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GonHuntin
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2011 11:04pm - Edited by: GonHuntin
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Newbie here........been reading the forum and website for awhile, gathering ideas and advice, and figured I'd share my cabin project.
My wife and I own 150 acres in NE Okla, used mainly for hunting and outdoor recreation. We have had an old 5th wheel travel trailer on the property for several years and have lived through several break-ins, thefts and vandalism. We never know what to expect when we go to the property, will we find the trailer broken into, full of mice, burned to the ground or used as a drug lab??
We decided we wanted a cabin that was more secure, so I bought a 20' cargo container and am in the process of converting it into a small cabin. One big advantage in using the container is that I had it delivered to my home to do the conversion and will have it moved to the property when finished.
The plan is to build a wall with a walk door 3' inside the end doors. The 3' space between the wall and end doors will allow some room for secure storage and will house a small window AC unit and a 12 volt battery bank for lights. I built window frames and shutters from 3/16" angle iron and 3/16' steel plate. The frames are welded into the side of the container, the shutters have locks that are only accessible from inside the cabin. I will be having the inside sprayed with closed cell foam insulation and have ordered a small Eskabe direct vented propane heater to handle the heating chores. I am thinking about putting a small solar panel and controller on the roof to maintain the battery when we are away. We will use a generator to charge the battery and run the AC when needed. The interior will be pretty spartan, with just a couple of bunks, a folding table and a counter top for food prep. A propane stove and oven out of an RV will handle the cooking. It will be as secure as I can make it......it won't be "theft proof", but they will have to work hard to get in!!
I do have one question..... I have several 4x8 sheets of 1" extruded polystyrene foam insulation and am thinking about using it to insulate the floor. My thought is to lay the foam on top of the factory wood floor and then add a second wood floor over the insulation. From what I have been able to find, the extruded polystyrene has plenty of compression strength and should work fine under 1/2" plywood??? Thoughts??
Thanks for the ideas!!
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Just
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2011 08:52am
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Like the rest of your project the floor insulation sounds good to me ,, you should however make sure the battery bank is well ventilated,,, maybe even in another building !!
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GonHuntin
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2011 09:05am - Edited by: GonHuntin
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Good advice.......the "storage" area of the cabin has separate ventilation, but I'll certainly be aware of your caution, might even build a container for the battery that is directly vented to the exterior.
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bugs
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2011 09:19am
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You could use sealed batteries that don't need to be ventilated then they could be stored securely in the container. They are much more$$$ tho
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