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Finished Exterior of a Container-Built Home

The front of the home is complete and looks like the exterior of any home in the American suburbs. Bob talks with Ray Price, the project manager for St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services and Steve Armstrong, the architect. There were some speical issues in this project due to the four different types of materials used for the building exterior. The challenge was to find a finish that would blend the surfaces and textures together. The garage and foundation use concrete block construction; four ISBU's or converted metal shipping containers make up the four corners of the home; conventional framing connects the ISBU's; and plywood makes up the gable ends. To blend and transition these four types of material, a horizontal band is used as a design element to separate the two types of materials. A water table band was placed near the base of the home to solve the problem of closing the joints. The stucco face of the house is actually a stucco coating that is applied over the 16-gauge sheet metal. It is a smooth finish with a traditional stucco look. The insulation behind the stucco is SuperTherm, an insulating ceramic coating. SuperTherm is an energy-efficient thermal coating with an R-factor of 19 and is similar to the substance used to coat the space shuttle. SuperTherm is becoming more available for commercial and industrial applications. Around the back of the home, much of the original vegetation, including the big oak trees, is still in place. The neighboring lots have been cleared but great pains were taken to preserve old growth. The garage door is accessed by an alley around the back of the home. The neighborhood was originally designed with alleys between the blocks so people could have their trash picked up and deliveries made. The alley system is being cleaned up and brought back. Having a back alley for the garage entrance allows for a front porch on the main street. The roof overhang is made of sheet metal, aluminum fascia, and a soffit which gives it a nice clean look. This overhang is low maintenance and meets hurricane code requirements. Right next door to the home, a second prototype follows roughly the same setup and construction. Using lessons learned from the first home, the detailing around the windows will be refined in the construction of the second home. All the windows are made of impact-resistant glass made by PGT. Although this second house will follow the same wooden roof truss system as in the first house, there are some alterations. Different types of insulated panels are being investigated as a possibility for the roof. These insulated panels are very strong and work well with the tie-down to the ISBU's.
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Finished Exterior of a Container-Built Home

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" And the payoff is here so right now. We're going to be taking on a walk around the exterior of the house obviously the front is complete and it looks like any conventional house in the suburb anywhere in America. But let's talk with -- our project manager. And Steve again where this architect in. I'm going to ask you first what kind of special problems have you had with this kind of building technology because this is a pilot -- first time you've done -- like this right correct yeah correct."

" was initially we out. Four different types of materials for the exterior men and try to get a finish that would all blend together. What has been somewhat of -- talk about those you would have afforded from Richard let the garage is not concrete block and the foundation and foundation concrete and off. We have -- I ask you which which is sixteen gauge steel box. Inside there. I don't know that and have the same thing on the LE NN in the in between the two. We have metal frame and conventional framing with sixteen gauge -- them on on that and then that -- the gable ends have."

" Plywood again so you had to kind of solve transitional problems between one material and the other correct and if we look up there at the gable end of this small projection. You can see where you've essentially put a band. That you've. Picked out in it and in a tenor base color. And that provides a separation between those two materials Scranton helps with the transition yeah that was a great idea I mean also down here we have what is essentially in an old bungalow would be called them the water table. Where an old wooden house but that too. Solves the problem of closing the joints -- correct right then that the surface that we're looking at which looks like a Stucco house tell us about that Steve."

" It's actually a Stucco coating that is applied directly over top of the sixteen gauge sheet metal material very smooth finish. As a very traditional Stucco look but what about the insulation. The insulation behind it or in mixed in with the paint -- is a supertherm insulation it's a ceramic based insulation. It is a very efficient installation -- try to when they put on the space shuttle it's very similar similar material summer basis -- director. You would think you'd be able to get that anywhere in the country to put on I'm. On new construction right. It is becoming more more available it yes it is used commercially and nationally for ten years this walk around take a look at the backside of the house is really haven't seen that yet."

" All right so one of the things that's great about that this neighborhood is that a lot of the original vegetation. The big live oak trees and things are still in place. And even though these lots had to be cleared because they were never built on. You've taken great pains to preserve a lot of that right correct that's wonderful now here we are on the backside of the house in the garage door is here how does that work."

" Well we have a Alley. Which allows us to have a -- into the garage okay. And this neighborhood. Was designed originally to have alleys. Between the blocks. So that people could have -- trash picked up make deliveries. That's a terrific yet terrific concept which you see in a lot of areas this is fabulous and it looks like it's being being cleaned up and brought back yes. That makes a big difference I think in the quality of life for the neighborhood front porch and everything now. See you were talking earlier with me about the."

" Transitions of materials and stuff in here in the gable end we can see which -- talking about this a very good example what happens because you have. Sixteen gauge sheet metal on the right side yeah and on the left side where the highest views are located right and in the middle we have conventional construction with sheet metal applied. And above in the gable end we have conventional framing for right and plywood sheeting. All those materials -- to to work together and make a good transition between this textures and finishes rural challenge. But -- with these horizontal bands that we're using here is -- excellent way. Making that transition between two -- from Richard yet there it works very very well we're very end up at the top. Ari are you putting a band up there to just want it as a prototype you learn as you go through and this -- a good example what we're trying to do. Nice to find out where those problems are yeah and make best solution right putting that band up there right. Yeah so this side of the house is made up of two shipping containers end to end that's correct so you've got uniformity of material in you don't have to worry about any of those transition problems going at the bottom or so on the foundation here have. And then what about the the roof overhang what material have we used up there. But you see it's metal sheet metal and aluminum fascia and soffit which is a nice clean look and it's very easily applied. To be in the tail end of the roof rafters -- enabling low maintenance make and it meets the hurricane code requirements yes. And of course this is number one kind of a prototype but right over here we have."

" Number two which is. Also essentially the same setup -- four IS BUs as far as views through this is three bedroom two -- this is four bedroom two bath OK. They use a little extra space in the living area correct yes. Now are you are you applying any lessons learned from. From this house into this house but we're looking at some of the detailing around the wind is we think we found a good solution here -- take it was some refinements and make network as well on this particular one OK of course all the windows are impact resistant glass that's correct. Made right here Florida abide PGT I believe that's correct -- the same windows going on this one -- is going on this one. The same finishes the same closure of the joints and you know worked very well so we're very happy with and the same roof wooden roof truss system are there any alternatives to that there are there are certainly different types of insulated panels that we're investigating we think they have great potential -- very strong. And they work very well and in the tie down of that to our -- speech excellent."

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