BajaNomad - Container Home Construction Rancho Nuevo BCS

Container Home Construction Rancho Nuevo BCS

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SFandH - 7-6-2023 at 05:23 PM

Are you going to put bars on the windows? House burglaries are common in ole Mexico

Some good metalwork, with twisted bars and curlicues.

surabi - 7-6-2023 at 06:00 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

Some good metalwork, with twisted bars and curlicues.

Best to use round stock, not flat. Much easier to clean. Don't really need curlicues or twisted, also get covered in dust and hard to clean, But some nice design is necessary, lest you feel you are living in prison. My bars are actually like opening windows which lock from the inside. So if you don't want to look out through bars, you can open them. However, you couldn't do that with windows that open upwards to the outside.

The most important thing is distance between bars. My welder told me 12cm is the minimum. Anything larger than that, they can put a kid through.

advrider - 7-6-2023 at 06:58 PM

The place looks amazing. How was it over all to build in Mexico?

surabi - 7-6-2023 at 09:03 PM

So that hole with the grey water storage tank, RF- make sure to keep all tools, parts, etc, well away from the opening when you open the hatch. I have a similar tank, which is actually my cistern, under my bodega floor. Several tools have rolled or gotten knocked down into there, and fell down on the side of the tank, where they are irretrievable, as well as a really nice brass hose end. And the extending magnet wand that a friend loaned me to try to retrieve the tools with :-)

pacificobob - 7-7-2023 at 08:22 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

Are you going to put bars on the windows? House burglaries are common in ole Mexico

Some good metalwork, with twisted bars and curlicues.

For being a community of gringos living behind a gated entrance, rancho nuevo subdivision has more break-ins and thefts than any neighborhood i know of

RFClark - 7-7-2023 at 08:29 AM

Pb,

Yes, it’s those rich folks down in the front row. They don’t bother us poor gringos in the back.

No problems since they hired a guard,

surabi - 7-7-2023 at 08:54 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

For being a community of gringos living behind a gated entrance, rancho nuevo subdivision has more break-ins and thefts than any neighborhood i know of

The more it looks like you have something worth stealing, the more likely you are to be targeted. Flaunting one's wealth here is a really bad idea.

Once I hired a Mexican friend of mine and his buddy to trim the branches of a huge ficus tree in the property next door that hung over my balcony. I knew the homeowners and had already talked to them about it.

My friend started to climb over their wall, and I said, "Oh, you don't have to try to climb over the wall, the gate around the side is open".
My friend (who is definitely not a thief) said, "We're Mexican- we can get in anywhere".

SFandH - 7-7-2023 at 09:22 AM

Thieves operate with impunity in Mexico. They're not concerned about getting caught.

RFClark - 7-7-2023 at 09:51 AM

SFandH,

True, you can break in or out of any place. What you want is to be the hardest to break in to. The thieves go for the low hanging fruit.

Front View Finished

RFClark - 7-8-2023 at 01:21 PM

Rain gutters and down lines installed, final paint finished

WestyWanderer - 7-9-2023 at 09:33 PM

House looks really good. Can’t wait for a final photo montage if the whole place!

RFClark - 7-9-2023 at 09:35 PM

Pictures soon we’re down to flooring and final details.

Some inside pictures

RFClark - 7-13-2023 at 08:20 PM

Progress, the floor is finished. Still a few doors left to do.

Stairwell to 2nd floor

IMG_2648.jpeg - 71kB

The hall at the top of the stairwell out the double door is West.

Living Room looking North

Master Bedroom looking East

Master Bedroom entry and Bathroom

Master Bathroom looking South

[Edited on 7-15-2023 by RFClark]

IMG_2660.jpeg - 64kB

JDCanuck - 7-14-2023 at 08:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

Pictures soon we’re down to flooring and final details.

Looking great, what type of flooring did you put in? Looks like some type of laminate or vinyl?

RFClark - 7-14-2023 at 09:15 AM

It’s Costco Laminate 10mm flooring.

First exterior shutters installed

RFClark - 7-14-2023 at 12:29 PM

Steel frames 5/8 plywood panels

SFandH - 7-14-2023 at 05:58 PM

On average, how much per hour did you pay your workers?

RFClark - 7-14-2023 at 06:32 PM

SFandH,

Not sure the subs I hired gave me a per week bill.

surabi - 7-14-2023 at 08:12 PM

You don't know how much you were paying your crew? That's a bit strange.

Lobsterman - 7-14-2023 at 08:41 PM

S.

1st you're a climate change expert telling us on how to run our lives. You have now branched into a Mexican construction expert and conformance office. Wow! All from your little abode. You are something. Muliti talented in UBI.

RFClark - 7-14-2023 at 08:50 PM

S,
Say goodnight Gracie.

surabi - 7-14-2023 at 08:58 PM

Oh, are you now the self-appointed arbiter of who can post?

SFandH - 7-15-2023 at 05:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

SFandH,

Not sure the subs I hired gave me a per week bill.

Just wondering what the hourly rate is for a skilled worker - plumber, electrician, carpenter, mason, etc.

