FULL BUILD! Shipping Container Shop | BEST Off-Grid Structure with Solar & Storage

This structure gave us the BEST start going off the grid, and we are finally ready to turn it into an enclosed work shop. Full build video with time lapse and voice over narration. Tour and cost at the end.
We based our solar design off of this website. If you want to know more, check it out. www.purplealie...
This video was filmed and then edited entirely on my android phone using InShot:inshotapp.page... video editor. It wasn't easy, but I somehow I made it work. 😅🏜️

[@David_in_Thailand]

I've worked in the cement industry for 45 years. You really should have had reinforcement in the concrete and expansion material between the 4 pads. I would suggest you put saw cuts across the floor where the pad joints were, about 80% depth, so that when the concrete wants to crack and move you have some control over where it happens. You can fill the saw cuts with something flexible if you want.

[@stunix_uk]

Because concrete expands and contracts thermally almost as much as steel. Maybe where this is, may have a temperature difference of up to 50 degrees centigrade in 12 hours. so without an internal skeleton structure it will soon form stress fractures and small cracks dont stay small if there is nothing holding it together. however lets hope 4 small 6 inch slabs will be fine. @@baratmalli6413

[@J297WFD]

45 years? And you don’t realize you don’t need rebar with fiber mesh?

[@davidmcd8400]

If you have a chance take a jackhammer to concrete with steel mesh , rebar , fiber mesh, and then no reinforcing at all . The reason will become very apparent . @@J297WFD

[@David_in_Thailand]

@@J297WFD I missed any mention of fibermesh. No need to get snarky. Also fiber is added for specific purposes which does not include replacing rebar for heavy traffic sustainability.

[@timlagrandeur4854]

E😅eeeeee😅èeeeeeeeeeeee😅😅😅

[@robertn2813]

I have been a carpenter for 40 years , and I have built all sorts of buildings . Take it from me , you two did a remarkable job on your shop . You both should be extremely proud of yourselves . Great videography and narration on the video also . This is the first of your videos I have viewed , and I'm subscribed now . Take care , God bless .

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! 🧡🏜️

[@fishhuntadventure]

But you never learned about uplift or basic engineering?

[@robertn2813]

@@fishhuntadventure What is your question ?

[@awakentruth1116]

​@@fishhuntadventure What exactly are you saying? If you have knowledge to share please do. Did they miss something or do something incorrectly in your opinion?

[@MH-53E]

​@@robertn2813This ass troll has no idea or experience in doing anything but flapping his gums and saying nothing...

[@MidnightAmratha]

What i enjoyed the most of this video was the running commentary, guiding us through the entire build.

[@TimDrury]

Yes, the narration was very clear. Additionally, I liked that the narration would pause, the video ran at "normal time" and the construction sounds were played like ASMR.

[@kellierebkowec625]

Good to see you all again. So interesting and your voice is very calming to listen to as well.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@lanceromance6793]

Cool project! Hats off to April for making it all happen on YT!

[@dale5898]

Now you can add two”BIG ASS “ ceiling fans. Great video. Fun to watch. Thank you both for your very hard work. Ten thousand thumbs up!!!!!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! He'll probably just be using portable fans. We also have a portable evaporative cooler that will be nice during the hot & dry part of summer. 🌞

[@charlessitzes3734]

Great job, I enjoyed watching and wish you all the best. God Bless!

[@kennethwoleslagle6684]

Awesome job, enjoy watching and learning , in 1981 i built a barn for my semi 40' X 35' and got my wood trusses 36' from a military bass they were taking down for $25.00 a truss and all my studs free , drove flat bed trailer and every thing was put on 2"X 4"X 8' rough cut hard wood witch was mine after delivery, saved them and enough to build walls, saved alot on wood ,look around and save on supplies ,it is worth your time , i am 76 years old now , always keep your eye's open for DEAL's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Awesome, love it!!! Yes, you never know what you might find.

[@bobjackson7516]

Simply incredible. THANKS April for bringing all this to us, and Thanks Red for DOING all the sweat equity.

[@TheBarry1394]

I remember finding the original videos of the start of the build. The shop ended up amazing! Thanks for sharing and making the full build video! Congrats!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for following along!

[@HansHartman]

Kudos to you both! I wish I were able to undertake a project in a place like you have done. Finances and health currently do not allow me to do this. But I am going to live vicariously through y’all!

[@disconnectpub]

Big shout out to you. So nice to see such a great accomplishment with hard work and compassion.

