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Home > Bob on TV > Bob Vila > Strong, Affordable Storm-Ready Housing > Steel Walls, Exterior Finishes, and Floorplans > 0203 Transcript
0203 - Steel Walls, Exterior Finishes, and Floorplans
Dates Aired: September 25- October 1, 2006 and March 26- April 1, 2007
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>> Vila: Welcome to the show, here in St. Petersburg, Florida, where our project involves taking abandoned steel shipping containers and converting them into affordable housing. Today, we'll be showing you some of the steel technologies, including welding and plasma cutters, that are used in order to modify some of these boxes. We'll also recap how the roof system was put on. We'll talk to the architect and take you on a little tour of the interior to get an idea of what the house is gonna look like. Stick around. This is our third visit here in St. Pete to this pilot project where abandoned shipping containers are being converted into affordable housing. It's a very good idea 'cause not only do you get inexpensive housing, but also storm-ready housing, especially needed here in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, where hurricanes, almost on an annual basis, threaten people's homes. Now, so far, we've learned why we have this opportunity, namely we've become a nation of importers, so we import goods in steel containers. But we no longer are exporters, so we have no use for the containers afterwards, and that's why many of our ports are littered with abandoned containers. We've also learned how technologies have been applied to convert these steel boxes, if you will, into modules for creating homes. Here in Bartlett Park in St. Petersburg, the neighborhood is seeing a dramatic revival, and there's a need for affordable housing for first-time home buyers. And the St. Petersburg neighborhood housing services, with the help of NeighborWorks USA and the Home Depot Foundation, are making this into a pilot project to see if it'll fly as a way of building homes that are both affordable and storm-ready. The house you see here was trucked to the site in four sections, or intermodal steel building units, which is the fancy name for a steel shipping container. Specially modified here at Tampa Armature Works to meet the needs of the plan, the ISBUs were craned onto the foundation and welded to plates that had been installed in the concrete. The conventional truss roof system was bolted to the containers, right over their own steel roofs, and each truss is attached with special hardware recommended by flash to resist hurricane-force uplift. The space in between the ISBUs is being filled in with conventional framing. And before we go in to look at that, let's find out how they treat the steel exterior of the building to make it look more like a conventional house. Okay, so, Derek and Delwin are the metal fabricators that are—let me get out of your way—that are doing this part of the installation. Derek, what kind of steel is this?
>> 16-Gauge galvanneal sheet metal.
>> Vila: Okay, and it's been precisely cut, and you've had to grind it, right?
>> Yeah, we just took a plasma-cut edge on it, take a grinder, take the burrs off, get it to fit.
>> Vila: Okay, and then the ones that are already in place—I notice there's some sort of a recess, Delwin. I mean, what do you call that?
>> A break.
>> Vila: A break?
>> Yeah, the panels recess so these skins will overlap, have a backing against them.
>> Vila: I see. Well, go ahead and put it up. Don't let us slow you down. But that break means that when you put it up against it, it's all flush, right?
>> Yes. So, Derek, what are all the little holes for?
>> What we'll do is take them. We've got 7-gauge backing strips in the wall.
>> Vila: 7-Gauge steel.
>> What we'll do is plug them to keep any vibration out of the wall, grind them off where it's flush.
>> Vila: We'll watch you weld them, and we won't talk over it. So, first, the guys are using a mig welder to take care of all the plug welds. They're putting them every 12 inches, and this is required so that when this sheet steel, if you will, is up there, it's really solid, and if we've got high winds, you don't have any kind of buckling noises. Then the stitch welding is done on the inside. And after all of that, they take a grinder and smooth all of these welds over so that when the finishes are applied, you won't see them. They're using a plasma cutter to, essentially, cut a big square hole in here, where we'll be installing a window. Now, the plasma cutter is a real interesting method of concentrating the heat while blowing to move away the steel that's being burned away, temperatures that can approximate 50,000 degrees. So, we used the grinder to go over all the edges of these steel sheets to make sure that they're gonna be smoothed out enough so that they can be installed properly. And then the reason for welding them along all the vertical and horizontal steel members is to make sure that once the wall is made up, it doesn't buckle in a wind storm, so that it sounds good and solid and doesn't make any noise. And then, of course, what we've just been watching is using the plasma cutter to create a window opening. Now, the reason for that is that here we are in what is essentially a new steel partition. The original shipping container ended here, and this is possibly where the doors were. But anyway, we still have the corners of the shipping container, which provide structural integrity to the whole thing, and now we've got a new outside wall, and we've got a front porch, and we're on our way to getting a finished house. And right now, we've got Ty Moses with us, who is gonna start putting on the finishes. This is, again, the steel plate, just like what we've been looking at over here. What have you done over all the spots?