RFClark - 7-15-2023 at 09:59 AM

SFandH,

I’ m really not sure. Basically I pay the subs either by the job, weekly, or as with our electrician when he asks for money.

I judge all of them based on results not hours worked. I see many cost plus contractor jobs with lots of people standing around padding the bill. Thats why building costs are so high.

JDCanuck - 7-16-2023 at 07:47 AM

RFClark: I am going to be especially interested in learning how much AC condensate you manage to recover during your occupancy this summer. Do you have a way of actually measuring it? Mine is just going in the non-potable water cistern, so we have no real way of measuring the contribution and resulting hardness reductions while we aren't in residence, but I estimate its around 15 to 20 gpd at present based on the AC use at present in these warmer temps. The AC units were left on auto timed mode and look to be running at full capacity during the day, between 6:30 AM and 8 PM. Humidity in the house has fallen way down as well to around 50%, and interior corrosion has gone to nil.

[Edited on 7-18-2023 by JDCanuck]

RFClark - 7-16-2023 at 09:15 AM

JD,

I can hear the water running in the drain system, but past collecting it in a bucket prior to finishing the drain into the gray water recovery system I have no way to measure it.

The bucket method indicated 5 - 6 gal per 9 hrs for an 18K btu unit. Our humidity runs 60 - 80% here.

You loose effective cooling btu’s if you condense too much water as a result of high air exchange rates. We have limited air exchange as much as possible in order to control those losses. As a result we probably produce less water too.

Interior and exterior progress

RFClark - 7-19-2023 at 08:56 AM

Living Rm. still in progress.
IMG_2686.jpeg - 51kB

South end exterior

IMG_2668.jpeg - 75kB

First Hurricane/Sun Shades installed

RFClark - 7-19-2023 at 04:59 PM

It’s a sun shade in the up position most of the year and in the down position and unfolded it’s a Hurricane shutter. The air springs do the heavy lifting. In the down position there are rubber bumpers and heavy latches to keep it from rattling in the wind.

Yes they are steel and these weigh 80KG each. One person can open and close them.

AKgringo - 7-19-2023 at 05:12 PM

The shutters look like a good idea. If a typhoon was headed your way, would you ride it out, or leave town?

Figuring out where to go, and if you could get back would be another concern.

surabi - 7-19-2023 at 05:51 PM

While things outside could get damaged in a hurricane, that house, with no tile or palapa roofs, no trees nearby to fall on it, looks pretty hurricane-proof to me.

When we had a big hurricane predicted where I live (which never actually materialized- it hit land further south), I stayed in my solid concrete house, which is 2 kilometers from the beach. Getting on the road, "escaping", with hundreds of panicked motorists, seemed like a really bad idea.

Hurricanes and tornados, unlike forest fires and major floods, are quite survivable as long as you have a safe place to hole up. It's the aftermath- downed powerlines, impassable roads, no telecommunications, etc, that can be really difficult to deal with.

When the hurricane tore through Cabo and Todos Santos some years back, I didn't know if my daughter, who lives in TS, was alive or dead for 6 days. She was fine, but there was no internet or phone service so she couldn't let me know that.

[Edited on 7-20-2023 by surabi]

RFClark - 7-19-2023 at 07:37 PM

We plan on traveling August and September.

We’re at about 64’ elevation and back 600 - 800’ from the surf. Sea water hasn’t been a problem here yet. We have a couple rooms that are basically steel boxes that we can ride out a hurricane in but I’d rather not. Containers are rated for very high winds and we have alternate air intakes inside the garage.

This house is designed for better than Florida hurricane specs (120 mph). I hope we're not here if it blows that hard. 80 mph in San Felipe sand blasted the paint off the South side of the house next to us. It also blows water through cement block walls. Our La Paz electrical contractor taped everything here up as though he expected water to flow through the conduit. He probably knows best. No one in the US does that, to my knowledge. The electronics bay is one of the steel box places with alternate air and all steel doors. All the critical stuff is 4’ off the floor inside the steel box.

All that said Murphy can always outbid your worst nightmares and in my experience often does to teach us about humility.

[Edited on 7-20-2023 by RFClark]

AKgringo - 7-19-2023 at 08:02 PM

Thanks for the feedback! I hope I didn't start an off-topic turn on your journal.

RFClark - 7-19-2023 at 09:27 PM

AK,

No, dealing with potential Hurricanes is a major part of building here. By the way we’ve been running the AC completely off of solar from 7:30 - 18:00. We can run 4T from 11:00 - 16:00 and still have power for normal house stuff.

Shutters and air springs installed and tested

RFClark - 7-20-2023 at 08:08 PM

All shutters installed and tested left large shutter is in the down position.

IMG_2694.jpeg - 75kB

Clean up and landscaping progress
IMG_2696.jpeg - 102kB

SFandH - 7-21-2023 at 06:18 PM

Functional. Except for no outdoor shade.

[Edited on 7-22-2023 by SFandH]

RFClark - 7-21-2023 at 06:30 PM

SFandH,

That gray thing on the left side of the deck is a 10X10’ umbrella. It’s closed in the picture.

