How would you finish this 'tractor shed'..

wetstuff · Dec 20, 2011

I have an 18' Rider Truck 'tractor shed' that fits my JD 1070 perfectly... My wife would prefer I float this down the creek.

... but I want to 'skin' it to come up with a shed-roof little building similar to this.

My garage door would be on the other end. Where you see the wheelbarrow would be closed in to accommodate my well and glazed to make a 'green house' room.

So... the big question is: should I frame around the Rider loosely or bolt framing right to the body. (the yellow door comes off) I will leave the LH long side open and have the short section of roof on that side because nobody could ever see it.

How would you approach it? Thanks.

Jim

EddieWalker · Dec 20, 2011

Kind of defeats the whole point of having it if you are going to build a shed to put it in.

A friend built a nice gable roof on his and used that area to store pipes and lumber, then he painted the walls to match the trees. It came out really nice and sort of blended into the background.

I had to shipping containters that I used as side walls and built a roof over them and the space between them. That came out pretty good and gave me all sorts of storage.

I have another shipping container that I'm using as the back wall of a storage building that I'm going to make. It will not be visable from any angle, except back in the woods. The building will have walls on the back and two sides, but the front will be wide open for parking and storing implements.

Depending on what you want to spend, I'd paint it and see how it looks when it's not so noticable. Then go from there. I bet once the yellow door is a different color, the wife won't dislike it so much.

Eddie

Craig Clayton · Dec 20, 2011

I have watched the sales office for a small subdivision being erected. I have went by the site from the leveling, and clearing. The builders towed in large 40' long trailers that were lets say they looked ROUGH on the outside. The carpenters arrive and over the next weeks the traliers slowly start to look NICER. The front steps are constructed , the sides are painted. A nice path is laid down and lights are installed. A few balled trees are placed around.
These sales offices looked SO NICE I would have bought a house on spec right on the spot.
I also watched other sales offices being torn down at the end of the sales period. When the fancy fronts come off they look ROUGH underneath.

As long as it looks like a shed/ garage it will be fine.
But there is one condition for a MAN garage no flower boxes under the windows.

Craig Clayton

smiley · Dec 20, 2011

I have a shipping container that I anchored and use as a workshop/storage/storm shelter in Florida. We bolted PT 2x4's directly on top of the roof to use as plates to fasten the rafters. We put just a shed type roof over the entire thing with the intention of adding a patio on the other side the same size as the container. I left the full size rear doors in place to get the LT in and cut a man door through them in case we had to get in in a hurry during a storm. Unfortunately we're in the flood plain and I don't think it'll float.

sandman2234 · Dec 20, 2011

I have a forty footer out back, and asked the city what I would need to bring one in, and the basic rule is, you have to make it look like your house, with pitched roof and all. Glad mine is out of site, otherwise it would probably be cut up for aluminum scrap...
David from jax

jatt1 · Dec 23, 2011

One sees all sorts of interesting things being done to containers, roller doors, windows, interior fitouts etc..

Definetely go along with a pitched roof on top and a repaint.

Most interseting setup I have sen lately is 2 sited apart with a curved flyover between. Like a greenhouse roof. Handy undercover storage. Can vouch for the stength of this setup, recently moved and re-erected one on colums. Its being doing fine with with the winds that whip up from the lake alongside.

ustmd · Dec 23, 2011

I am with Eddie.

We have a 40 footer that I painted--bright blue and then did some landscaping around it. Looks a lot better.

BHD · Dec 23, 2011

I would most likely either do a shed type roof, but over hang it on the sides for some covered storage, (fire wood) even a car port type area, and most likely keep the box for some thing I wanted more secure, (I would park the tractor under the covered roof, and other in the box,

just My opinion,

wrooster · Dec 23, 2011

This is the thread you are looking for:
Pics of my shipping container (Update page 5, page 9) - AR15.COM

Regards,
Wrooster

wetstuff · Dec 23, 2011

Well done Wrooster! That is some nice work you did.

Here's a pretty good example of what I am aiming for.

This one is too wide and too tall, but nearly exactly the character I am after. I'll finish the exterior like my garage (below) which is about 300' closer to the house.

I just caught in the debate about letting the Rider body float, or use it like Smiley did.. Thanks guys.

Jim

wrooster · Dec 23, 2011

wetstuff said:
Well done Wrooster! That is some nice work you did.

It's not my project, but I too was impressed by the craftsmanship and the end result.

That said...

wetstuff said:
Here's a pretty good example of what I am aiming for.

I have to ask, why are you married to that container? The two example structures you have shown can be built fairly rapidly using standard wood stick framing on either a true foundation, or even a slab. Trying to "expand" a container might end up to be more work.

I'm sorry if I sound like your wife.

What is your total desired square footage?

Wrooster

EddieWalker · Dec 23, 2011

wrooster said:
I have to ask, why are you married to that container? The two example structures you have shown can be built fairly rapidly using standard wood stick framing on either a true foundation, or even a slab. Trying to "expand" a container might end up to be more work.

