It's the spice cabinet I spoke about in the beginning of the post.

This is the almost finished product. We have the exhaust fan and spice cabinet to put up still. We will be painting the floor boards tomorrow and that will be it for the kitchen!

The Upper Cabinets and a surprise....

2011-10-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ronnie has started the upper cabinets and appears to be almost finished, other than putting them onto the walls. Tom was doing a few odds and ends items around the containers and then decided to surprise me with putting together my hall tree that I wanted as you come into the house.

And my stove has been put into place.

Here is the Hall Tree, but I might have to paint it white too.

Last of the Walls and the ceiling is finished

2011-10-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Tom finished putting up the last of the ceiling tile, while I got busy painting the last of the walls in the bedroom. And I painted the last lower counter/cupboard in the kitchen. Ronnie has already started the frames for the upper cupboards. You will notice there aren't any doors on these cabinets...that's not a design flaw. I decided to have open cabinets because after years of living in a truck, Tom and I can't remember to shut the darn things. So, rather than bang Tom's head (I'm too short to smack my head...haha), I decided to not put in doors on the cabinets. Hard to tell it's a shipping container, isn't it?

Tom putting up the ceiling tile.

The last wall, painted...woo hoo!

All the bottom cupboards finished.

More Updates...Kitchen and Ceiling

2011-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, both Tom and Ronnie have been hard at it. Tom trying to finish off the ceiling and Ronnie in the kitchen. With me painting whenever both are taking a day off. They've gotten the boards (beam look) up in the livingroom and going into the bedroom. I still have the bathroom door to finish, though I haven't decided for sure whether to stain or paint it white. I am planning on finishing the painting on the bottom cabinets in the kitchen this weekend, when Tom and Ronnie usually are not there. And there isn't any sawdust flying around to stick to the wet paint. Work ended early today, Tom and Ronnie had to go into Lowe's for supplies.

Tom hard at work on the ceiling in the bedroom

Tom in the computer room putting up ceiling tiles.

Ronnie did a great job on my kitchen so far, didn't he?

Starting the Kitchen

2011-09-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Tom finished up the ceiling and I have gotten the walls painted. So Ronnie has started putting in the cupboards, countertop and sink. Here's a look at the progress so far....

The walls going up in the kitchen with insulation.

The walls are all up and painted and the ceiling is going up.

The cupboards

Almost there!

Now it needs a coat of paint!

The Ceiling-updated

2011-09-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics, the ceiling is almost finished in the livingroom. The kitchen is complete. We are heading for the home stretch!!!

Tom putting in the last kitchen light in the main cooking area.

The finished product.

Working on finishing up the living room.

The Ceiling

2011-09-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tom and Ronnie have gotten the walls up and I've painted them. White, because I want all the reflection I can get into the other rooms. Tom has started putting up the ceiling tile. We are getting there, finally! Seemed slow going there at times, but the weather has settled down a bit, it is reasonably cooler than the plus 100 degrees we were having, so things are getting down again.

Finishing up the Walls

The rails for the ceiling tiles

Ceiling tiles going up in the kitchen

Finishing the Bathroom

2011-08-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

We've finally managed to get the bathroom all painted and the sink, toilet and shower are in place. All that is left is a few finishing touches, like putting up the mirror and shower curtain.

The Livingroom

2011-07-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

Tom has also started on the livingroom while Ronnie is finishing off the bath. Although, Ronnie did build the edge of the wall at an angle which will accommodate the television. The angle is to allow access to the tv from throughout the room and keep the reflections from the light coming through the windows onto the television to a minimum. Ronnie has also wired the room for several outlets. Next will come the finish work of filling in the seams and covering the screws, called taping and texturing by the guys. When all of that work is finished, we can start painting the walls.

Sheet rock up

My pot-bellied stove

The shower is in place

2011-07-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ronnie got the shower in place which leaves the rest of the walls, the vanity/mirror and the toilet to install. We've used a water/damp resistant sheet rock for the bath. It requires about 3 coats of paint after the seams have been finished off. I've decided to go with white walls throughout because of the darkness of the rooms which don't have access to direct light.

Bath Update

2011-07-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, most of the country east of the Rockies is suffering from a major heat wave and we have not been spared either. So the work is moving along slowly, a few hours in the mornings and then it's back to the safety of an air conditioned house. However, I thought I would update you on the bathroom, it is getting there. But Tom and Ronnie have been jumping around the house, doing some of this and some of that, mostly because it's been easier. Today they are working on putting in the shower, I'll go take pictures of that later today. In the meantime, this is were we are as of this morning.

The Bath

2011-07-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

It's been slow going, the heat and humidity making it nearly impossible to work. Tom and Ronnie have been working a few hours in the morning on most days. They are putting in the bathroom, the pipes for the water, the power, floor, connections for the washer/dryer and walls. They've also been working on sealing the floors and putting the sub flooring in, which they need to do before framing out the walls.

Taking down the walls...

2011-04-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Now that we've gotten the roof completed and the door in along with two of the three windows, it's time to take down some walls to allow access to all three of the containers. Tom started cutting through the container walls with a grinder, which worked all right but it was a lot of work. Next they rented a huge grinder, which resembled a chain saw, that wasn't better, in fact it was worse. It was extremely heavy and cumbersome to use. So while I was looking through the weekly sales papers I came across a "plasma cutter"...woo, thought I, this would be great for Tom to use instead of that horrible grinder. Of course, Tom, yeah, yeah, yeah'd me and continued with the grinder for a few more days before he gave in and got the plasma cutter. By which time the sale was over with, but the people at Atwoods here in Oklahoma are great and gave it to us at the sale price from the week before. Tom has to cut 15 min at a time, then break 15 min, but it's much less strain on the body and a much cleaner cut.

Livingroom


Leading to the Bedroom Tom using the Plasma Cutter.

Windows

2011-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Tom and Ronnie put in two of my three windows, the last one will wait until they get to working on the kitchen area. The one next to the door is where the dining area will be and the other looks into the livingroom. The livingroom window will open to the outside, while they will eventually build a screened room which will enclose the door and the smaller window. We are looking at a 10 x 15 or 10 x 20 screened room for that area.

Water...whoopee

2011-04-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Tom and Ronnie did a fantastic job getting the 2000 ft of pipe laid for the water. The first backhoe was too small to dig very deep, so they sent it back and got a bigger one. They worked extremely hard, long days, up and down the hill, through huge and small rock in just a week. So we now have city water installed. The first well we had dug came out salty, the second came out dry, so this was our last option or spend the rest of our days picking up drinking water at the local Wally World, not something I prefer to do.

Tom and Ronnie putting in the cut-off switches.

Finishing touches down by the containers.

These are some of the huge boulders they had to dig up all along the way.

This is the bottom of the hill that Tom and Ronnie had to dig down into in order to get the pipe laid at a certain depth to prevent freezing. I believe they went 18 inches down.

My New Front Door

2011-03-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is my new front door. I decided to get one with a window in it, since we'll be limited on the amount of light we get through the one side of the containers. Ronnie put in the door while Tom and I finished up the roof. It's starting to look a bit more like a house, I think rather than tin cans.

The Roof, part 2...finally finished

2011-03-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

It took us a while, but we finally have the roof finished. We still intend to put gutters up but Tom would like to wait a bit and let the earth mounded up around the containers settle before putting those up. We've put insulation across the top of the containers under the roof to help with keeping the cold and heat out since it and the front are the areas most exposed to the elements. We had to contend with high winds and threatened thunderstorms. In order to finish the roof, we had to seal the rears/doors of the containers, so I helped Tom finish the roof while Ronnie worked on the front door so we could still get into the containers and at our equipment. Next we'll be bringing city water onto the property and up to the containers. We've rented a backhoe, which we hope will be able to dig down about 18 inches without us running into large rocks.

Tom waving hi to everyone.

Got Power?

2011-03-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

We now have power to the containers. One step closer to living like a sardine. The men from the power company showed up early, caught Tom off guard, he wasn't expecting them for another few weeks. But no matter, things went smoothly, despite the fact that they broke their rock drill bit. All in all it took about 2 hours for them to drill two holes for the poles, string the wires and set the guide wires.

Waterproofing and French Drains

2011-03-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Due to winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts even higher, Tom has decided to do some waterproofing instead of finishing the roof. We've also had to get ready for the power to be brought down to the containers, so Tom has waterproofed the back side with some foundation waterproofing compound, laid the french drain and began the berm process. Our soil is clay based and very acidic at times, so Tom ordered the product most suited for our area from the local hardware store. If you are thinking about doing a similar project, I suggest going into the building supply or hardware store near you and speaking with them concerning the type of product you will need. There are many different types of products available, some clear spray on types and others are thicker and paint on like tar. We chose a thicker product due to the acidity of the soil and Tom needed two coats before he was satisfied with the results.


Waterproofing the containers.

Waterproofing.

Tom applying the first coating.

French Drain

A French drain (also known as rubble, blind, rock or tile drain) is a trench covered with gravel or rock used to keep ground water away from an area. A pipe perforated on the bottom allows water to seep up into it which will then drain off in another area.

French Drain

As you can see, we are covering the pipe with a cheese cloth-like product which allows water in and keeps dirt and such out of the pipe preventing clogging. This is an important step if you elect to use a french drain.

The Roof, part 1

2011-02-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

After a few false starts, the guys have managed to get things in order to start on the roof. The metal has been cut and they are starting to weld it into place so they can attach the roof. We've also had to purchase a new welder as the old one went belly up on us. After the welding is finished, Tom and Ronnie will start to attach the standard metal roof complete with trusses and insulation. We decided to go this route rather than a flat concrete roof due to the weight involved with the concrete when it is wet. More to come as we move along.

This is Ronnie welding the metal into place.


Tom bringing the trusses to the top of the containers.

Lifting the trusses onto the roof of the containers.

Trusses lined up.

Trusses being raised.

Leveling the trusses.

Almost finished!

Tom and Ronnie Video

Setting the Containers

2011-01-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

We had a beautiful couple of days here in eastern Oklahoma and managed to get a few things done. We were supposed to get a dozer in, but at the last min we received a call saying they wouldn't be able to deliver the equipment, instead they sent us a mega-sized forklift, which Tom says turned out to be a blessing. Tom and Ronnie got started moving the containers onto the concrete runners. They had to fine tune it a bit to get the containers lifted onto the concrete because there is a half foot drop to the ground. They decided to use old logs and planks. Ronnie lifted the containers with the forklift while Tom pushed the logs under the container, which they then used to roll the containers into place in front of the footings. Then Ronnie began pushing the container back onto the runners with help from Tom and his tractor.

The Equipment....A mega Forklift

Push Me, Pull You...Ronnie is dragging the container while Tom helps by pushing the other end over the humps and bumps.

Lining up the containers so they can be lifted onto the footings, they placed a log under the container and then Ronnie rolled the container until it was lined up.

Success!

Lifting the containers, Tom placed planks under the container on each side and in the middle to keep it raised up and level with the footings.

With the container lifted onto the footings, Tom and Ronnie can now work it down to the end of the footings.

Putting a vapor barrier into place before the final shove to the end of the footing.

The first one in place, only two more to go.

It took Tom and Ronnie 4 hours to set the first container, 1 1/2 hours for the second and 45 minutes for the last.

Both Tom and Ronnie worked very hard to get the containers set into place in one day. It was dark by the time they finished. But they did a fine job. Next we move onto the welding part of the project.

The Road Home

2011-01-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

We had two loads of gravel delivered. This is the beginning of our new road to the containers from the entrance of our property. We'll need to add a couple more loads of gravel after we have the containers in place. The man from the power company came out and put up his flags for the poles to the containers. Tom will be working on moving the containers this coming weekend, so I should have another update soon. We are also in the process of prepping the containers. Tom has been sanding them down in the areas where they have been showing signs of rust. I've been helping him a bit by painting them with rust proof paint.

The Foundation...

2011-01-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hi, it's been a few months since I've last posted. Tom and I were on the road but we are now officially retired from the road! Woo Hoo! We can start in earnest creating our container home. We have been trying to get the foundation poured since Aug of last year. First it was too hot, then too wet, then too cold, however, we've gotten a break in the weather, so we had the foundation poured today. Next Tom will be working on removing the rust areas on the containers and then using a foundation and roof coating which will waterproof the tin cans. Here are a few shots of the foundation being poured from earlier today.

The Septic is In! Hoorah!

2011-01-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

While Tom and I were out running around the country, my Teri and Ronnie were keeping the home fires going and taking care of business for us. They say you can pick your friends but not your family. However, every now and again one gets lucky, and you get a great family to go with your really nice friends. So I just want to say a big Thank You to both Teri and Ronnie for doing all that you do for us.
We have a rock shelf, so they had to dig through that to get low enough to set the tank in place. Ronnie took some great pics of the process. According to Teri, it took them all day long, to dig the trench, lay the pipe and drop the tank in. Next is laying the foundation, sanding the containers, painting them with rust resistant paint and sealing them to keep them waterproof.

Nothing much new to report...although I have a new swimming pool

2010-09-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

We did manage to get back to Oklahoma for a few more weeks. But Tom pinched a nerve in his neck and it still hadn't cooled down enough to really do much work on the containers. However we did manage to contact the Septic guy and he's going to come out and put in the septic for us. That is if it dries up, my sister in law and brother in law, Teri and Ronnie reported massive down pours which is how I ended up with a swimming pool. The area Tom and Ronnie had dug up is now filled with lots and lots of rain water. Ronnie took his ATV out and got some pics for us, since we are now back on the road and in Las Vegas picking up something for the musical Billy Elliot. I asked Tom if maybe we should put some pontoons on the containers so that we can float if it rains again like this after we have the containers put where they need to be.

Here is a shot, taken by Ronnie of our 'swimming pool'.

A Small Snag....

2010-07-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

My husband, Tom and brother in law, Ronnie had started digging the area to set the containers in, the well digger was drilling our new well, they had the forms ready for concrete man and then the well came up dry! We have a well on the property that we put in for my sister in law almost two years ago, but isn't a strong flowing well, runs about 3 gals per minute. And while it is possible to share this well, it would not be possible to use the containers in the area we'd need to be in to access the current well. So we had to rethink our decision to put containers onto the property. Tom was bummed, we started coming up with alternatives. However, there is city water available, so we waited til Monday morning and headed for Porum, Ok to see if it was available to us. The head of the Water Dept came and spoke with us, told us he'd come and look over the situation as their main line is about 700 ft from our property line. He'll have to put in for a permit with the state, we'll need to apply for access to Porum's water and have the septic approved. And then if they can dig a trench 24 inches down into the ground and rock, we will have access to water. But our plans will be put on hold until all of this is accomplished. Everything happens for a reason, I always say, so I'll wait to see how things go. It could always be worse, I could have no where to live!
The first two shots are of the hole for the containers, the second two shots are of the building of the forms for the concrete footings needed for the containers and the last if of the well digger.

The Plan

2010-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are so looking forward to getting started on this project. We are starting with the floor plan that we worked on together. I did a mock floor plan in Photoshop early this morning, then we sat down together and hammered (pun intended) out our differences. Then Tom, my husband, with his engineering background went to work with a blue print program. We intend to tile the floors, add a product called cement fiber backboard because it is mold and mildew and moisture resistant, seal the outside, berm the dirt around the containers on three sides and lay a slab of "Lite Crete", which is light weight concrete on the roof.
The lines coming out of the sides of the front view are concrete retaining walls. We also hope to add a patio eventually with a roof and screened in to keep out critters and insects.

Here is the floor plan and a drawing of the front which is the only area which will be exposed to the elements.

The Beginning

2010-07-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

We started with an idea. To live underground, saving on energy costs, saving on building costs and we wanted to have the most unusual house on the block. My husband and I are not city folk. The hustle and bustle of a big city, traffic, honking horns, sirens are not something we enjoy. We like the quiet and solitude of the country, surrounded by trees, nature and lots of dogs. As truck drivers we were able to 'shop' around the US for a place to live. One of the greatest gifts I've ever been given is the opportunity to live anywhere I want and not where I need to live. We first decided we'd like Arizona, but changed our minds as there weren't enough trees for us. Then we found Oklahoma, on the eastern side, there are hills, trees and the solitude we were searching for so we purchased 20 acres on a hilltop with a seasonal stream. We continued trucking and discussed various types homes, everything from steel buildings to underground concrete homes. We checked prices and kept looking. One day we came across shipping containers, did some research online, and discovered the amazing things being done with them in terms of living spaces. So that was it, shipping containers met our needs and wants. And they were cheap! We have purchased 3 high cube shipping containers, so called because they are 9'6" high as opposed to 8' high. They are 8' wide by 40' long. Below are the images taken by my brother in law as the containers were being delivered.