Window Treatments are up

RFClark - 7-21-2023 at 06:35 PM

10’ X 10’ Umbrella

IMG_4376.jpeg - 74kB

[Edited on 7-22-2023 by RFClark]

Final Week of Phase One

RFClark - 7-23-2023 at 07:46 PM

We’re wrapping up small details this week and heading North for a few weeks.

When we return we’ll start Phase Two the Casita and pool.

I’ll start a new post for that project,

Thanks again for all the comments and views. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

IMG_2715.jpeg - 76kB

[Edited on 7-24-2023 by RFClark]

SFandH - 7-23-2023 at 07:50 PM

Casita.....

RFClark - 7-23-2023 at 09:37 PM

I’ll tell Siri, thanks.

bajaric - 7-24-2023 at 02:45 PM

Neat project, thanks for letting us follow along.

Not to be snarky, but with all the finish work needed to transform corrugated metal into smooth concrete surfaces why not just start with concrete block?

surabi - 7-24-2023 at 08:34 PM

I've been wondering the same thing.

RFClark - 7-25-2023 at 12:47 PM

The fact that concrete block is widely used in Mexico does not mean it is the best of building materials. In our community (Rancho Nuevo) all of the homes have several coats of cement applied on the exterior and the smarter people have it on the interior walls as well.

Block has a lot of thermal mass, retains moisture and is a lousy insulator. Our part of Mexico has reasonable temperatures but high humidities and a high solar load.

Climate control in uninsulated block homes uses a lot of energy for a variety of reasons. In daytime direct solar heating is the biggest source of energy consumption followed by air exchange and relative humidity.

Proper insulation is more complicated then just insulate the interior walls. Following a systems approach exterior paint, exterior insulation and air/vapor barrier on the outside of the block followed by more insulation and drywall or cement on the inside painted with waterproof paint are required. The resulting wall is 10” thick.

An equal or better result can be obtained using a container or structural steel walls with a 4” total wall thickness. This results in more usable interior floor space, much lower air exchange and less humidity penetration.

If you have solar not CFE doing more at night than having an AC in the bedroom is difficult. Interior BR walls also require insulation. Again steel walls are 4” thick control humidity penetration and air exchange.

We can cool or heat (in Winter) and reduce humidity in the whole house from 8:00 -18:00 by which time the temperature has dropped and a breeze has come up (most nights). At night we can cool the BRs from stored electricity which often is not necessary.

The above is my opinion but is supported by experiance here in Mexico.

AKgringo - 7-25-2023 at 02:19 PM

In the event of a typhoon, or earthquake, I think your construction will ride it out better than a block home with the same configuration.

RFClark - 7-25-2023 at 07:20 PM

AK,

We hope so.

monoloco - 8-24-2023 at 11:49 AM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

In the event of a typhoon, or earthquake, I think your construction will ride it out better than a block home with the same configuration.

We've been through countless hurricanes here in BCS over the last 30 years, and I've never seen a properly constructed concrete block structure damaged beyond some blown out windows.

RFClark - 8-24-2023 at 12:21 PM

monoloco,

“Properly constructed” is a consideration. Then there is the problem of high winds blowing water through the joints in the blocks.

The risk of wind damage wasn’t the primary reason for our choice of materials. An insulated block wall is about 10” thick unless you use the newer wall systems that incorporate foam. Those walls are about 8” thick. Our walls are insulated and 4” thick.

The “R” factor for our 4” walls is equal to or better than the other systems and the air leakage is lower. That was our primary consideration.

A secondary consideration was “blown out windows” which is also hard on the contents. Our windows all have steel frames and steel shutters attached to those steel frames. The likelihood of a blow out below 110mph is low. The likelihood of impact damage is also low.

pacificobob - 8-24-2023 at 04:21 PM

Steel boxes are well known for comfort in hot climates.

Don Pisto - 8-24-2023 at 05:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

Steel boxes are well known for comfort in hot climates.

like LBJ?

RFClark - 8-25-2023 at 02:19 AM

Guys,

Concrete boxes are renowned for their comfort in hot climates! That’s why those who own them leave for a few months in summer. They’re also cold and more expensive to heat in the winter.

That said, you’ve got your concrete boxes and I’ve got an insulated steel and concrete box. So we both have what we want. We also saved enough floor space with 4” walls to have a 3rd bathroom (60 sq ft)!

mtgoat666 - 8-25-2023 at 07:19 AM

Boxes (houses) are cooler when roof has deep eaves

pacificobob - 8-25-2023 at 10:05 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

Guys,

Concrete boxes are renowned for their comfort in hot climates! That’s why those who own them leave for a few months in summer. They’re also cold and more expensive to heat in the winter.

That said, you’ve got your concrete boxes and I’ve got an insulated steel and concrete box. So we both have what we want. We also saved enough floor space with 4” walls to have a 3rd bathroom (60 sq ft)!

Some leave for a few months because they can afford to do so. I enjoy Alaska in summer. Our mex home has large shade trees, and 13 foot ceilings... very comfortable.