I'm sorry if I sound like your wife.

What is your total desired square footage?

Wrooster

Ask yourself what you would build if you didn't have the container? What do YOU WANT? Might just be better to sell the container and build something really neat looking like you posted and not even mess around with the container.

Eddie

wetstuff · Dec 24, 2011

Of course, you are both 100% correct; the simplest answer is usually the best.

However, I am one of these nut cases that has to figure out a use for what I have. The attraction is: I have had this for probably 10-12 years and other than the particleboard rear door - it's beautiful. Hardwood floors, Lume'num roof, clean walls ..and dry as Arizona. It also fits my JD-1070 w/FEL perfectly. I must use it.

I'll let you know how I get on after we get thru Jan/Feb. Cheers, have a healthy 2012.

Jim

BHD · Dec 24, 2011

I am some what of the same opinion, by the time you roof it, and if you add any side walls, and any other to it, all your doing is building a building over the box, and I really do not see how that helps one, build your building and put the container behind it. now you have the space of the building and the space of the container,

even if the tractor fits in, I bet is tight to get on and off of and out the door,
I have a old gainery building and the center drive way was built for horse drawn wagons, yes the truck will fit, but you can hardly get in to or out of the truck and or into or out of the building, with the truck in it, It is not worth the work to put the truck in the building,

you build your self a tractor shed, and make it so your implements that you may want some protection from the elements can fit as well, and some extra side room and if the thing has a battery die or what ever and needs to be worked on in the shed, you can do it, with having to crawl over it to do it, Like I said my opinion

pat32rf · Dec 24, 2011

We put a shed roof (could have done gable) using steel removed from elsewhere. Built it high enough off the tainer roof for pipe & steel storage out of sight up above.
Found real inexpensive (cheap) 1/4" wood panel siding that we put on the exposed sides with roofing screws, then a coat of brown stain.
Low cost and much less likely to get broken into than a wooden structure.....Would have cost a lot more except we had the aluminium box to start with.

wrooster · Dec 27, 2011

wetstuff said:
The attraction is: I have had this for probably 10-12 years and other than the particleboard rear door - it's beautiful. Hardwood floors, Lume'num roof, clean walls ..and dry as Arizona. It also fits my JD-1070 w/FEL perfectly. I must use it.

Put your beloved container *next* to (or behind) your shed, not *in* your shed. You can still store stuff, including your tractor, in the container. But as a result of this approach you will have a shed and a container. Compared to building a shed around your container, the marginal additional cost for ending up with both a shed and a container is trivial. I doubt you will save a single dollar using the container as a basis for the shed itself, and the end utility will be less.

Plus, you won't get "uhhh, that's interesting" looks when folks see a shed built around a truck body...

For an example small shed/shop, see
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/photos/206459-show-us-your-shop-building-4.html

Wrooster

imgone52 · Dec 27, 2011

Keep in mind that this is not a shipping container. The truck body is very lightly built by comparison. I would be very careful about the amount of weight added to the roof. You can do a lot with this unit but it will require a lot too. Have fun with the project, that is most important

mx842 · Dec 27, 2011

I was faced with the same dilemma awhile back. I have a 20' container an it was in need of some long neglected work. The roof had a couple leaks and the only way to fix one of those things once they start to leak is to replace the medal sheets with new medal and this would have been too much trouble. I decided to build a pole barn over top of it but once I got to thinking about it, I'm like Eddie, what a waste of space and material. I moved the container to the rear of the new building where it was out of sight....wife didn't like the looks of it either. I figured by the time I got done with the barn I would have enough scrap to cover it up with some kind of roof.

I had two 16' 2X12's that were left over from another project that I planned on using for a ridge board and was going to use some left over 2X6's I had to use as rafters spaced every 4' and place perlins on that and cover it with the same medal I used for the roof of the barn. The 2X12's gave me enough height to get the pitch I wanted and just used the container top edge the same as you would a top plate on a regular wall. I used regular hurricane clips to attach the rafters to the container with medal self tapping screws and regular Teko nails for the wood. Then you can just paint it of you could even cover it with siding and box it in if you wanted to be fancy. The main thing is to keep the little lady of the house happy or you and the box van could end up on the side of the road somewhere.:laughing:

RoyBrooks · Dec 29, 2011

I came across this website Tin Can Cabin | Building a Shipping Container Cabin It show some detailed pictures on how the roof was done and how it attaches to the containers.

mx842 · Dec 30, 2011

RoyBrooks said:
I came across this website Tin Can Cabin | Building a Shipping Container Cabin It show some detailed pictures on how the roof was done and how it attaches to the containers.

That was an interesting read. I love to see how different people attack small projects like these. You never know when you may come into a situation where some of these ideas may fit in nicely with a project you are working on.

He said it himself, he probably over did the roof design a little but that is the way it is with most projects people do on their own......I know it's true with my projects.:laughing: