What’s that time-honoured engineering rule? You can’t build a strong building on a weak foundation. When you think about it, this maxim probably applies to almost everything in life! It certainly applies when it comes to preparing the site that will serve as the foundation for the storage container you have bought or rented. Whether that container will function as just storage, or a living space such as an office or a workshop, you don’t want it to eventually resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa, right?
Choose the Site Carefully
In choosing the site for the container, the most important thing is to find a patch of level ground, with solid, compacted soil. This type of site will keep your container in great shape for a long time to come.
If your area is flood-prone, don’t place your container in a low-lying zone. You don’t want water accumulating around the container and loosening up the soil—this may eventually result in the container sinking into the ground.
Other Considerations to Take into Account
Don’t forget to think about how much space you will actually need for your container! It’s not just the dimensions of the container you should take into consideration—the space must also be accessible for the roll-off truck. A basic rule of thumb is that you should designate a space that’s about double the length of the container you ordered. So, if you’re having a 20 ft container delivered, you’ll need to free up about 40-50 ft of space.
Prep the Site
If you have a level, solid stretch of land on which to place your container, this will work the best. However, if your area is hilly or uneven, and the soil is loose, you can prep it a bit to make it better. You can add more soil, or spread garden stones over the space. Another option is to lay down heavy duty plywood or cover the area with gravel.
If you want to go all out, you can have the site paved—that’s probably best solution if the container is a permanent solution for you.
If you are in a locale that’s prone to a lot of rainfall, you could consider placing concrete blocks underneath the container—one under each corner of the container. It will keep the container completely off the ground and away from the water—that perennial enemy of any homeowner.
Speaking of water and rain—these should also figure prominently in your container drop-off arrangement with the company. It’s not a good idea to have the container delivered in heavy snow or rainfall. If you suspect that these will be the weather conditions on your drop-off day, do try to reschedule the delivery.
And not to worry, if you chose a well-reputed, customer-service oriented storage container company to deal with, there won’t be any problem with re-scheduling to a new date convenient for you. As a matter of fact, a company like that will likely be proactive and actually call you to reschedule!
Leave a Reply