[Edited on 8-25-2023 by pacificobob]

RFClark - 8-25-2023 at 11:38 AM

PB,

Ours is comfortable. We can live there all year or travel. It’s easy and inexpensive to cool or heat. Because of the thiner walls we have room for an extra bath.

Between the solar and reusing the gray water it has a very small environmental footprint. Because of the type of construction it uses far less cement, making it green as well.

It works for us!

surabi - 8-25-2023 at 12:08 PM

"Then there is the problem of high winds blowing water through the joints in the blocks."

??? My concrete block house in an area which gets heavy rain for months in a row and where we have had 2 hurricanes in the 20 years I've lived in it, has never had water "blow through the walls". Nor have I ever heard of that happening in any of my friend's concrete block homes.

Nor is it cold in cold weather- the daytime sun heats the block walls during the day, but not enough to make it uncomfortably hot inside, and as long as I close the windows and doors before it gets cold when the sun goes down, it retains the warmth during the night.

Nor do I "escape" in the summer.

It's fine for you to think your house construction is wonderful, but unnecessary to come up with untrue comments about other types of construction to prove that yours is superior.

[Edited on 8-25-2023 by surabi]

[Edited on 8-25-2023 by surabi]

[Edited on 8-25-2023 by surabi]

mtgoat666 - 8-25-2023 at 12:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

Yes, we know you love your conex boxes. Good for you! Your love of conex boxes doesn’t mean concrete block is worse.
Different strokes for different folks!

One problem with conexes is the floors. Sometimes the floors are heavily treated wood, with nasty chemicals applied in China where the containers are built (China uses some bad wood treating chemicals banned in usa). Sometimes the less-treated floors are smorgasbords for termites.

pacificobob - 8-25-2023 at 01:14 PM

Conex " homes" are popular out in western Alaska. Many natives use them as an alternative to importing conventional building materials at great cost.
I knew a bering sea crab fisherman in nome who wintered in costa rica. he lived in a buried conex. He claimed the interior temps were always comfortable.

AKgringo - 8-25-2023 at 01:53 PM

One of the last construction projects I worked on was building a new school in Hooper Bay Alaska. It is a small, remote community that is only supplied by a couple of barges a year, or air freight.

The "hotel" we stayed at was constructed of connex containers! At least it was one of the few buildings that had been connected to the new water and sewage system. Most of the town hauled water home, then hauled their excrement to the sewage lagoon.

RFClark - 8-25-2023 at 08:07 PM

Goat,

If you want to live in a block house fine. The front ground floor part of ours is partly block. Assuming that you are going to insulate the block you end up with a 10” thick wall rather than a 4+” wall. We used the same crew and the same interior/exterior finish for both parts of the house. The block part took about twice as much labor as the steel part

The work went faster even though our guys had never done a container house. The electrical and plumbing also went faster. The finished parts both look the same but the steel part is a lot greener.

It’s far easer to attach stuff to the steel part like stairs, railing, solar panels, shutters and so on.

We either put concrete or laminate on the container floors so no Chinese plywood problem.

Then there’s the 6” thick block problem, you pay for the area under the blocks just the same as the part of the floor you walk on. Less wall and more floor is better!

advrider - 8-25-2023 at 10:08 PM

I've really enjoyed following your progress, thanks for posting. I may have missed it but how did the price per square foot compare to conventional construction?

RFClark - 8-26-2023 at 04:11 AM

advrider,

It’s difficult to compare per square foot prices because often builder houses don’t include things we did as a part of our building process.

As an example, we installed solar electric and water before actually building the house as well as perimeter walls and fences. Things often not included in a contractor’s per sq ft bid.

Taking the solar electric system as an example. Our system currently has 18 - 540W panels and 2 - 48V 6KW inverters with 14KW of Li Ion batteries. The panels are incorporated into the design of the house rather than added on after completion. As a result the panels are not visible from the ground as is often the case in our area. I think we saved about 50% and have a better system as a result. This level of cost savings is reflected in the other subsystems as well.

The AC system is also designed into the house rather than added on afterword. That includes the water collection from the AC units adding it into the gray water we use for watering plants and trees. That collection and watering system was also built during construction.

We also built and installed the Hurricane/security shutters during construction rather than installing them afterword. The shutters are designed for this house rather than using existing catalog shutters.

The initial building phase also included an integrated rain water collection system from the decks and roof. This too is not generally included in the basic per sq ft cost of construction.

The advantages of integrating the major subsystems into the construction process go beyond just lower costs. It makes the subsystems look seamless, perform better as well as be easer to maintain.

Taking all of the above into consideration you can understand why there is a difference in the construction per sq ft price and the resale per sq ft price which is usually a several times multiple of the basic construction price. Using this metric I think our costs were quite low vs the value created.

Only time will tell!

[Edited on 11-10-2023 by RFClark]

mtgoat666 - 8-26-2023 at 07:08 AM

So, what was your price per sq ft?

[Edited on 8-26-2023 by mtgoat666]

RFClark - 8-26-2023 at 08:47 AM

Goat,

The true cost including the lot and improvements, house and living while building was around $140 per sq ft. That’s the number you need to know when you go to sell a house not just what the builder charged you per sq ft.

