10/05/12 7:43 pm by CS Shipping Containers
Whether new or second hand, shipping containers are great for storage. However, one of the questions I am often asked is how to reduce the risk of condensation.
The first to thing to do that can really help is to site the container so that the doors do not open into the prevailing wind. In the UK the wind is often from the west. So it makes sense that on a wet and windy day when you open the doors of your container that the wind does not drive the rain into it!
Secondly it is important to realise that often condensation is caused by the objects stored in the container itself. Soft furnishings, for example, often carry moisture which gets trapped inside the container once the doors are closed so make sure everything is as dry as possible. The most effective way of counteracting any moisture still left is to either use moisture traps (which need to be replaced every three months) or to have a Grafo ceiling (which is a long term solution).
The grafo is sprayed onto the ceiling of the container at the depot and once it has ‘set’ 24 hours later, absorbs any condensation in the shipping container. But “what does it look like?” I am often asked. Hopefully the photo below will show that it really is very unobtrusive and electrics etc can be mounted on top of it.
20ft shipping container with grafo ceiling
Tags: container condensation, grafo, new shipping containers, second hand shipping containers, shipping container condensation
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20/01/12 6:15 pm by CS Shipping Containers
From the 11th to the 16th of January this year Evian sited a shipping container at London’s Southbank to create an Alpine experience.
CS Shipping Containers were commissioned to provide the custom built 20ft shipping container which was specially modified to be able to house a ski lodge which provided a total interactive experience.
Six guests at a time were able to experience log fires, aroma bubbles and even huskie puppies and lederhosen clad dancers. And of course everyone was educated in the purifying benefits of Evian’s mineral water.
Working closely with Design Arrivals CS modified the Shipping Container with specially fitted doors which allowed the whole of one 20ft side to be opened up to allow a feeling of spaciousness. The Shipping Container Conversion was then fitted with the alpine lodge interior.
Doors fully open on Evian Container
The 20ft container had specially fitted doors allowing a 20ft side to be completely openedEvian Container in situ on Southbank
Tags: 20ft shipping container, Container Conversions, evian alpine experience, shipping container conversion, southbank
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03/08/11 11:54 am by CS Shipping Containers
Available for purchase or hire, CS Shipping Containers have launched a new range of Coshh, Hazardous Material and Chemical Stores. Fully compliant with HSE regulations and BASIS compliant the new stores have a sub floor bund that stops any materials from leaking into the soil beneath.
This 10ft hazardous material store can be painted in a range of colours
Available in a variety of colours and sizes from 8ft to 40ft the containers have a sub floor bund so that there is no awkward step to overcome these containers are ideal for solving how to keep paint, diesel or chemicals secure and safely on site.
Sub floor bund in 10ft coshh store
Shelving, ramps, zone 2 lighting and heating as well as stillages etc can customise the container further should they be required thus tailoring the container and avoiding unnecessary costs.
This latest range is in addition to our agricultural chemical stores which are made from converted shipping containers.
Tags: agricultuaral chemical stores, Chemical Stores, chemicals, coshh stores, diesel, hazardous material stores, paint
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23/05/11 7:33 pm by CS Shipping Containers
The Chelsea Flower Show has made good use of shipping containers in some of its show gardens. The most obvious is the the RBC New Wild Garden which is designed to make the most of rainwater. Its central feature is a 20ft second hand refurbished shipping container which has been turned into an artists studio. This shipping container conversion has a green roof and the sides have hung on them habitats especially designed to attract beneficial insects. After the show the garden will be sited at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire
Shipping Container converted into a Artists Studio at Chelsea Flower Show
But other gardens have mademore traditional use of shipping containers taking uses the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne for inspiration and features plants never before seen at Chelsea. They used shipping containers to transport the sculptures and plants from Australia to their site at Chelsea.
The Australian Garden being packed into shipping containers before its journey to England
Shipping containers continue to have lots of uses – even at the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show!!
Tags: chelsea flower show, container conversion, rbc new wild garden, refurbished shipping containers
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03/03/11 10:17 am by CS Shipping Containers
We have had quite a few enquiries recently about “chillers” or containers that are able to maintain a temperature above freezing. Refrigerated Containers - despite the name – are able to do all of this. In fact they are able to be set between -25C and +25C and with their superior insulation they are ideal for freezing, chilling and keeping products at a consistent temperature. The most common sizes are 20ft, 40ft and 10ft
New 20ft Refrigerated Container
The most common type of refrigerated shipping container have an integral refrigeration unit which controls the temperature within the container. Originally designed to be used on ship they normally operate using a 3-phase electrical supply- although it is possible, normally at additional cost, to convert the reefer to work on single phase. New or second hand refrigerated containers are now used more and more on land. The most common purchasers are butchers, farmers, mushroom growers, plant nurseries, hospitals, paint and print suppliers etc. but we have also supplied to car manufacturers who use the temperature controlled unit to test their cars.
Inside of Refrigerated Container showing t-bar floor
There is a growing market too for refrigerated containers that no longer have working refrigeration units in them. This is because the insulation in the units is so effective and often works out cheaper than having a shipping container lined from scratch.
Tags: chiller containers, controlled temperature containers, Refrigerated Containers, refrigerated shipping containers
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11/11/10 5:39 pm by CS Shipping Containers
In the last post we went through some of the things you should consider when planning your shipping container conversion.Each of the points raised probably deserve a more in depth look and so today I am going to deal with probably the topic that I get asked about most – insulation.
There is, of course, various reasons why you might want to line and insulate your shipping container. Obviously if you are planning on converting it into a usable office, clubhouse or any type of building you want to be able to control just how warm/cool it is. And lets face it. There is no point in just putting heaters or air conditioning in to regulate the temperature in what would be without lining a metal box. The cost would be the same as trying to govern the temperature outside. Insulation is vital to keep those energy costs down and to stabilise the overall temperature inside your shipping containers. It also helps stop condensation.
A container lined and insulated using melamine faced board and rockwool
There are various options you can consider. The most popular way of insulating your container is to batten out the sides and the ceiling, insulate with rockwool and finish with a faced board of your choice. There are various options here from melamine to plasterboard finishes. There are specialist options which have higher fire ratings or sound proofing. Much depends on what your shipping container conversion is going to be used for.
All this happens on the inside of the containers. But let us not forget that there are other options to consider such as cladding or using SPF on the outside of the container. SPF or Spray Foam Insulation can be sprayed directly onto the walls etc to provide a barrier before putting on a decorative cladding. You would have put on some battening or furring strips to contain it as it expands to fit every nook and cranny. It is not commonly used in the UK on shipping containers at the moment but certainly is worth considering. If anyone is interested in learning more of the practical details of applying this stuff, let me know and I will do a post on it.
Green Roof on Shipping Container
Another popular external insulation is a green roof. Effectively a tray on top of the container, filled with soil and planted up.
I hope this starts to give you some ideas. Previous posts on this subject have brought a lot of responses so I will leave it to popular opinion as to whether I write more on this subject.
Tags: container conversion, insulating shipping containers, insulation of shipping container, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers
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27/10/10 5:53 pm by CS Shipping Containers
There are so many different container conversions that have been built over the years that it is easy to get sidetracked and forget to look at the basics. As with any conversion, good planning is essential and if you are able to work out exactly what you want and draw some upsort of plan that is good place to start. Here are some important points to bear in mind when drawing up your plan:-
- No matter how large your conversion is eventually going to be it is important to remember the basic sizes of shipping container – either the 20ft or 40ft lengths are the most commonly used.
- Remember that sides can be cut out of containers so that they can be combined on site to give more width – though always in 8ft increases.
- Shipping Containers can also be stacked on top of one another to give additional height though it is important to line up the iso blocks on the cornersfor strength. 20ft containers should therefore sit only on 20ft containers – don’t think you can add a 40ft on one level with two 20fts on top for example and still keep integral strength.
- If you are considering having heating or air conditioning do think about having the container lined and insulated
- Windows can be double glazed and you should always consider having metal shutters for security. The average sized window is 3ftx3ft.
- Whilst second hand shipping containers provide a greener solution if you are considering a multi-container conversion it could be as well to go for new/once used containers so that the floor levels can match up as the containers will all have been built to the same specification.
- Single container conversions can be divided into sections. A lot of office conversions for example consist of 50% office and 50% storage space.
- Additional doors can be put into the container. The most common is a personnel door but double container doors and even complete side access doors are possibilities.
