Hebner - How to Build a Simple Three Bedroom Shipping Container House

By

Bill Hebner

Copyright 2015
James Hebner

Smashwords Edition,License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebookmay not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would liketo share this book with another person, please purchase anadditional copy for each recipient. If youre reading this book anddid not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only,then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

ConstructionSteps for a 60m2 House

(Suitable for the RDPReconstruction Development Program)

The modular use of existing 12m (40ft) long,grade 2 shipping containers for housing has been building momentumin many countries in the developed world since the early 90s.Utilizing the containers, not as finished rooms but as completestructural components is opening the door for creative, fast andaffordable housing and commercial spaces, for all parts of thedeveloping world and particularly for Africa.

The Hebner house isnot fancy. It does not require a lot of skill and is outrageouslyeconomical to build with the first unit costing just under $10,000USD (7,000). If you are looking for something more custom-madethen I would suggest you talk to an architect as this house wastried and tested for humanitarian relief with very little access topower tools and skilled labour. At the end of this project you willhave a simple 60m2, 3 bedroom home that in its basiclayout can occur in as little as 3 days with a team of 6 - 8 men orin well under a month by yourself with maybe a little help from afriend. This handbook is written as a simple step by step guide tohelp you speed up the process and to reduce waste in materials andtime by avoiding the mistakes we made. This booklet is by no meansexhaustive and assumes basic construction skills exist in at leastone member of the construction team. For the DIY enthusiast thatwants to give it a shot we will try to include additionalsupporting information where we can in each section to help youavoid simple first time builder mistakes. If at any time you needhelp with your project, we will try to do so, but this may be at acost for our time. Feel free to contact us viaHebnerhouses.com.

I cannot emphasiseenough that to get the most from this manual please watch theonline video a few times at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQkAQ8JMRmA and familiarize yourself with the basic construction techniques weare referring to before and while you are reading through thismanual.

There are slight variationsbetween homes that are built on an assembly line basis and housesbuilt on site. For this guide we will consider an onsite model withlimited access to a crane aside from the delivery of thecontainers. Orders can vary, but the important point is that allaspects are addressed. Therefore, we would suggest a timeline asfollows:

1. Source materialsand permits

2. Concretefoundations

3. Locate First FixUtilities

4. Prepare theundersides

5. Place thecontainer

6. Sandblast orgrind

7. Cut out and installwindows

8. Weld the containertops together

9. Create opening andZipper Cut walls

10. Cut out internaldoors

11. Install doorframes

12. Security doorinstallation

13. Build roof gableends and install roof purlins

14. Installelectrics

15. Prep the containerto receive insulation

16. Insulate thehouse

17. Spray internalinsulation gaps and ceiling

18. Paint containerinternally

19. Install bathroomand kitchen plumbing

20. Second FixUtilities

21. Spray externalinsulation

22. Paint or Renderexternal insulation

23. Install roofsheeting

24. Hang doors andinstalling glass in windows

25. Install thebathroom partition wall

26. Final finishingand lay flooring

There areapproximately 250 man hours represented in the basic house on thevideo from the digging of the foundations to lockup includingfunctional electrics and a toilet. This includes the flooring,internal and external painting, windows and basic electric.Personal choice of higher levels of desired finish in the kitchenand bathroom will be in addition to the base construction time. Webelieve that working with the suggested jigs, prefabricated doorsand windows as well as a suitable commercial compressor forspraying sand, foam and paint will reduce the base constructiontime by an additional 20 hours.

Foundation and Placement

Wood saw

Laser level (rental 1day only)or good water level

Cordless drill orhammer

50 tape for squaringfoundations

Brick trowel

300 string

8 - 2 stakes

Block and tackle (ifcontainer must be moved laterally into final position afterdelivery)

5 disk grinder (use 9discarded disks to save cost here)

9 disk grinder 30metal grinding disks

Sand blaster &Sand blasting grit

Stick, MIG or torchwelder Appropriate rods

Marking pens and soapstone pencils (from welding supply shop)

6 - 6 steelclamps

Welder magneticcorners

Metal drill bits to

Pressure washer

Chalk line

18V or electricdrill

8 scaffoldingplatform

Sandblaster

HVLP Paint Gun

Pneumatic grinder anddrill

Insulation

2x froth pak 600 Dowchemicals or 10 gallon compressor with closed cell 2 partapplication machine (rental or sub contracted)

4 masking orpackaging tape

Old newspapers tocover windows

Roll of 2mm clearplastic drop cloth

Long blade Stanleyknife

4 foam rollers or 4 brushes

Commercial electricpaint sprayer or HVLP paint gun

1.Source Materials and Permits

Youwill need the following to construct the Hebner House:

2 12 m HI cubecontainers (96 high by 40 long) grade 2 or better (one usecontainers are more expensive but would allow for pristine internaland external finishes as the steel walls will have no scars fromforklifts)

an access plan for acontainer truck with or without a Hiab to get to your work site

a local or portablepower source that can produce a minimum of 5 KVA or better

the appropriate toolsto begin (see list)

local planningpermission and approvals

access to 400 gallonsof water (min.) for foundations and cleaning