>> We have gone over everywhere where they ground with body filler in all the seams and smoothed it out so we have a nice smooth surface.
>> Vila: So it's a body filler just like i'd use if i had to fix a dent on my car. Yeah, okay. And that's dried out now. And so what kind of primer do you use?
>> This is a pro-cryl latex galvanized metal primer we're putting on it. And then that sits for three to four hours, and then we can go over it with our Superflex.
>> Vila: All right. So, the primer needs two or three hours to dry, and then this front section, Ty, is already nice and dry. What's the next step here?
>> This is a latex stucco finish. It actually gives it, like, a sand finish—the texture.
>> Vila: But does it have insulation built into it?
>> No, no, sir, not this. That is the Supertherm. That will go on after this.
>> Vila: All right, so there's two coats. We're gonna watch you put that one on, but then the last coat involves a ceramic insulation product.
>> Yes, sir. It goes on 16 mils wet, 10 mils dry, and it has a ceramic in it, which gives it an r-19 value.
>> Vila: Just like on the space shuttle. That's pretty great stuff. All right, we'll let you get back to work.
>> Vila: Joining us now is Leslie Chapman-Henderson from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. And we collaborated last year on a project, so I'm so glad that you guys can help us understand a little bit about the technologies of building a wooden roof on top of an old steel box.
>> Thanks, Bob. Well, one of the things we look at here is wind protection. In a disaster like a hurricane, tropical storm, we want to make sure that that roof stays attached to whatever type of wall system you have in place. In this particular instance, what we look at is the uplift protection from the hurricane straps and clips.
>> Vila: The uplift protection. What does uplift really refer to?
>> Uplift means when the wind is pulling on your roof, trying to take it off or peel it off the top of your home. So what we want to do is have it secured down sturdily enough that it will not do that. The other pieces, the roof system itself, the plywood decking—you want to make sure it stays firmly attached to the roof framing so that no holes open up, allowing more wind to come in and more of those pressures to pull and force the roof off. Now, the way we do that is we select roof decking of a proper thickness. In this case, we prefer 5/8ths plywood, nothing thinner than that, and we like a 6-inch nailing pattern, both in the field and along the edges.
>> Vila: So that means that every 6 inches, we've got an annular ring nail, and it's going into the tops of each and every one of these trusses that have already been put out there.
>> Well, you make a great point. It's essential that we don't miss the truss, and that's a common problem because of pneumatic nail guns, and sometimes the roofer cannot feel whether the nail has gone in or not.
>> Vila: Right, and they're trying to go in a hurry and get it done 'cause, after all, it's costs. And bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. The next thing you know, he's put in a whole row, and they've all missed the top.
>> That's right, and we're not gonna let that happen here, and those types of simple things can really make a difference in a high-wind event.
>> Vila: Mm-hmm, and here, where you're actually strapping the bottom of those trusses onto the steel, what kind of a strap have we used?
>> Well, I think you guys have selected whatever's been specified in this case by simpson strong-tie and the other engineers to make sure that it has to hold for uplift, as well as the lateral pressures which are the push-pull effect of the wind. So we need to keep the roof held down, as well as anything that's doing a pushing action on the wall that translates up into the roof system.
>> Vila: Okay, so, here we are, back in Florida, almost in September, and let's reminisce just a little bit about what we were doing last year 'cause this is all about hurricanes, storm-readiness. And as we speak, there's a tropical storm called Ernesto that is making its way through cuba, back through the straits, and potentially threatens Punta Gorda, where we were working together last year.
>> That's right, and in our project last year, as you recall, what we did is, we had a monolithic pour of cast-in-place concrete, 6 inches thick, to protect for overall impact resistance. It's also got added benefits of quietness, energy savings, and all different types of positives there.
>> Vila: This is an alternative to traditional concrete-block structures, where the concrete blocks are simply laid up. This is all poured and placed in one operation. And, of course, that allowed us to insert all sorts of steel fasteners along the top of that concrete pour so that when the point came to start building the roof, we already had fasteners in place.
>> That's right. As you recall, within 15 minutes of the pour, those straps had to be embedded into that poured wall so they could set properly and then be brought overtop once the trusses were flown in and laid on top.
>> Vila: Exactly, and then the complicated system there, 'cause we had hipped roofs and we didn't have a simple gable-end roof, like we have here—all of it is tied together with that sheathing, that plywood sheathing.
>> That's right. Again, 5/8ths-inch with the 6-inch nail pattern, 8-penny ring shank nails properly spaced, never missing a truss. And because of the work you did last year, the state of Florida wanted to express their appreciation, so I brought you a little gift today from the Governor's Hurricane Conference and on behalf of this state for the awareness that you created of what can be done to protect a home and make it more disaster-resistant.
>> Vila: I really appreciate it. Well, the state of Florida is, after all, leading the way, in terms of educating the public and the building industry about these very special circumstances for home builders throughout, not just Florida, but the whole gulf region, where we're constantly threatened by hurricanes. And I know that you've got some good news.
>> Well, and that's right because we know that we can get to this issue with new construction, but we also know that 80% of our homes were built before these advances and this new awareness of how to build it stronger. The state of Florida last year put $250 million, and hud came in with another $100 million to help people who have the older homes, before 2001 and after the '60s, when we went through a quiet hurricane period, and, unfortunately, our building practices quieted down and became a little lax, as well. So we're gonna be out there helping people of low income and modest means take a look at their homes and see what we can do to retrofit, or harden those homes, against hurricanes.
>> Vila: How do these homeowners take advantage of this program?
>> All they need to do is call the 800 number or click on a website, MySafeFloridaHome.com, and it will guide them through the process.
>> Vila: MySafeFloridaHome.com. Or you can link at BobVila.com, I'm sure, and get some further information. Thank you, Leslie. Thank you very much.
>> My pleasure.
>> Closed captioning provided by...
>> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Next time on the show, we're in St. Petersburg, Florida, where we're taking abandoned steel shipping containers and converting them into affordable housing. We'll be showing you some of the techniques of cutting through the steel using mig welders and plasma cutters to make a few modifications for windows, et cetera. I also will be looking at how the roof system is put on, and the architect will give us a little more information about ISBUs. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Next time on the show, we're in St. Petersburg, Florida, where we're making affordable homes using abandoned shipping containers. We'll show you how we're welding and plasma-cutting, as well as talking with the architect about the interior layout. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: Next time on the show, we're making homes out of abandoned shipping containers and cutting holes for windows. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: Steve Armstrong is with us right now, and he is really the designer of this particular house, right? And your training is in engineering and in architecture, and tell me about how you got to this point, taking old shipping containers and turning them into houses. Who's idea was that?
>> Well, it was Tampa Armature Works, and, of course, they came to me and asked if I could help with the engineering and get the approvals necessary by the city. Sometimes it's difficult. Sometimes it's hard. But it's a new technology, and it's a new advancing technology, so we work with the city to create an approval so we can build this building.
>> Vila: Tell us about the volume that we've got here. What's the footprint size?
>> The footprint is about 1,600 square feet. And it's gonna be a four-bedroom, two-bath home, and if you look at just the volumes we've created here in this building envelope, we have a lot of flexibility here. We can create open spaces, very large open spaces, high ceilings.
>> Vila: Everything we're looking at that is this kind of brown-red steel color is the original container, right?
>> That's correct. It's all steel.
>> Vila: And then everything that we're looking at that's shiny metal is the new steel studs that are being brought in and slowly put up to create the layout that we have.
>> They'll be the interior partitions for the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the kitchen and the living-room spaces that we have.
