Kathy Tafel - KTainer

Projects, Persuasions, Perambulations

Theory

In contemplating the layout of my four containers, I kept asking myself, what could go wrong? What am I not taking into consideration? And what is the ideal solution? What am I okay with cutting corners on? Truthfully, Nick kept telling me what could go wrong. There was more than I knew!

Insulation
I wanted to make sure I could insulate underneath, after the fact, at my leisure, so needed to get up under them.
Passive Solar
Four metal boxes sitting in 115° heat would bake you. When I visited the local container guy and saw him moving around a new shipment with his forklift, I had to ask questions. He opened up one of his containers, it was about 4 in the afternoon in June. And I nearly fainted from the new paint smell and the heat. I literally got dizzy, and had to ask to go back outside in order to talk.
Future
I didn't really want to think about ventilation or power or plumbing or heating, but I didn't want to make a choice that would make it hard to implement any of that. I did a fair amount of research on each subject to give me an overview of the problem set without inundating myself with details.
Living Space
I'm a more private person. The yurt is all one room, and I wanted a place I could retreat to,. The fourth container gives me the option of a study/studio. I'd like to make a 3D model of the ranch someday, not in Sketchup, and have it there. But I also wanted to have a gathering space for when we have large groups up.
Trees
I didn't want to interfere with the root systems of any of the surrounding trees. I figured the roots would not extend horizontally farther than branches. So I mapped out a space of where the trees were, and other natural obstacles to give me the space in which to work.