Updated Project Timeline

Here is the updated project timeline of all the tasks that we have completed so far and the tasks that are remaining (in red). The remaining tasks that are in italics are the ones currently being worked on.

Please use the Timeline link under PLANS to get a better view.

Thanks,

Avani Zaidi

Container Fabrication - Part 2

The four shipping container for the first and second floors are almost done. The are still on site at AAA Container's yard in Fontana, CA. They will be shipped to the lot once the foundation is ready.

Here are some pictures.

Avani Zaidi

First floor - south container with the cutouts for front door and windows.

Finished first floor - south container.

First floor - north container.

Second floor - south container with the opening for loft's sliding door and bedroom windows.

Side view of the second floor - south container.

Second floor - north container.

Back side of the second floor - north container. It will be connected to the corresponding south container.

Excavation and Grading

Grading started two weeks ago as scheduled. We are done with the first round.

We are putting in a septic system tomorrow (Sept. 2nd, 2008) and then do the final grade.

Here are some pictures from the site.

Enjoy,

Avani Zaidi

Start of the grading, working on the east side of the lot.

Excavating the site, moving the soil.

Family picture time...

Rough grading done for the courtyard entry and the living room (for concrete slab foundation).

Shipping containers will be set on raised foundation, south of the concrete slab.

Space for the kitchen and family room which will also be on a raised foundation.

Backyard, now almost at the same grade as the house.

All the boulders and rocks from the excavation.

Isha having a great time, climbing on the rocks...

Container Fabrication - Part 1

This is very exciting, our container fabricator (AAA Containers) is almost done with the First Floor - North Container. Here are some snapshots.

Enjoy

Avani Zaidi

First Floor - North Container Fabrication Plan

North side, opens into kitchen and living room

Inside view

South side, will be facing the adjacent container

Framing beams close-up

Sections

Again thanks to Jeff @ CEDG, here are some vertical sections showing inner spaces.

As before, please use the links under PLANS to get a better view.

Thanks,

Avani Zaidi

Septic & Utilities

And, here are the plans for septic system and utility hookups.

Avani Zaidi

Site & Grading Plan

Here are the Site and Grading Plans.

Thanks to Jeff @ CEDG for putting it all together.

Avani Zaidi

Plans

Here are the latest plans.

Happy browsing

Avani Zaidi

First Floor

Second Floor

Landscape & Irrigation Plan

Become a Vendor

We are currently accepting bids for,

Foundation
Septic
Plumbing
Underground Utilities
Electric
HVAC
Roofing
Drywall
Insulation
Interior Paint
Flooring
Windows & Doors
Cabinets & Counters
Kitchen & Bath
Fixtures
Exterior Stucco & Paint
Landscaping & Boundary Wall

For inquiries, or if you are a sub-contractor specializing in any of these areas and would like to send in your bid, please contact Jonah Swick at,

Jonah Swick
Oasis Construction & Design
909-762-6471
jbswick@gmail.com

Thanks,

Avani Zaidi

Vendor List

Here are all the folks that have made this possible for us. We highly recommend each one of them.

Avani Zaidi

Lot Purchase and Construction Loan

---

Realtor: Drema Sizemore
Century 21 - Beachside
400 North Mountain Ave. #121
Upland, CA 91786
909-981-4851
dremac21beachside@yahoo.com
http://www.dremasizemore.com/

Mortgage Loan Officer: Mischelle Wright
Bank of America
1150 N. Mountain Ave. Suite 203
Upland, CA 91786
909-732-8113
mischelle.l.wright@bankofamerica.com
http://ae.bankofamerica.com/mischellelwright

Escrow Officer: Bryan Hanke
Talbrook Escrow Corp.
450 North Mountain Ave. Suite C
Upland, CA 91786
909-949-9738 x113
bryan@talbrookescrow.com
http://www.talbrookescrow.com/

Architecture & Design

---

Architects: Erik Peterson (Principal) & Jeff Veenema
Claremont Environmental Design Group, Inc.
480 North Indian Hill Blvd.
Claremont, CA 91711
909-625-3916
e.peterson@cedg-design.com
j.veenema@cedg-design.com
http://www.cedg-design.com/

Landscape Architect: David Robinson
Claremont Environmental Design Group, Inc.
480 North Indian Hill Blvd.
Claremont, CA 91711
909-625-3916
d.robinson@cedg-design.com
http://www.cedg-design.com/

Structural Engineer: Thang Le, S.E.
159 E. Live Oak Ave., Suite 200
Arcadia, CA 91006
626-731-1539

Construction

---

General Contractor: Erik Peterson (Principal) & Jonah Swick
Oasis Design & Construction
401 E. Columbia Ave.
Pomona, CA 91767
909-625-3916

Topographic Survey: Randy Mayer, PLS
Mayer Surveying
36231 Escena Dr.
Yucaipa, CA 92399
909-557-5829

Geo-Technical & Septic Design: Jonathan Khaw
Keantan Laboratories
640 N. Diamond Bar Blvd.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909-860-1896
keantanlabs@pacbell.net

Fire Hydrant Flow Test: Champion Fire Systems, Inc.
12170 Santa Margarita Ct.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-483-9789

Container Fabrication: AAA Containers Sales & Rentals
11120 Almond Ave.
Fontana, CA 92337
909-428-1995

Project Timeline

This is a very detailed outline of all the tasks that we have completed so far and the tasks that are remaining (in red). The remaining tasks will be elaborated as we move on.

The main motivation behind this project timeline was the fact that there is very little information available for folks like us that doing this for the first time. This has been a major learning experience for us. There are lots of things that we learned along the way, and are still learning. This construction plan tries to document all those steps along with their associated costs.

The other motivating factor was our tight budget. We want to make sure everything is under control and accounted for as much as possible.

Please use the Timeline link under PLANS to get a better view.

Thanks,

Avani Zaidi

Elevations

Here are the latest elevations.

You can use the link under PLANS to see a bigger view.

Thanks,

Avani Zaidi

Welcome

Welcome to our blog. We are building an eco-friendly house out of used shipping containers in Upland, California. As we go through this exercise, we would like to share our experiences with all of you guys.

This is our first time, and it has already been a big learning experience for us. There are lot of unknown and gotchas. In maintaining this blog we will also try to provide some guidance for first time builders interested in green and eco-friendly design. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts.

Little bit of history
Last year we bought an open lot in San Antonio Heights here in Upland, California (about 50 miles east of Los Angeles). Both me and my husband wanted to use environment-friendly construction, so we got the help of a local architecture firm that specializes in green design 'Claremont Environmental Design Group. The result was a unique and challenging design utilizing intermodal shipping containers.

About us
We are a young family. We recently had a baby girl (our first) on July 14th 2007. My husband works at a software company in Claremont, CA. Whereas I am a Physical Therapist with Masters in Computer Science. We met in school when I was doing my Masters in CS. We are currently renting. But two years ago when I got pregnant we started looking at new houses, but nothing caught our eye plus the prices were too high. So we started looking at open lots and building a custom house. Soon after we found a 12,000 sqft lot in Upland, CA. Since then we have been busy designing our environment-friendly house. And so far things have worked out very well.

Our property is located at,

340 W 24th Street
Upland, CA 91784

Please feel free to contact us.

Enjoy browsing,

Avani Zaidi
avani.zaidi@gmail.com