Strong, Affordable Storm-Ready Housing Project
Building Progress on the Converted Shipping Container Home VideoBob Vila recaps the construction done so far of a storm resistant home in St Petersburg, Florida, where abandoned shipping containers have been converted to modules for affordable housing. Bob stresses the importance of building storm ready homes in Florida, where hurricanes are an annual problem. Bob recounts how America has become a nation that imports more goods than it exports, leading to an oversupply of abandoned shipping containers. Technology has been used to convert these steel boxes into modules for building homes. Bob recounts how Bartlett Park in St Petersburg is undergoing a revitalization, leading to a need for affordable housing for first-time homebuyers. This project demonstrates how shipping containers can be converted for building affordable, storm-ready homes. This house uses four steel sections, called Intermodal Steel Building Units (ISBU's), that were trucked to the site. The units were specially modified at Tampa Armature Works, lowered into place, and welded onto plates installed in the concrete foundation. The conventional truss roof system was bolted to the containers. The roof is secured with special hardware recommended by FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) to resist hurricane-force uplift.
 | Carpentry, Construction & Materials
• Barrow Construction - home building and general contracting services.
• Simpson Strongties - Facemount girder tiedowns, heavy embedded truss anchors, truss hangars
• Tampa Armature Works - converting steel shipping containers into building units.
Painting & Wallpapering
• SuperTherm - insulating ceramic paints and coatings.
Real Estate
• Home Depot Foundation - building affordable homes and strong communities through grants and partnership to non-profit organizations.
• NeighborWorks - a non-profit network improving communities and creating opportunities for home ownership since 1978.
• St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services - home ownership services and education for low-income, first-time homebuyers.
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Building Progress on the Converted Shipping Container Home Bob Vila recaps the construction done so far of a storm resistant home in St Petersburg, Florida, where abandoned shipping containers have been converted to modules for affordable housing. Bob ...
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| Bob talks to Derek Mercer and Delwin Carter of Tampa Armature Works about how to treat the steel exterior of the building to make it look more like a conventional ...
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| Bob talks to Ty Moses of Tampa Armature Works who will put on the finishes. The plug holes have been filled with body filler to make a smooth surface. A ...
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| Bob talks with Leslie Chapman-Henderson from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) about the technologies involved in securing a roof. Chapman-Henderson explains the importance of keeping a roof secure ...
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| Bob talks to Steve Armstrong, the project architect and engineer, about converting old shipping containers into houses. Armstrong recounts how he was approached by Tampa Armature Works to get ...
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| Bob talks with David Cross from Tampa Armature Works. Cross reviews the versatility of designing houses with shipping containers. Both traditional and contemporary models are available using this method of ...
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