- Electricity can be supplied not only by the traditional method of connecting to the National Grid but by alternative sources such as solar panels, wind turbines etc.
- Plumbing can be added from simple sinks to disabled lavatories but remember to consider where the pipes need to go in relation to your site.
You do not need to provide any more than a basic sketch or layout of your conversion – although wonderful to receive a CAD drawing a basic plan is often sufficient to get things started. Inevitably shipping container conversionsevolve as the planning process is discussed and developed. A reputable company should always give you a quotation and will be quite happy to break down the different costings so that you can choose and develop your conversions as you progress.
Tags: Container Conversions, second hand shipping containers, Shipping Container Conversions, shipping container homes, Shipping Containers
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21/10/10 10:11 am by CS Shipping Containers
Using second hand shipping containers to turn into homes, site offices, community projects, classrooms (to name but a few) is a common sense solution that can solve all sorts of problems. Not only do these shippingcontainer conversions mean that you are recycling what is essentially anindustrial product but they also save you money.
If you look at a shipping container as being essentially a building block it is easy to imagine combining them in all sorts of different combinations and then lining and insulating them, putting in windows and doors and power to convert them to whatever you require.
You can combine containers to form larger buildings
Power can be by linking the second hand shipping container to the grid, but also more and more, people are looking to having solar panels on the roof or linking up to a wind turbine that they put near by. We have also started quoting more and more for people to have a”green roof” put on the container which provides extra insulation and helps to blend the container in with the environment.
Alternative energy sources can be used to provide power to shipping container conversions
By using an existing surplus industrial product you are not causing any more metal to be mined or trees to be cut down. A large amount of the conversion work required to provide insulation etc can also be made using recycled materials. The versatility of the shipping container means that it is suitable for many different purposes and best of all, not only does it save you money it is easy and economic in all senses to get onto site and construction times are often up to 2/3rds less.
Shipping Container Conversions are thereforean eco-friendly and economic solution.
Tags: eco friendly conversions, second hand shipping containers, Shipping Container Conversions, shipping container homes, site offices
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14/10/10 2:49 pm by CS Shipping Containers
20ft Shipping Containers are at the heart of Smirnoffs’s Nightlife Exchange Project. The UK Shipping Container Conversion started as a new/once used container which had a side door put in prior to being kitted up ready to represent the best nightlife experience in the UK.
14 different countries are taking part and each will “export†their party ideas to another country. So the shipping container that houses the ingredients and ideas for a best-of-British night out may end up in Brazil, whereas the UK may receive an Indian extravaganza in return.
20ft new shipping container before the final conversion
20ft shipping container fully converted for the Nightime Xtreme Project
Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe has been signed up as front man to lead the search for the UK’s best ideas and a TV ad campaign is being shot showing them all being put into the shipping container. A six-week tour of the UK is taking place visiting cities such as London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester where the container is used to record people’s views on great night life experiences. The results will be announced on the 22nd October together with the country pairings for the party exchange.
CS Shipping Containers was very excited to be asked to provide the container for the start of this project and we are all really looking forward to the results! Further information can be found on Smirnoff’s dedicated facebook pages.
Tags: 20ft shipping container, new shipping container, shipping container conversion, Shipping Containers, smirnoff nightime xtreme
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05/10/10 11:06 am by CS Shipping Containers
Textile studio being painted
Earlier this year we were approached by the Manchester Creative Collective (MCC) to help them in their aim to provide creative space within Manchester. To do this they wanted to use second hand shipping containers and convert them into various artist studios. “Recycled Shipping Containers bring efficiency, flexibility and affordability …… designed using reclaimed materials and with green technology in mind they are practical spaces for a fraction of the cost, labour and resources of more convential materials” said Janey from MCC.
Shipping Containers, whether new or second hand are ideal for conversions. They lend themselves to all sorts of designs and are very practical both as single units and combined into larger spaces. Once lined and insulated they have good thermal efficiency and can easily have light, heating and electrics installed. Some bespoke conversions that CSSC have undertaken recently have made use of solar panels.
Textile Studio made from 20ft Shipping Container
This 20ft Shipping Container was turned into a Textile Studio and is now being used full-time by Alice Bierley, the resident artist. Further plans for a music studio are now underway.
Tags: 20ft shipping containers, Bespoke Conversions, second hand shipping containers, Shipping Containers
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