[@EcoNeighbor]

Much respect to the amount of work. This an example of why you have the have and the have nots. Most people would not have put in the work, sacrifices and investment.

[@vincejamison8078]

I'm retired, this was worth the 2hrs of my life to watch. What I didn't catch was how long it took. Granted it was on vacation time.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It took about 5 weeks to complete, working on it about 8 hours a day. He worked on it pretty much full time, during the 5 weeks, but did take a few days off to do other things.

[@nonsequitur807]

April is a jewel! You guys make a wonderful team. Cool barn build. It should last two lifetimes. Look forward to more projects n updates. Cheers from Houston, TX🤘🏾 🤠

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! 😄🏜️

[@godbeesmith]

Extremely nice fit and finish. A multi use structure anyone would love to have on their home turf. I know I would. 🇺🇸

[@brandonlee4013]

Totally awesome & inspirational = KUDOS TO YOU Y'all !!

[@skin2117]

You would never have gotten the quality of workmanship seen here if you had hired this out. Alot of today's workmanship is what i call "Just enough or Just bye" and i said bye cuz now they are gone.!

[@nekoDan]

Great informative video. I really like your practical knowledge and approach to building things and reusing materials. Amazing that the entire structure was about $17k!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It has been an incredibly useful structure, and a fun build!

[@fikilenako1805]

Hey, you guys have been missed. Thank you for the much informative content. The finished product looks 👌🏽 on point and clean

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much!!

[@terrygreer6013]

Very informative and interesting. Also one can not help but to notice all the work and planning that went into this shop. Yes I am also jealous. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@markmoorhead1442]

Great job on the building process and the videography. I couldn’t stop watching because the video and voice overs were so well done. Now you have a good enclosed space for your future projects.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! Yes, he's really enjoying the space!

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

Totally agree 👍

[@shannongolden]

Its beautiful, I love it! Love how you two work together. I have in mind that I would like to build something like this. Thanks for the ideas and for a video that is easy to follow.

[@alk3myst]

Those flush-cutting saws are something anyone that works with wood should have. Not too expensive and really the best tool for many jobs.

[@Wenefreda]

This brought me so much joy this is similar to what I want to build but I want to create it into a home

[@OW...]

Nice one. Takes me back to the very begining, turned out awesome..

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks for being a long time subscriber, and for all of the nice comments! 😊

[@abruptlyblunt]

you may not be an engineer or architect but you are definitely a force, it's amazing what you've been able to achieve on your own, superman's got nothing on you .......

[@08Maxwell1]

Congratulations on your well built structure. Over the last 10 years I built my own 40x60 shop in similar fashion. Along the way I encountered many of the same challenges you did. I even produced my own KZbin called "How I built my pole barn shop" with six parts. Using salvaged scrounged metal and wood saved a fair amount of money. Watching you work through each phase brought back many happy memories. Well done.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Your shop turned out really nice!

[@DesertJeepRat]

Well done! Love seeing repurposed material going into the build.

[@javig5045]

Red I was captivated throughout the video, great job of editing and your narration really helps in keeping the viewer feel like he's part of the build, also I was impressed on the build quality and your attention to detail on build integrity and materials used for a structure that will hold up to the elements & time, Congrats! Javi G. Tucson,AZ

[@jesuskingjesus9775]

You are both so knowledgeable! Your home and shop are so well done. Congratulations on finishing these big projects!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thank you so much!

[@hose8239]

Truly a pleasure to watch! you are both blessed to be able to work together and accomplish what you have! You are truly a craftsman in using what you "got" and its application. April is priceless in helping as needed thruout the build and the filming! May God Bless You two!!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@paulgilliland2992]

I know this comment is a bit late but I saw you struggling with those drill bits and thought I’ll let you know a secret we pros use . Astro USA makes the best drill bits money can buy. They are by a long margin the most amazing bits you can buy. Nice job on this build.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

I'll look into it, thanks!

[@johnmatsacos4692]

So much productivity, im jealous

[@gerritdejonge6657]

Ze bestaan nog de vakman, geweldig dat u dit allemaal kan 🙏👌heb met plezier gekeken bedankt 👍

[@kirktruman6707]

Brother the shop is absolutely awesome. Thank you for the video.

[@Bolthole_Studios]

Everyone’s got their different opinions, bottom line is you did a great job and you’re happy with it. Thx for documenting it.

[@chaosplan]

April, thank you so much for your effort in documenting this. I’ve been watching since you dug your footers and it’s been fun to see the channel grow and to follow along with all your projects. Red, you have created my dream shop. What a great job using all those reclaimed materials and combining them with integrity and great craftsmanship. Fortunate timing on scoring the woodworking equipment.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks so much for following along! Hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving! 😊🦃

[@nathanarnoldy7549]

A tip for bending rod. Use a piece of pipe over the rod. Even if it is not as long as the rod it will support and reinforce the rod next to the bend. This takes the curve out and makes it more square. Caution: a tight square bend makes the rod weaker in that bend significantly. So use a gentle bend if using the rod for reinforcement, like in concrete.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!

[@mccoulombe941]

Thank you both! This was a pleasure to watch . Did you have any experience putting up metal buildings? Great job! It's nice to see Some people going through the same extreme technical work For a quality job. Great filming and editing April!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We have used sheet metal on a few shed roofs in the past. We like that it's low maintenance and fireproof. We used it on everything we built out here: our well house, home, and shop. Appreciate it, thanks for watching! 😊

[@lucillebruff8997]

Oooo Woow. So happy that you guys are back! Would like a building just like that to live in 👍🤔

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!! 😊😎

[@chadcranston9931]

What an awesome project! Turned out GREAT!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!

[@michaellynskey7124]

Extremely well done for all the hard work you have achieved a home and especially the barn to be completely satisfied with 🇬🇧🇮🇪.

[@stevemorris3710]

What a fantastic achievement,, very well done.

[@nonameyet7162]

Thumbs up! A little trick when drilling for those who don't know is. drill a pilot hole first. The pilot hole size should be the same size as the tip of your final drill bit. When I say the tip I mean where the two edges meet on the drill bit. It will drill like butter after if your drill bit is sharp. Edit: Wrote my comment before seeing you drill the pilot hole. hehehe

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, you can see him pre-drilling with a smaller drill bit in a lot of the time lapse segments. We should have mentioned it in the video.

[@chrisdixonstudios]

Those step drills work fast, maybe on thinner stock.

[@markbooker7048]

The Best You tube I've seen this year. I have built a garage in the past, 2 story. Now planning something in residential and shop!

[@user-kn7eg4oo5l]

I really enjoyed watching this step by step process and it has been wonderful and filled with knowledge for me. I appreciate you sharing this with us and hope to see more. Great job!!! I really learned a lot and this kind of adventure makes me know it can be done with planning, patience and persistence. Thank you!

[@sothernborn1]

Well ,Thank you April for all your editing work .

[@burtzorn4059]

Beautiful shop You can be sure proud of it. Them containers are the way to go .

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, the containers worked out great!

[@rdeanbenson2214]

Excellent video , start to finish! I'm constructing a garage with 20 ft containers this comming summer, in heavy snow country- needless to say, requirements are more severe!

[@vivalaleta]

Looks like a shop that would be a joy to work in.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, he's having lots of fun out there, he finally has time to work on hobbies!

[@vivalaleta]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid You can tell he's a natural teacher. It appeared a bit of a let down after all the builds were complete.

[@kinglee3990]

I am hoping to someday build a barn like that someday. A step drill bit would help to cut the 1/2" holes in the angle iron.

[@blkstang83]

You two plus the help from the friends and family did an amazing job!!!

[@VitorMadeira]

What an inspirational video! Thank you so very much for this. Greetings from Portugal.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! 💛🏜️

[@gardenerpete5232]

My apology, in reference to my pervious comment; I forgot to congratulate you. I'm not downplaying your ingenuity and craftsman ship. You are an excellent engineer and builder! Wonderful video. I Thank both of You!

[@user-gy9qv4ml5y]

Now all you need is a 55 gallon drum converted into a 20 to 30 hp super industrial shop vac that can be configured to exhaust outside to clean up from the pending dust storms. Lived at Ft Bliss and ElPaso Tx 76-77 while in the Army and sandstorms were a trip for a lad from Mississippi.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We are surrounded by mountains, so dust storms aren't common here. Red is creating a lot of dust with his woodworking projects, so something like that would still be nice!

[@hopechannelcat5462]

great job. it's looks good. enjoy your builds and honesty

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@thcall6441]

Wow wow wow !! Well done shop and enjoyable video. I have a small suggestion: Where the rebar goes into the concrete, I’d add a metal sleeve into the hole, like a pipe to take the wear and tear. Just a two minute job. Lol on the time.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@b5846967b]

AMAZING CONTENT. YOU ARE BOTH VERY TALENTED.

[@ShadowMoonFarms]

I really appreciate your sharing your reasoning with us as you build. You have such a large work space now. Thanks for sharing.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

You are welcome! He is definitely enjoying the space! 😊

[@anthonywilson2346]

Got to the end - well done, I would give my eye teeth for a shop like that. There is nothing wrong with using ’pre-loved’ materials and equipment. I think with all the price hikes, our ‘throw away’ culture is going to be a thing of the past. Just as an aside I listen to a lot of audiobooks, your voice seems well suited to them if you ever get fed up with the manual labour (of love). Look forward to watching/listening to the next and the rest, have a nice one from the rainy 🇬🇧 😊

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much! 😊🏜️

[@richmiller5448]

I really enjoy your videos. You are very detail oriented and the way you explain what you’re doing is great. I learn a lot from your work and I’m a 70 year old man. Rich

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much!

[@catgynt9148]

Thanks for sharing this epic milestone in your Arizona journey. You have a magnificent shop that should last your lifetime and beyond. Will you be adding spray foam to the underside of the roof and end panels to insulate and increase structural rigidity.? Since you do not have any wire reinforcements in your slab concrete you may want to consider adding a metal sleeve in the floor rebar holes to distribute forces from the door bolts. If you have a spare foot of 3/4” pipe that could be cut into two 6” lengths (preferably 45° diagonal to facilitate pounding into the ground) and inserted into slightly larger floor holes leaving rebar touching pipe rather than concrete. The extra inch or two below the concrete should solidify the rebar channel to maintain vertical without deforming and cracking the concrete. Steel pipe would be best as a galvanic reaction could occur between steel rebar and copper. April, it was great seeing you with your grand dog tending plants in your yard and garden. Will you be keeping the motor home or posting to on marketplace? It’s probably in shock now that it has left shade. Wishing you, Red and your family a blessed thanksgiving season. Peaceful wishes from the southern shore of the Great Swamp Erie in NE Ohio.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Spray foam would definitely be a nice upgrade! Thanks for the tips! We pulled the RV into town, and one of our kids is using it for now, but we plan to eventually sell it. Thanks for all the comments and tips through all of our projects! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! ❤️

[@pax7511]

Great journey, thanks for the ride along. Amazing job, you guys are living your best life!!

[@johncamp7679]

I’m not judging anything you’ve done, I can appreciate the work. I’m just amazed you were using a skilsaw to cut and trim the metal. A 4” grinder is a welders best friend. Not sure if you knew that?? That gives you the ability to clean the rust and coating off before welding.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

He didn't have the right type of cutting disks for his grinder on hand, and figured this would work, and it did.

[@za_ozero]

You can use hammer drill in hammer mode to nail anything into the ground. Sds plus can handle about 3 feet in my area. Studs longer would require more powefull sds max drill. There are even attachments to hammer grounding rods sold. It works flawlessly.

[@DanielCooper1]

Very impressive, Red and April! That's a really nice looking Barn/Workshop.

[@evalinawarne1337]

Wise to have a hoist. So MANY thing's you can do with it. Lifting, harvesting your animals and using it as a swing or engine repair ETC. ENJOYING watching your VLOG. NICE windows. I like different shapes.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, very useful! It's nice to finally have a good place to attach it!

[@gregadams51]

Great job you two, you should be proud of it .

[@laurapadgett3552]

Great job! This video was long but I enjoyed watching from start to finish on the project. Can’t wait to see what you guys will do next.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@rawatd]

I am so happy to have found you again. I followed you, what seems like years ago on the other channel, on your journey to your off grid space. Then you disappeared. Random 'sheet metal' search brought this up. This long video is very well done. The best video on KZbin showing every detail of the build using shipping containers. Well done Red and April.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Glad you found us again! 😊🏜️

[@funtyes1970]

great video. he must be very happy how many views you got on this video in 2 months over 550k views. it shows how good your videos are soon you will be in 100k plus subscribers in no time

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Very cool project! Thanks for sharing it with us!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@atmm89]

bravo, enjoyed the long video, you have done some thing to be proud of, congratulation to both of you, from Australia

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊🏜️

[@jeanlawson9133]

Awesome 😎 and darn unique.... Thanks for sharing your Video....

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@djsi38t]

A lift for a pickup truck would be a great idea for that shop,so you can get it right over your head and work on it very easily..

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

👍

[@upnorthandpersonal]

Good to know the solar system is still going strong!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks for sharing your design! The systems are all doing great!

