We are Fred & Cynthia, formerly of Colorado in the USA, now living in the mountains in the Interior of the country of Panama. This is a journal of our adventure of building our new home from shipping containers. There will be hurdles to jump, experiences to treasure, and who knows what else along the way.
(Update: After a long rainy season start up of clearing the lot, building a fence, bringing in electricity, and pouring concrete columns, we now have containers welded to the columns and are working on the actual house construction.)
Just Google “shipping container houses” or “shipping container homes” and you will find a movement (maybe too early to call it a trend) that is well underway. Although not a dwelling, we find this site, Puma City Shipping Container Store, particularly interesting because it is portable, traveling the world, and displays the incredible strength and design flexibility of this type of building. Here are some more: 10 Shipping Container Homes.
Here they all are like ducks in a row.
In addition, as things strike me as interesting, I will be adding stories about our life here in Panama.
DISCLAIMER: By the way, this site is about how we did it. We may not have done it right, and we are not telling you how to do it. If you take any of this and apply it to your own project, or tell someone else about it for their project, you are all on your own and you take full responsibility for your actions. Reminds me of the sign in the old repair shop. “Repairs: $5. If you help: $25.” Or this one: “Answers: $Free. Answers backed by thought: $25. Correct answers: $50.”
So here we go, follow along, and enjoy! You might want to start at the Table of Contents page to see all posts with descriptions.
wow, this sounds like a very cool idea – looking forward to browsing through your blog and seeing how it is all coming together!
Thanks very much for the comments on my recent shipping container home blog post! I appreciate your stopping by to provide my readers with more information on your story.
I do enjoy reading your posts; you have lots of great ideas and interesting tales!
My pleasure. Likewise.
Hi Fred, just found your blog. Your new home is looking great! We live just down the street from you guys in Capira, Panama. Would love to get together with you sometime and tell some lies and check out your place! Also, please check out our BLOG at http://www.alongthegringotrail.blogspot.com.
Clyde and Terry
Hi Clyde and Terry, Thanks for your note. I’ve been drilling down through your blog and am enjoying reading about all the things that we went through as newbies here, such as the Great Driver’s License experience. Glad you are enjoying your new home. I’ll email off post so we can get together. Fred
Don’t know if you got the BLOG link or not. It is
http://www.alongthegringotrail.blogspot.com
Love your blog, also read Terry & Clydes.
We will be moving in April 2012 and are so excited.
Can’t wait to start the retired life.
Glad you like my blog. With so much going on here it is difficult to get into a rut. Always something interesting, hope your move goes smoothly! Fred
hello from Georgia Fred; We found you page through Clyde and Terry’s blog. We too are looking at Pannama for retirement as soon as I can get my SSI disability started, hopefully soon. I was going to use containers to build a shop but found a company that sold Rino Shelters in Maine cheeper. Now I wish I had gone with containers as a drainage problem runs water through the shop when we get hard rains. I look fwd to chatting with another expat in panama so as not to screw up when we are ready to make the move. So we’ll keep in touch and continue to drool over the pic’s, Please keep posting,God Speed
Clint and Rachel
Hello Clint & Rachael, I’m glad you like my blog and hope you find something that will help you understand wild and wonderful Panama. The first year is an adjustment for sure! Fred