Solar AC report

RFClark - 9-15-2023 at 12:44 PM

It’s been 6 -7 weeks since we finished the major part of construction and a week since we returned from our road trip.

Here are some thoughts and information we have collected that may be of interest.

We have 1400 sq ft under climate control all of the windows are double pane and all of the windows have in-place white hurricane shutters. The climate control consists of 4 units. 2 - 1.5T and 2 - 1T heat pumps SEER 19 240VAC under software control.

We have 18 - 540 W panels installed in 3 - 6 panel strings the wattage rating is at 1000 W/sq m. Our solar input only runs 700 W/sq m probably as a result of the high humidity.

The peak power production I have seen is 7+KW from the 9.7KW of panels. The house is using about 32KWH per 24 hrs. That is around 1000KWH/M We run the AC off of the solar from about 8:00 to 17:00. 26C works for us as an indoor temperature. At night we can run the AC off of batteries or the 8.7KW inverter generator.

Once the sun sets the heat load goes down dramatically and our nighttime lows are currently in the mid-70s. We have been running the generator between 17:00 and 18:00 until we see how much power is required. Tonight we will try w/o running the plant.

Overnight we AC just the master BR & Bath. We have been turning off the BR AC around 3:00 as it is no longer necessary.

We probably use around 10KW of the 30KW of batteries overnight. That number is difficult to separate out from the total.

Our water usage for house and landscape is running around 12 CU Meters per month. Reusing the gray water seems to save about 4 CU Meters of water per month. If there were 4 of us the gray water alone would be able to supply the landscape.

Propane usage currently very low exclusive of the electrical plant.

The house is not quite at “0” CO2 emissions but compared to CFE power and trucked water it’s way better.

1000 KWH of Solar is equal to 860 Lbs of CO2 saved per month.

That is probably low as CFE burns really dirty fuel at their La Paz plant.

More information as it’s collected.

Santiago - 9-15-2023 at 12:56 PM

Good info.
Is the circular stair a kit from The Iron Shop? I'm a stair builder and we have used them before.

RFClark - 9-15-2023 at 01:10 PM

Santiago,

No, the stair kit is Italian we bought it at Lowes and brought it down. It was about $2K and really well built with good instructions.

[Edited on 9-15-2023 by RFClark]

Rancho Nuevo Home Results to 10/24/23

RFClark - 10-24-2023 at 05:15 PM

Hi everyone,

Here’s a post Hurricane update:

Structure: No obvious problems, one small leak near electrical conduit to AC

Hurricane Shutter and Sun Shade System - maximum wind speed 70 Mph no problems or damage. Some screws replaced with S/S screws due to corrosion. 2nd floor Shutters open and close in about 30 minutes. The shutters pervert wind driven water from getting into the house around the windows.

IMG_3381.jpeg - 79kB

Solar Power System: No mechanical damage from the storms. 18 - 540W panels in 3 - 6 panel strings average panel voltage 240V total power around 6700W in current (10/24) clear sky. 1800W heavy overcast conditions. Extra 3 X 330W panels on grid tie carry about 1/2 of the 900W (aprox) day base load. Night base load is about half of that. Currently “Night” is about 14 hours long.

Solar AC Results: from about 9:00 - 17:00 it’s possible to maintain 24C-26C inside total on Solar. Running the Inverter generator 18:00 - 20:00 at a 4KW rate allows 25C - 27C all night by running the 4AC units for 15 minutes each in rotation every hour or two. Fuel (propane) costs for the generator are about $30 pesos per day. The day AC electrical load runs between 2KW and 4KW.

We cook with electricity when the generator is running to keep the house cooler.

Currently we’re not using the AC units as natural convective cooling is adequate. Airflow enters the ocean side on the ground floor and exits the 2nd floor on the land side by way of the windows after coming up the stairwell, as well as through the GF engineering space which has powered ventilation.

The green space next to the GF windows is a part of the passive cooling system as it both cleans and cools the air.

IMG_3382.jpeg - 116kB

We are developing a 2nd green space along the street to reduce the amount of dirt from the traffic.

IMG_3385.jpeg - 189kB

Our water usage is between 12-14 Cu M/Mo which is lower than the average here.

The gray water watering system is working well and provides about 400 Gal/Week for the yard.

We’re going into the cooler time of the year we’ll post more as the season progresses.

JDCanuck - 10-24-2023 at 06:40 PM

Thanks for all that info RFC: I believe you and we have equivalent sized homes with very equivalent solar panel sizing. I suspect our battery storage must be significantly higher tho as we need no propane under normal conditions as long as we stage our cooking, water heating and laundry according to solar availability while we are there.

AC and Heat pumps are off at night except for the one room we sleep in and the rest of the cement house will gain or lose about 2 degrees C from 8 pm overnite until 7 or 8 am when we turn the other heat pump units on again and start making breakfast. Stoves, hot water heaters are all electric. Back up generator is there to supply power if we have 2 to 3 days of very cloudy weather in a row and will kick on if batteries drop below 20 percent State of Charge.

Battery bank is 35000 watt hours total using ten Pylontech 3000C Lithium batteries. Gen is 13kw Cummins and should recharge batteries from 20 percent to full charge in 3 hours. Solar intensity should be very similar to yours as we are not that far removed from you.

In future I hope to replace the two largest hot water tanks with 40 gal. heat pump hot water tanks when they become available in Baja and reduce hot water heating loads by 2/3. Presently, the hot water tanks are my largest electrical draws and replaced the propane tanks in the original design late in the planning stage.

[Edited on 10-25-2023 by JDCanuck]

RFClark - 10-24-2023 at 06:46 PM

JD,

We currently have 14+KW we plan on adding another 4+KW soon.

JDCanuck - 10-24-2023 at 07:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

JD,

We currently have 14+KW we plan on adding another 4+KW soon.

Yes, we were maybe too interested in going totally non propane except for backup and chose to boost our battery size above that recommended. Consequently lithium batteries were the major extra expense in our build and came in around 20,000 total cost installed. However, they are very highly rated at 6000 cycles at 95% discharge and so far have been exceptionally reliable.

I looked back at your panel sizing and your power usage. It looks to me like you have a significant amount of solar available you are not using. I tried out our system north of you and hit a daily 60kwh usage on 24-465 watt panels (11,160w) in mid October by running every load I could think of putting on the system while the chargers were still in bulk mode and during a clear sunny day. There should be a fair amount more available in mid June.

Have you yet come up with a way of using the surplus you are not yet using? EV charging based on a programmable relay in your system maybe?

[Edited on 10-25-2023 by JDCanuck]

RFClark - 10-26-2023 at 10:27 PM

JD,

Our panels put out in excess of 7KW peak this summer. That’s enough to run the 4 AC units and charge the batteries. After the batteries are charged we charge the 10KW battery in our PHEV Kia.

We’re adding another 4+KW. The 16 batteries cost about $4K. Now that we’re not running the ACs we have excess capacity. Our Winter Base Load is about 500W for 14 - 15 hours, more if we need to run the mini splits in the heat mode.

The purpose of the inverter generator is to recharge the batteries. During Norma 2- 3 hours in the morning and evening was enough to cook and recharge the batteries. The propane cost about $40 pesos a day. That won’t change much even with more batteries.

I’ll look at how we did next spring to see if we need more batteries. Batteries keep coming down in price so waiting where possible is good.

December Update

RFClark - 12-14-2023 at 01:15 PM

The house has now been up and running for over 5 months. We just added the 4th set of Li ion batteries for a total of 16 ( 4X4) batteries. We now have in excess of 20KW of storage. Our night time base load is about 120 AH for this time of year. Daily usage is around 22KW including car charging. We are currently running 3 refrigerators. I estimate that on peak load days we’re only using about 55% of the available power.

We’ve been driving around 90 miles a week on electricity. Generator usage in currently 0 hrs/week. We’ve been mostly cooking with electricity, primarily microwave and induction.

Water usage is averaging 12 Cu M/month. Gray water recycling is around 4 Cu M/month.

The grass dust control area next to the street is now about 20’ wide across the front of our lot.

I’m currently looking at the requirements for an RO water supply system for the hot water and drinking water systems. The wastewater from the RO system would be added to gray water system where it would recombine with the used hot water.

La Paz currently requires a bio digester septic system for new construction if you are closer to the beach than we are. This probably precludes a separate gray water system without its own bio digester.

I’ll add some pictures to this post as soon as I cut the grass. Thank you all for watching.

Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy new Year!

The Clarks

mtgoat666 - 12-14-2023 at 02:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

The grass dust control area next to the street is now about 20’ wide across the front of our lot.

Have you tried oiling the road? Waste oil or diesel may help keep the dust down.

RFClark - 12-14-2023 at 02:39 PM

Goat,

This close to the scared turtle beach? The greens would put you up against an adobe wall and shoot you!

pacificobob - 12-15-2023 at 08:06 AM

Calcium chloride widely used for dust control

JDCanuck - 12-15-2023 at 08:27 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

Calcium chloride widely used for dust control

Would be great if we could convert some of that excess CaCO3 in our well water supply to reduce dust on roads. Perhaps now that we have managed to significantly reduce it in our cisterna using AC units and an additional humidifier to demineralize and protect plumbing that would have been the next thing to investigate. Unfortunately, we have sold our place and our fun is coming to an end. Congrats on your designs RFClark, I will continue to monitor this thread to see your further progress.
I especially admired your storm shielding designs for windows, much cheaper than our Hurricane impact windows if you are there consistently.

JDCanuck - 12-15-2023 at 08:37 AM

RFClark: Might I suggest you look at the Innovaqua NUBE SS30 Atmospheric Water Generator as a solution to your drinking water? Supposedly generates up to 8gpd per day at a liter of water for about 350w power and it could be phased in to only operate when you have excess unused solar with a bit of programming on your solar system. Produces potable water through 3 stage RO and a UV light.
Info available here:
https://www.innovaqua.shop/collections/nube/products/nube

Side benefit is it will significantly reduce humidity problems in your oceanside home.

[Edited on 12-15-2023 by JDCanuck]

mtgoat666 - 12-15-2023 at 08:43 AM

Clarkles:
Try paving the road. Keeps the dust down.
Topes works too. Really harsh topes work best!

Sometimes the best dust avoidance measure in rural areas is don’t build next to the road!

surabi - 12-15-2023 at 08:51 AM

Reverse osmosis removes all the healthy minerals from the water, along with the bad stuff. It is "dead" water. I prefer to use a Berkey filter for drinking water, which removes the pathogens, but not the minerals. Pour tap water in the top, it filters through to bottom, easy peasy.
And the filters last for up to 7 years- no need to replace filters or UV lights every six months or a year.

RFClark - 12-15-2023 at 09:37 AM

I personally don’t have any say in how the roads here are maintained. That limits what we can do to controlling the results. As suggested driving slower would help. I have asked about topes at community meetings and have been told by those in charge that Mexico has rules about the placement of topes. Their use for residential speed reduction isn’t a choice.

Of the materials available locally, graveling the roads seems to work best. We will do that in front of our lot next time we buy some. (Media Noche Gravel never sleeps) Dusty roads seem to be endemic around here due to the soil composition. The high humidity doesn’t seem to help either as it’s as dusty in summer as in the winter.

We use less than 50 gal of hot water a day on average so 100 gal of RO water is enough to have available for making hot water. I’m working out the plumbing necessary to feed the 2 water heaters from a common source in the garage. First we need to do the concrete floor in the garage. All of this and more is on the 2024 project list.

I will post as we progress. Thanks for all the advice.

surabi - 12-15-2023 at 09:50 AM

Regarding topes- I read that they had removed a lot of topes in Mexico City, as they found much higher concentrations of air pollution where there were topes, as all the cars have to slow down so traffic sits longer almost idling. So dust or exhaust pollution, take your pick.

JDCanuck - 12-15-2023 at 10:01 AM

Hot water tends to scale out calcium carbonate very rapidly above 120 degrees F and then scaling goes parabolic at temperatures above that. This just happens to be the minimum temperature to prevent enhanced biological growth of legionella and others in hot water tanks. For that reason alone you will save a lot in maintenance if you can feed any AC or dehumidifier produced water to your hot water tanks. As I understand you are already collecting AC water to storage, maybe directing it to the hot water feed would be a benefit if you are using well water?

Mexicans don't seem to mind warm water and the associated risks, but years ago CDC came up with these warnings:
https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/wmp/overview/growth-and-sprea...

[Edited on 12-15-2023 by JDCanuck]

mtgoat666 - 12-15-2023 at 10:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

I have asked about topes at community meetings and have been told by those in charge that Mexico has rules about the placement of topes. Their use for residential speed reduction isn’t a choice.

i see topes all the time on unpaved roads, and from appearances they are homemade by locals residents. if i were you, i would build the topes and forget about asking for permission.

i am a fan of the topes made of thick rope. sometimes you can find thick rope on the beach (hawser), or sold as scrap. the 4-in dia. stuff will make people slow down.

Santiago - 12-15-2023 at 01:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RFClark

We are currently running 3 refrigerators.

Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy new Year!

The Clarks

RFC: I gotta ask, 3 refers is a lot. Is one of those a freezer?

And back at ya for Holiday cheers.

RFClark - 12-15-2023 at 04:33 PM

We’re running a large French Door refer/freezer, small refer under coffee bar upstairs and a 12V auto refer/freezer as an overflow freezer for the holidays.

I have seriously considered building a walk in cold room. I just haven't found a door yet.

We have a committee that decides things like that. (Street improvements) I’m not on that committee either. What could I know? We live in a bread box! Making bread now, smells great.

[Edited on 12-15-2023 by RFClark]

Dining Rm Holiday layout

IMG_3433.jpeg - 199kB

[Edited on 12-15-2023 by RFClark]

[Edited on 12-19-2023 by RFClark]

[Edited on 12-19-2023 by RFClark]

RFClark - 12-15-2023 at 05:05 PM

I worried about that too, but with 4 people not a problem. We still have a lot of stuff to put on the walls.

I have a theory that having foam panels behind the cement walls actually helps with the sound. Even without the table and Chairs the room wasn’t real live.

RFClark - 12-17-2023 at 02:35 PM

It occurred to me that I hadn’t yet reported on how the engineered passive climate control features have performed.

As stated earlier we have a dust control problem. Climate control starts with an area of tall grass along the west and south side of our house. During the day the prevailing wind is usually from the ocean. The side of our house facing the beach has ground level double-pane doors and windows to allow in air flow.

The exterior walls are insulated cement painted with white heat reflective paint. The walls themselves have a low thermal mass as compared to cement block walls. The interior lower floor is poured concrete over crushed rock. Our ground temperature is such that the floor is always a comfortable temperature.

The air primarily enters from the south end flows north over the exposed concrete floor exiting up the 5’ X 5’ stairwell to the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor has 4 large double-pane windows along the inland facing wall and 2 more windows on the south wall. The walls are white painted insulated cement the same as the downstairs. All of the upstairs windows have exterior storm shutters that serve as sun shades when open. The upstairs windows have interior roller shades and insulated curtains to control lighting and temperature. There are a pair of exterior double doors next to the stair-well to allow additional air flow into the 2nd floor.