[@Codger2015]

I have to say, you are quite the handy DIYer. You exude confidence and a great knowledge of building techniques.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

He's self taught, and we have done a lot of crazy projects throughout the years. Back when you had to figure out how to do things without the Internet. We also had to get really creative because we didn't have much money or tools. Lots of trailer house remodels, additions, etc... and eventually moving on to bigger things. Thanks! 😊

[@randyadamshack2785]

Great job guys, best of luck!

[@peterouellette3874]

Excellent work, thanks for sharing

[@gardenerpete5232]

That was a fantastic video! A HOOO-RAAAY! for April. Very well done!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊

[@evalinawarne1337]

You both together did a fantastic job creating your home. My first time meeting you. I t is a pleasure. HOPE you will continue building. See you soon. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. FROM SE MICHIGAN 🛐🛐🛐. BLESSED THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it & thanks for joining us! 😊 Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!! 🤗🦃

[@gsftom]

Incredible shop and video documenting the build process. Impressive, detailed planning and execution. I really like how you build for function using what u find deals on or can scrap. That is my kind of barn. Thanks for sharing what u guys are doing. I like all the different things that u guys do.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much!

[@alk3myst]

Nice you got that drill press working, even a cheap press works better than hand doing hard drills.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, he got it all cleaned up now. It works great!

[@sidmorgan4980]

Keep the u tube channel going. Enjoy your channel

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We still plan to post videos occasionally, and maybe even show some of Red's wood and metal projects or machine restores. Maybe eventually another one of our kids will be building a house out here too. 🧡🏜️

[@GeorgeSmith-pe9vy]

This has given me some good ideas for taking care of some of the things I want to do on my homestead property. Now that I see how to get what I want with less time and work. Very helpful. Thank you for the podcast. 👍👍

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

It has worked out great for us, glad the video was helpful! 😊🏜️

[@CONTAINERMAN68]

Great shop! I was looking into building a shop somewhat like this, but I was going to use 3-40' High Cube Containers. Place them in s "U" shape and pour 40'x40' of concrete slab inside the "U," creating a single car garage, another single car garage used as a workshop and then 16'x39' as a hobby room. Live in 1-40' container, 1-40' container as another hobby room, and the last 40' container as storage and the utilities room, water tank, reverse osmosis, solar batter storage, inverters.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Sounds awesome! Turning a shipping container into a house has a lot of challenges, but it can be done. Best wishes!

[@gdub2485]

Great job, that design can go anywhere. May i recommend knee pads for projects like that. Try it, you'll like it. Harbor freight knee pads are excellent and economical, get 3. Nice job on the property!

[@joemedcalf7732]

Awesome build, thank you April.

[@user-qn9cu7fk8p]

Thanks for the video. Good and conservative work

[@oldtop4682]

Great job! That is one cool shop that will serve you well for years. Just one minor thing. I'd put screening over the roof vents. Bats love those things, and you don't want them roosting in there or inside using them as an exit. (I have had that problem before - it's not fun)

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, we plan to staple screen material on the inside before spring. The birds also like to build nests under the ridge cap lip.

[@martinfrance9791]

You have done a fantastic job it looks great.

[@loucinci3922]

I remember your old channel. Thanks for sharing

[@l3eaver]

Thank you for the great video. Plenty of information and well detailed. You sir are quite modest! Very admirable 😊 congratulations with this big move chapter of you and your families lives ! 👌 Very gratifying

[@thewhatsup]

Having those doors line up make it look so nice.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, glad it worked out!

[@mike-vw1zn]

I found this very inspirational, thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@VeRSINGOnTheGo]

Great timing Red seriously. Great project and very detailed. Being an aircraft jet mech for 34 yrs gives me a serious lack in this dept. Latin America we placed 2 containers together and refurb'd inside, floors next. Will add a 2nd on top over looking our stream. Purchasing 2 40's now to start the large garage with a 1 pc sliding door. Your width perfect-same thinking. Garage to butt up against house. Building 3 36' domes in lower lot as well. Thank you, blessings

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We just kinda made it work, with the materials we had. Glad it was helpful! Best wishes on your projects! 😊

[@RounPonda]

Thank YOU April and Red for your fantastic build. I will do something VERY similar in Maine, 3 miles from the coast.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks for watching! Best wishes!

[@MJ-wz6jo]

Hope to see more videos.

[@AvengedAggressively]

Great video, and what a great space to have to work in. Thanks for sharing

[@richienotsorich4303]

Great video and work. Someday I'll have one similar. 👍