Shipping Container build - feasability study
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:14 pm
Hi all,
I've been lurking for some time and quite frankly hurting more poor brain with all the information on these forums. Time for my first post rather than going down more rabbit holes!
Basically the wife wants my noise out of the house! Particularly with the COVID lockdowns, and more working from home, I think she's sick of the sight of me
I know what I'd like to do ... so at this stage I'm looking at whether what I want to do is feasible or not.
I'm thinking of a 20' high cube shipping container build. We own our home (well, the bank does) in a small rural town in Noosa Shire in Queensland Australia. The block is a quarter acre (approx 1000m2). Closest neighbour is around 12-15m away depending on where the container goes, although most are more like 20+m away.
The space is essentially a man cave for my music noodling, computer based mostly but I do play electric guitar and acoustic piano (one of the challenges is that I would like to try and fit the piano in). The space will need to double as my home office - but the office these days is literally a computer and a headset.
I also play Indian style folk music with friends so I'd like to try and keep a space rough 2m x 2m clear so that we can just sit on the floor and jam sometimes - and throw in a few mics to record the goings on.
Volume wise, monitors are typically around 95-100 dB when cranked and guitar can get as loud as 105 dB (it's probably never been that loud in the spare room but I'd like to be able to push it that hard for certain sounds when recording). Those readings are C weighted / Slow Response at 1m from the source and at head height. As I said, that's cranking it - typically volumes are more like 75-80 dB.
I'm not sure exactly how much isolation I need. I would like to be a able to work at night but don't need to push things too loud after dark. I've had no complaints in the 8 years we've been here and often play with the windows and doors open (it is Queensland) at levels around 80-90 dB.
My main monitors are passive - Tannoy System 1000. I plan to soffit mount them, although these are pretty big boxes for such a small space. I also have a pair of AR Red Box II speakers that I'd love to try and incorporate too - just not sure how feasible that is in this space … and a single Avantone Mix Cube
Besides the piano I'd like to have three guitars hung. Other components that will take up space are a 1x12 guitar cabinet, a harmonium and a Mackie Pro16FX V3 mixer. I'm looking at getting a rack case for the Mackie as it will need to be moved in and out when used for live gigs (I've mocked up the rack and where I thought it might fit in the pics).
So, given that I'd like to try and get the piano in, I've tried a layout that would require the container end doors to be closed off and therefore a hole cut for a door in the side of the container. I'm not sure whether it's reasonable to do this with this kind of build, but I thought I would start with what I'd like to do realising there will likely be many compromises along the way.
In my mock-up I downloaded a model of Rod Gervais' "Super Door" design. I've then copied that to the other side of the container - I figure if I can make the door work it would be great to have a window on the other side, so that's what the door without a frame is meant to represent.
I realise most studio entrances are done with double doors but again not sure what's feasible here.
Sorry for the model. I've just started playing with Sketchup so it's pretty rough - things not lined up or to scale - or walls, or studs, or ... you get the idea I was pleased with how it started to give me some visual sense of how it might all go together though.
From what I've seen of previous container builds it looks like the idea is to do a layer of semi-rigid fibreglass next to the metal shell, then an inside out wall. And then to add slat/slot resonators to curb the low-mid issues. I'm not sure how the ceiling works - it looks like some do the same inside out frame and sit that on top of the side/end walls. Is this the best approach? If so, what keeps the insulation between the studs?
Anyway, at this stage it's about working out whether my simplistic design ideas are possible or not - then I can get into the nitty gritty of how to actually build it!
My budget is around $10,000 on top of purchasing the container. $15,000 for everything would be the absolute maximum.
Appreciate any thoughts and advice. The big question is, do you think this is doable for 15 grand?
I've been lurking for some time and quite frankly hurting more poor brain with all the information on these forums. Time for my first post rather than going down more rabbit holes!
Basically the wife wants my noise out of the house! Particularly with the COVID lockdowns, and more working from home, I think she's sick of the sight of me
I know what I'd like to do ... so at this stage I'm looking at whether what I want to do is feasible or not.
I'm thinking of a 20' high cube shipping container build. We own our home (well, the bank does) in a small rural town in Noosa Shire in Queensland Australia. The block is a quarter acre (approx 1000m2). Closest neighbour is around 12-15m away depending on where the container goes, although most are more like 20+m away.
The space is essentially a man cave for my music noodling, computer based mostly but I do play electric guitar and acoustic piano (one of the challenges is that I would like to try and fit the piano in). The space will need to double as my home office - but the office these days is literally a computer and a headset.
I also play Indian style folk music with friends so I'd like to try and keep a space rough 2m x 2m clear so that we can just sit on the floor and jam sometimes - and throw in a few mics to record the goings on.
Volume wise, monitors are typically around 95-100 dB when cranked and guitar can get as loud as 105 dB (it's probably never been that loud in the spare room but I'd like to be able to push it that hard for certain sounds when recording). Those readings are C weighted / Slow Response at 1m from the source and at head height. As I said, that's cranking it - typically volumes are more like 75-80 dB.
I'm not sure exactly how much isolation I need. I would like to be a able to work at night but don't need to push things too loud after dark. I've had no complaints in the 8 years we've been here and often play with the windows and doors open (it is Queensland) at levels around 80-90 dB.
My main monitors are passive - Tannoy System 1000. I plan to soffit mount them, although these are pretty big boxes for such a small space. I also have a pair of AR Red Box II speakers that I'd love to try and incorporate too - just not sure how feasible that is in this space … and a single Avantone Mix Cube
Besides the piano I'd like to have three guitars hung. Other components that will take up space are a 1x12 guitar cabinet, a harmonium and a Mackie Pro16FX V3 mixer. I'm looking at getting a rack case for the Mackie as it will need to be moved in and out when used for live gigs (I've mocked up the rack and where I thought it might fit in the pics).
So, given that I'd like to try and get the piano in, I've tried a layout that would require the container end doors to be closed off and therefore a hole cut for a door in the side of the container. I'm not sure whether it's reasonable to do this with this kind of build, but I thought I would start with what I'd like to do realising there will likely be many compromises along the way.
In my mock-up I downloaded a model of Rod Gervais' "Super Door" design. I've then copied that to the other side of the container - I figure if I can make the door work it would be great to have a window on the other side, so that's what the door without a frame is meant to represent.
I realise most studio entrances are done with double doors but again not sure what's feasible here.
Sorry for the model. I've just started playing with Sketchup so it's pretty rough - things not lined up or to scale - or walls, or studs, or ... you get the idea I was pleased with how it started to give me some visual sense of how it might all go together though.
From what I've seen of previous container builds it looks like the idea is to do a layer of semi-rigid fibreglass next to the metal shell, then an inside out wall. And then to add slat/slot resonators to curb the low-mid issues. I'm not sure how the ceiling works - it looks like some do the same inside out frame and sit that on top of the side/end walls. Is this the best approach? If so, what keeps the insulation between the studs?
Anyway, at this stage it's about working out whether my simplistic design ideas are possible or not - then I can get into the nitty gritty of how to actually build it!
My budget is around $10,000 on top of purchasing the container. $15,000 for everything would be the absolute maximum.
Appreciate any thoughts and advice. The big question is, do you think this is doable for 15 grand?