Southern Tablelands Shipping Container Build

[Moondog55]

I expect both sunrise and sunset shots as soon as you get a good set of days for photography

[r3nov8or]

Thanks Moondog - welcome back. I don't think there will be many more posts from me - finally reaching the end of the Big Project!

Now you need to offer everyone else the fruits of your experience

[ErrolFlynn]

This thread does that. Unless, of course, there's the intention of a book version of the experience.

[r3nov8or]

This thread does that

I hope you know that's not what I meant

Anyway, it's been great that turnstiles shared this journey with us. My hope is that he helps others, in other threads, as questions arise. But to each their own...

[turnstiles]

Lol - I'm not disappearing! But posts will (and have already) slow down.

In the past I've never had a lot of time to spare to browse the forum but now I will.

Happy to offer tips - but (though it sounds odd as I've built a house!) I don't feel that confident in offering suggestions. I still don't feel that I'm a particularly adept builder!

But certainly if people have started a container build I am happy to give suggestions as to what did and didn't work for me.

And for anyone wanting to start a container build - don't!!

[ErrolFlynn]

I think that one went over the top, r3.

a container build - don't!!

I seem to recall in the old renovateforum there was someone around the Captain's Flat neck of the woods in NSW (or somewhere nearby) who was doing a container build. There was a log of his efforts on the old site. Can't recall the username. Hell, maybe it was you!

[turnstiles]

Council recently graded our dirt road and kindly dumped about 30 tonnes of clean fill on my doorstep!

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It is a mixture of silt and road base - which means nice organic soil to grow grass, and the road base (gravel) means it should drain well.

I've used it to raise the ground level on two sides of the house which was always the plan, to hide the foundation piers and make the house look as if it is sitting on the ground.

First was the back of the house:

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Then on the side of the house I constructed a low retaining wall from timber sleepers, stained it the same colour as the timber slats on the front of the house and the water heater cupboard,

I also dug a 300x300mm trench on the outside of this wall into the mainly clay surface, and back-filled it with soil so I could plant a row of low, flowering Wax plants. (I also made temporary frost covers to get them through til Spring and added wire netting to keep away the bunnies and roos!!)

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And added a couple of steps - one at the kitchen end and the other outside the 2nd bedroom:

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The plumber left the outside drainage pipes high as I told him I was raising the ground level. He told me when I had done this to just cut the pipes down to ground level.

For the time being, both this raised surface and the one at the back will just have grass sown.

I had originally planned on making 2 big sliding doors for the bookcase-pantry I put in. At the last minute i changed my mind when I discovered IKEA make doors for their Billy bookcases! The only things I was not sure about were the 'country-kitchen' look of the doors (no choice for a plain white door!) and the doors for the extensions on the top only came with a glass front. But I am slowly getting used to them.

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I am now in the process of framing in the shelving, and plaster-boarding around it. Currently I have applied the base coat of plaster and have 2 more plaster coats and three of paint to do before it is finished. Allowing a day for each to dry, I expect to have it finished by Friday.

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My neighbours dropped off a housewarming gift - a door mat with the house name made into it! (The name of the house is an amalgam of the first 2 syllables of my late partners surname and the last syllable of mine.)

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One more thing - a few weeks ago I made the decision to give up my 40 years of casual teaching and retire early!!

I was hating the job, Casual teachers cop so much grief from vile little students, I was so tired of the verbal abuse and disrespect (which somehow seems far worse since their Covid stay-at-home period) I worked out I can survive on my Super til the pension.

This means I can (FINALLY!!) return to my art career which has pretty much been on hold during the building adventure.

The whole point of this build, moving to the country and ending up with no mortgage, electricity or water bills, and growing most of my own food, was to put myself in the position of needing very little money to live on and returning to art making, but (for the first time ever) full-time.

I still have my shed/studio to build, so sculpting (my main format) will have to wait a bit longer as I don't really have the space. I'm returning to making 2D work and have eked out a little space in the lounge for the time being.