In the evening after sunset the wind first stops then reverses to come from the inland side of the house. The ventilation flow reverses direction with cool air entering the 2nd floor windows flowing down the stairwell warming the concrete with its collected heat and exiting through the door and windows.

This passive cycle has worked most days since October without much additional heating or cooling with excellent air exchange and humidity levels.

The operating costs have been minimal. Security, water and road maintenance being the major expense. Internet/phone being second. Fideicomiso and taxes coming in third. Gas being fourth though very low. The solar system generates all the power required including up to 10KW a day to operate our PHEV 40 miles.

As we move into Winter we’ll see if any additional heating is required and report back.

JDCanuck - 12-17-2023 at 05:37 PM

We are finding it to be an exceptionally warm early winter(fall?) this year, so are running the AC a bit more than usual. Still finding it doesn't tax the solar much tho as we get into the next days solar gain at above 50% SOC on lithium batteries after making breakfast. No insulation, all cement block, indoor temps ranging from 22 to 24 celsius.

Wish we too had an EV to disperse the extra solar availability during the afternoons, as we spend a lot of time floating after batts are fully charged around 12 until 4pm when solar yield falls off. Still no need for generators, so we test run every 6 months.

[Edited on 12-18-2023 by JDCanuck]

Interesting Baja Nomad Ad for Concrete Panels

RFClark - 1-6-2024 at 03:18 PM

From the ad.

“Our DIY Panel is thinner than Urban Concrete’s standard panel line creating an even lighter and super simplified install.”

We used Mexican made Concrete Panels in our project.

https://www.urbanconcretedesign.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoIj_8...

Durock Cement panels

RFClark - 1-22-2024 at 09:55 PM

Walkerts,

We used the cement panels in a number of exterior and interior applications. We have both conventional block and steel exterior walls covered with closed cell foam with foil on both sides.

The exterior concrete panels are attached with screws and covered with SS mesh to support the cement coating. The interior walls are covered with rigid foam panels or cement panels and SS mesh again covered with cement.

It’s a little difficult to compare the 2 methods because generally block construction isn’t insulated. Exterior it’s probably about as fast as cement on block and interior it’s faster and better than conventional drywall. It’s definitely less of a mess as there is very little sanding and cement is waterproof. The acoustics seem better than drywall as well.

You, anyone is welcome to visit and see the results. We’re usually here M2M me to make arrangements.

[Edited on 1-23-2024 by RFClark]

[Edited on 1-23-2024 by RFClark]

IMG_2395.jpeg - 98kB

[Edited on 1-23-2024 by RFClark]

surabi - 1-23-2024 at 07:00 PM

I used that cement board as the walls of my small shop building. FYI it didn't require any mesh to plaster over with cement plaster- I applied it directly onto the board.
It's stuck on just fine, for 7 or 8 years now. Exterior wall, with sun beating on it and rain.

[Edited on 1-24-2024 by surabi]

Progress Report

RFClark - 4-27-2024 at 06:10 PM

Winter has passed down here. That said the water in the Pacific is still cold. The nighttime temperatures are still in the upper 50s
There’s a progress picture of the landscaping. Remember that all this grass grew from a few small strands. The Bamboo is doing well too. The lawn next to the front door walkway is grown in too.

We’re outputting over 7KW of solar from our 9+KW of panels and using about 25% of our batteries overnight (20KW). That includes induction cooking, heat pumps and TV plus 2 refrigerators as well as a small freezer.

We charge the PHEV as necessary after the batteries are recharged usually by 10:00 AM.

If you’re in the area stop by! More soon!

June 2023 the original grass.

IMG_2540.jpeg - 136kB

[Edited on 4-28-2024 by RFClark]

surfhat - 4-28-2024 at 11:19 AM

I have great respect for you choosing to build a shipping container based home.

After seeing the possibilities of what these containers can become, and the inherent strength of these steel boxes in a hurricane zone, I have become a fan. Insulation is primary with these steel boxes, and you appear to have handled that negative well and to your advantage. Ours, included. Thanks for a new way to have a secure home in this hurricane alley.

Decades ago, I chose the Tridi-foam panels to build with on the East Cape for their hurricane proof strength that was shown when southern Florida got hammered by a hurricane and the Tridi foam panels survived Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, Fl. That they also help insulate and regulate the temps was another plus.

I rarely hear anything about these Tridi-panels being used lately, and wonder if some disadvantage has presented itself since the early 90's.

My second choice of building materials at the time would have been what you chose. Thanks RF.

Tri-di panels Our way

RFClark - 4-28-2024 at 01:12 PM

This is our approach to cement on foam structural panels. This seems to mirror the commercial approach in Mexico as well. Currently there are 2 large new stores being built with cement on foam panels in Cabo. One is next to COSTCO. Neither is using mesh on foam however.

One interesting feature of this type of interior construction is its acoustic properties. Concrete on foam seems to have better sound damping properties than drywall or cement on block walls.

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