>> Vila: And, of course, the roof system is a traditional truss system.
>> That's correct.
>> Vila: And the floors?
>> Are a floor-joist system with a traditional plywood decking.
>> Vila: So that's what connects the two boxes on this side with the two boxes on this side.
>> It ties it all together so you have one structure.
>> Vila: What are the big challenges here?
>> Well, the challenges are marrying up conventional and nonconventional construction. There are some special challenges. But as you can see by just looking around, you can easily overcome those challenges and use traditional finishes and traditional spaces.
>> Vila: That's an important point. I think a lot of people would say, "It looks like a huge sardine can. I wouldn't want to live there." And yet, what you're saying is that by the time we marry all the conventional building technologies with this unconventional structure, it's gonna look like any old house anywhere.
>> When you walk inside, it will be drywall partitions, standard windows and doors. It'll look like any other home, 1,600-square-foot home you see anywhere in Tampa, or anywhere else, for that matter.
>> Vila: You said four bedrooms behind us here. The only part that can't be modified, really, is this part here.
>> That's correct. Those are the steel posts, what we call "the corner posts," of a container, and they form the backbone, if you will, the skeleton of our structure. It holds this entire structure together.
>> Vila: Mm-hmm, and then the area in the front, where we just walked in is living room.
>> Living room, dining room, and kitchen—very spacious. And, you know, the functional flow works very well.
>> Vila: Mm-hmm, and, steve, you're confident that this can be brought in at an affordable number.
>> Yes, we are.
>> Vila: And that this will be one solution to the problem of abandoned shipping containers around our country.
>> It's an alternative that takes advantage of these abandoned containers and gives us a traditional home that anybody would be proud of.
>> Vila: Thanks, I think it's a great solution.
>> Thank you.
>> Vila: Dave Cross is joining us now from Tampa Armature Works. Hey, Dave. And one of the things that I want to talk with you about is the versatility of this whole system of you using old steel containers. You can do things that are very contemporary, as opposed to very traditional.
>> Yes, sir, around the country, a number of different projects are going up. As you might have reported earlier, in south carolina, our one-story, as well as our two-story that's going up in Redondo Beach, California, along with this. And out in Redondo Beach, Peter Demaria is designing a number of homes, multistories.
>> Vila: More contemporary designs.
>> Far more contemporary.
>> Vila: So this is, essentially, a design that would incorporate stacked ISBUs, right?
>> That is correct.
>> Vila: How many would go into a project like this?
>> Approximately eight.
>> Vila: So that's a big house.
>> Absolutely.
>> Vila: Yeah, and then here, it looks more like a kind of a row-house situation.
>> Yes, it is. In each one of those is a 1,280-square-foot, 3-bedroom, single-family residence in a multifamily housing setting.
>> Vila: And again, it looks like they've been staggered so that they don't have one blank facade all the way across.
>> Exactly.
>> Vila: And this looks like it's a smaller contemporary that uses a lot of glass, and maybe even glass garage doors.
>> Yes, sir, yes. That's a bit of the modernist look that we're seeing coming more and more here.
>> Vila: Yeah, and same thing here, but I guess this is all leading up to the point that there's so much versatility associated with this kind of a design.
>> Absolutely, the ISBU system was designed to address all frontiers of pricing when it comes to building a home. It's not relegated to one type or one style of home. It's what you want to build with those sectional units.
>> Vila: Okay, and also, that means that you can focus on the affordability aspect of it, like we're doing here in St. Pete.
>> Exactly.
>> Vila: Or...?
>> You could go to as much as $300 or $400 a square foot, if that were your budget.
>> Vila: And, boy, you could do some really creative stuff if that was your budget. Thank you very much. We're running out of time. This project is gonna need a few more weeks to really get completed, so next week, we're starting a brand-new project up in Massachusetts that's all about building a nursery for a new arrival. Till then, I'm Bob Vila. Thanks for joining us. Looking for help on your next project? Visit BobVila.com for everything you need to get the job done right. You'll find show highlights, interactive tools for planning your next project, and helpful how-to articles for every room in your home. Bobvila.com—the ultimate home site.
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 | 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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