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[Moondog55]

I have a couple of teacher friends and they share your POV.
Nice work still.
You have an IKEA deep colander, I always wanted 4 of those to make lampshades for the kitchen but they stopped selling them before I could buy a quad, but I have a singleton and keep Op-Shopping in the hope of finding some.
Just remember the shed has to be bigger than the house.

[turnstiles]

You have an IKEA deep colander, I always wanted 4 of those to make lampshades for the kitchen but they stopped selling them before I could buy a quad, but I have a singleton and keep Op-Shopping in the hope of finding some.

I had exactly the same idea with these lovely Kmart fruit bowls (at $8 each!) to make pendant lights for above bedside tables in one of the bedrooms.

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Bought them about 5 years ago. then forgot to organise the wiring for them! So I gave one away to someone who thought they were amazing, and the 2nd I keep to use as a...... fruitbowl

[turnstiles]

Brief update - work on the house moves slowly on, but I did manage to finish the pantry.
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Now the surround is complete, I am warming to the 'Shaker' style cupboards. The narrow cupboard doors are really great, and make getting supplies really quick (once I memorise where things are!!) I am really glad I didn't go with the sliding doors idea.

Next thing on the list was the TV. Not a big TV watcher - my last TV died (17") about 2 years ago and I didn't bother replacing it until last week. I am also not a fan of TV's as room furniture, so I bought a telescopic support which allows me to put the TV away into the cupboard when not in use. As it also swivels, it permits a screen larger than the door opening.

I ended up with a 40" as I wasn't game enough to risk a larger one fitting through the door opening. Though I think now from use I could possibly go to a 46" in the future if/when this one dies! I still need to finish inside the cupboard - hide the studs and build shelving under and around the TV arm.
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Currently trying to get the long neglected veggie garden back into shape ready for Spring plantings in a few weeks. Though we are having a week of horrible windy weather (up to 80+kph winds ��so I am not inclined to go outside to do any work!

[r3nov8or]

Good idea for tucking away the TV, especially if it's an occasional thing. But why mount it so high?

[turnstiles]

Good idea for tucking away the TV, especially if it's an occasional thing. But why mount it so high?

Good question re height!

I played around with a cardboard box as stand in for the TV to determine the height. When I worked out my standard viewing position - flat out and feet up, with my head resting on the back of the sofa - my eyeline went to that height! The TV also tilts down so my sight is perpendicular to the screen.

It wouldn't be as comfortable if I was sitting bolt upright though. (But seriously...who watches TV like that )

My "L" shaped sofa is very big - each arm of the "L" comfortably sleeps an adult stretched out without touching either end! (I know this because I had a full house on the weekend and 2 adults slept there!!) So it's great for laying there, feet up eating dinner watching The I.T. Crowd! (I have no pay per view so ABC and SBS online are a good source for programmes!!)

[ErrolFlynn]

It seems like the height is perfect, for you. It’s always more comfortable with your eyes angling downward slightly, like in a movie theatre.

Though, on the issue of height (and nothing to do with you) it always amazes me why there’s a trend to locate the telly above the room heater. Heat travels upward. The telly is full of electronics and the frame has vents to allow the heat generated by its components to escape. Not to allow more heat from the room heater to cook it. Weird.

[turnstiles]

Agreed - I've often seen TV's situated above fireplaces. I've often wondered about the heat affecting the circuitry. Occasionally, when my laptop has had the sun directly on it for an hour or so (even now in winter), it has started to malfunction and I've had to move it and let it cool down.

[ErrolFlynn]

I suspect it’s a style thing. When I used to watch The Block you’d see TV’s above the fireplace. It must have been the fashionable thing to do.

I take your point about your laptop. If you put your hand near the vents after it has been on for a while you can probably feel the warm air it generates. TVs are just as full of electronics. That's what a TV is mostly, nowadays; a big specialised computer. I’ll bet if you put your hand above the vents you’d also feel the warm/hot air escaping.

I wouldn’t be surprised that all those televisions mounted in hot spots like that would have a shorter life than had they been placed in a cooler location.