The world is full of junk keepers, yours truly,-guilty! For weeks I've been hunting a storage container. To pay to store things, at least for any long term, is just not cost affective. Smarter to buy a container and store items until you decide what to do with them, right? Storage containers have become very popular and they can be pricey. I went back and forth with several outfits, one guy tried to sell me a container full of rust. An Oakland outfit had beautiful containers, well maintained, but by the time we added in a regular door, a window for some light, paint, vent etc. it became too expensive. During the sales speech he made it clear that if it is 100* outside, it will be 120* inside. Do I really want to fry anything worth storing? i realized, a shipping container is NOT the answer for me.
My neighbors have a marvelous building made of styrofoam. This is the door to their wine cellar. Made of styrofoam blocks. You can see the door is about 12 inches thick.
This is their garage. The same thick walls. The garage is under the house. Styrofoam? Holding up a house you might ask? Well, the blocks are hollow. They have re-enforcing rod in them. They are erected as a kit and go together like legos. Then the four walls are poured full of concrete in one day. Six inches of concrete, six inches of styrofoam. Instant insulation. It maintains an even temperature summer and winter. One small portable electric heater, heats the entire house on extra chilly days.
This is a doorway to the house. They mounted an air conditioning unit that they rarely use, because they didn't know how cool the house would stay. It is a true, "green" house. The studs are steel.
The indoor walls are made of foam panels that can be sheet rocked or paneled just like conventional walls.
The outside can be wood or plastic, siding. This house has an off-center roof, to hold enough solar panels to power their original stick house and this new one. The house has a conventional wood truss roof, with shingles. The kit for the house was $7200 seventeen years ago. The wood floor to mount it on, the roof, the concrete pour, electrical and plumbing, extra. Still, an economical way to build. This couple, he, a chef, her an airline agent, had no building experience. They put kit walls up themselves, in two days. A friend helped by making sure the metal rail that holds the steel studs, was perfectly straight.
Now I have to start all over again, to find a supplier for a cool green storage building. The downside is, I was hoping to have storage before my family reunion over July 4th weekend. Since I've been on the road with Jim, my place gets pretty neglected. A lot of work ahead during this extended home-stay.
I love building. And I love learning something new. Now, I'm excited.
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