05 February, 2011

Plus Shipping and Handling

A twenty-foot shipping container is not twenty feet.

Just let that sink in for a minute.  You'll start to get an understanding of how complicated it might be to ship all of your worldly possessions to the other side of the globe.

A twenty foot shipping container is, in fact, 19'4" long by 7'8" wide by 7'10" tall.  [Source]

It was difficult for me to picture this accurately in my head.  How much STUFF can we fit in 20x8x8 (approximately).  As much as I am capable of measuring out each dimension, the VOLUME escaped me.

So I built a shipping container in my dining room.

Well, actually, I purchased some 1/2" PVC piping and, with the help of my adult son, Joe, cut the pieces to the proper length and set up a big box frame around the dining room table (and well into the room next door, enclosing the baby grand piano).  It has occurred to me - we can fit a WHOLE BUNCH of STUFF in a box this big!

It sure has helped me visualize the space we have, setting up this structure.

Okay - for those of you planning to follow along, some pointers.  

  • 7'10" tall is VERY TALL.  You'll need a chair for the fabrication.
  • Don't glue the pieces together unless you want a permanent art project in your house
  • PVC is not used for structural support for a reason.  You may need to tape one side to a wall.
  • Just because it will fit in the space you have mapped out, doesn't mean that the shippers will pack it like you think they will.
  • I am not a shipping expert.
We are now making plans to actually bring a piano with us!  Maybe not the baby grand.  We are negotiating trading it in for an upright.  We'll see.

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