I've always had an idea to make an underground shelter. Something that would be permanent and cause as little impact on the planet as possible. I love the idea of using shipping containers because they're so sturdy, yet spacious. Also the fact that your essentially making a bunker is pretty appealing as well.
There are numerous posts in google on how much reinforcement these need to be in ground and why they are not a good idea long term. You are much better of with concrete underground hime that has life time roof guarantee or a monolithic dome home. Or above front they have great exterior covering with foam and a a pasticize plaster coating. The R values on this are amazing. It isn't cheap
Some storage containers are toxic and that is an issue plus I would wonder about stability over the years. I think @Ganado's post about concrete is the best suggestion. It costs more up-front but it will hold up longer.
Ganado is correct on the reinforcement of the these containers . The concrete wall idea is probably the best idea , you can make itany size you want . Back in the 80s while in the Corps , they had us sleeping in some of these that the Seabees buried for us . I never did like sleeping in that thing , figured 1 raghead slips thru the wire with a few frags could kill us all , but then again , sleeping at ground level wasn't any safer .
Put the container in the ground, brace the inside of the container, put steel around it and pour several inches of concrete around it on all sides. Remove bracing and use for many years. Its going to be a pretty big impact on the planet if you try too hard to minimize impact then have to abandon it after a few years because it was not done right and rusts out or buckles and allows water to leak in whenever it rains. Think of the impact if you do it right and its still useable in 50 or 60 years as compared to it just being an abandoned rotted out half buried metal container which was replaced by 1 or 2 more half ass built half buried containers in the same unusable condition.
What I had thought would be, to take Refer Conex Boxes, and if you have two place them Side by Side, on a gravel Pad, with a French Drain System, in the gravel, and build a water tight connection between them. Then get some 3/8" Plate Steel and cover the Roof, with it, for Load Sharing, & coat the whole Exterior with a WaterProofing Rubber compound. Install the Water, Power and Filtered Air Connections, into the Structure, all thru the Gravel Pad. Then Bury the whole Structure, under a Mound of local Dirt, a couple of feet thick on the Top and up to three feet thick on the sides, and plant a nice Crop of Clover & Grasses, that will Hold the soil in place, leaving the two Opening Ends clear, and replace the Doors on one Box with a Steel Entrance Door, and Window. Leave the Other Set of Doors, AS IS, so you can do Spring Cleaning and move Big Items in and out. After a year, or so you will have a very Energy efficient Hobbit Habitat, that will NOT be susceptible to Tornados, Earthquakes, Heavy Rains, {if your Site is higher than the 1000 Year Flood Plain) or other Natural Disasters....
Any structure you make will have some draw backs be it price or location regardless of materials the bigger question is personal practicality . I have no illusions of living 20 more years no matter what the world does. Therefor unless my kids come to live with me ,there is no need to live/invest in a bunker. As unstable as the economy is, it does not make sense to build an investment home expecting to sell it down the line ,so what ever I'm living in I will just make do with what I have . However had I the money to work with, it would be worth doing a study on locations applicable to my preferred lifestyle ,and build something humble on the surface , that fit the landscape, and sufficient basement ,underground for storage and security, should the house get destroyed by earth quake fire or raider/safe room . Equally important is a green house and enough land to raise animals , obviously a larger concern than one man can handle alone. I think the container works just fine IF proper measures are met to deal with typical issues of drainage and corrosion .no home is trouble free. Immagine building a home an find that they are doing Fracking locally . If you've built without considering the possibilities of different disasters ,your begging for trouble. I lived in the mountains and saw so many homes built, not regarding the winter , freezing, and snow, and in 150 years people are still stupid enough to continue doing it. Don't ask me to design your home , it won't be any thing like what you've seen . nor will it fit todays LOOKS. I don't care. I've learned enough about solar ,thermal and photovoltaic, and geothermal, to know what works, and what doesn't, in the long run. I wish I had another lifetime to direct my current range of experiences and knowledge .
Well said arleigh , I actually never thought I would have lived this long , or should have , lol . At my age now , I wonder if its worth the effort to really try to go all out self sufficient . To an extent , YES . But like you said , if I had another lifetime , I've got a pretty good idea what I'd be doing , but not 100% sure where .
I bought mine, then they started fracking. Zero problems with anything, including my well. The NIMBYs are full of hooie and BS. Your call, of course ---
Mine has been in the dirt for 8 years plus , stands on the 8 tie in corners and has a structure built on top of those corners , as like the video. No sky tubes due to it's our cold storage .Right now it has 1800 pounds of fruit & tomorrow Im back up the ladder for another apple tree. We can do 40' max tree . I was asked a few years ago to do a 60' pear tree, I said Chainsaw time !!
