Storage trailer homes (house, tornado, living)

[hotzcatz]

For some reason, there just aren't that many basements in Hawaii, KauaiHiker. Dunno if it's a social thing or the quality of the rock. I guess you could have your septic installer dig the hole if you wanted a basement? They'd have the equipment to do it, in any case. Many folks build on taller post and piers and then use the under house area as mainland folks would use a basement, I'd guess. It might also be that any walls over three or four feet high need engineering drawings and stamps, so that might also be a reason there aren't as many basements? Hmm, maybe it has something to do with ground freezing? Why do folks build their house over a big hole in the ground?

Drafting is what I do, so this isn't anything special I had to look up. They did change the code several years ago and things are a bit tougher now than they used to be but from what I hear, it's not as bad as some of the mainland places. Building in Hawaii is a lot easier than the mainland. Very little need for insulation, no ground freezing, no pipes freezing, no having to get the building enclosed before winter, etc., etc.

[OrangeCoriander]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Why do folks build their house over a big hole in the ground?

My understanding is that a foundation must be built below the frost line to avoid contraction and expansion with the seasons. In some parts of the country, that's quite a number of feet down, so you might as well keep digging out while you're down there and make something useful (especially for older houses, when refrigeration wasn't possible, and the cellar was the coldest part of the house).

[leilaniguy]

A guy I know in Leilani has lived in a 40' Matson box for 15 years now. He bought a lot where a house had burned and had his stuff shipped from Kauai, intending to build. Never happened. He ended up just cutting windows and doors into the box and has been there ever since. It is a strong house, has been hit by falling Ohias at least twice and didn't get a dent.

[hotzcatz]

And he can have it easily moved if the lava comes, too!

[HonaunauLove]

Basements anywhere in a tropical climate would be very prone for mold. Maybe why there aren't any around.

[KauaiHiker]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

For some reason, there just aren't that many basements in Hawaii, KauaiHiker. Dunno if it's a social thing or the quality of the rock.

Sorry, hotzcatz, it was an inside joke. Don't you remember this thread?

https://www.city-data.com/forum/big-i...ements-bi.html

[xbtrailer]

Hey! I read your post. I think you have been looking for storage trailers. if you want to buy a high quality trailer then check out our collections of the best quality trailers. http://xbtrailer.com/

[hotzcatz]

Oh, that thread, Kauaihiker, you've got a good memory, I'd forgotten about it. The building a basement in a tropical environment thread which is kinda similar to this one, isn't it? Since it's wanting to build something that isn't climate sensitive? I suspect if folks would move over and live here for six months or so before making plans of what to build and where to live, then they'd have a much expanded database and their plans would be entirely different from where they started.

Hmm, xbtrailer, is on topic sales considered spam or not? I'll let the moderators figure it out. I'm guessing the OP is very price sensitive and may not want a new trailer or one that would require shipping. But, that's just a guess.

[Paul saia]

MAYBE U should do your home work before making any comments I was talking about converted storage trailers GOOGLE IT U MAY JUSY LEARN SOMETHING some are very , very nice U can take 2-3-4 of them and put them side by side & OR on top of each other as I said 1st U must google them and LEARN SOMETHING FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE , my biggest question is the cost how much does it cost to convert

Originally Posted by smarino

Moving to Hawaii to live the life, and you end up living in a shipping container. Doesn't sound good to me. Those things are narrow, and while steel won't rust, it cannot breathe like a home needs to either. Humidity will sweat the walls inside, and give you a very unhealthy climate inside the home. Without insulation, every little noise will come in. Loud, low frequency noises might actually be louder due to the structure acting like a drum if it isn't insulated. I suppose you could sheet rock the walls and ceiling inside (and what do you nail the sheet rock to?), and insulate it, but it's still going to sweat humidity. Steel will rust too, especially in high humidity. There's a reason why its not used in home construction in any state I've ever lived in. If you've seen it, that's fine, but no home builder I have ever met would recommend or build one, and in 63 years I've never ever seen one. I've seen steel clad buildings but that's a different story. Steel also has very high thermal conductivity, meaning if its hot or cold outside, those temps will leak like a sieve into the home. The thermal bridging is so bad that you actually should insulate the OUTSIDE of the home. If it ever catches on fire, wood may burn, but steel will melt. No fireman will enter a steel constructed building. They will only stay outside to hose it down.

Redwood, cedar and cypress (good luck getting the latter. Its the best, but will not be cheap) are termite resistant. As is regular old treated (poisoned) lumber. There are a number of very good non traditional building materials around, and I am sure that even adobe is possible in high humidity climates if built correctly. Maybe even straw bales. Even a yurt would be better and cheaper (again, no insulation and noise would be my concerns). Spend some time googling alternative home construction. Steel or any metal would be my last choice. I'd bet it would eventually lead to some nasty lung issues due to interior condensation. Cinder block is possible. I lived in several apartment buildings over on Reed's Bay on the B.I. that were constructed from that. Even block will breathe. You absolutely don't want to build a home that cannot breathe.

No mobile homes are allowed in Hawaii to my knowledge.

[Grassyknoll]

OP, I think your response to SMarino was overly harsh considering he put considerable effort into his reply.

What will it cost to live in a converted shipping container? Well, given lax building code enforcement, I would say it will cost you exactly as much as the purchase price of a used container.
Don't want to live in an unfinished container, well then just add $1-1,000,000 depending on the quality of enhancements you desire.
That would be an answer to your most basic question.