Thank you, renovator8. Not being savvy about these kinds of things, I'm only getting maybe half of what you're saying...if that. I'm really hopeful that the pros who do this work will have far more aptitude than I do, not to mention plenty of integrity! I briefly considered French doors, but my home (& kitchen) are so small that I was hesitant to give up the space they take up - and I don't have AC, so door (with scree) will be open much of the summer. I would consider a door with (a) big window(s) on one side (or on both sides,) though. Do you think my next step should be to hire an independent structural engineer?

"Basements Vs slabs", Practically all basements have slabs and most of them have plumbing underneath, same for 99.99% of commercial buildings. Not building a slab (or basement) for plumbing fears is typical for DIY types unfamiliar with concrete work. Designed and built right, there should be no reason to tear up the concrete in one's lifetime. If it does need to be redone, it's still light construction and not a problem for professional contractors. Building a basement or crawlspace below variable water tables can be appropriate if there is enough topography to daylight the drainage. Relying on pumps is a recipe for eventual failure. The wetter the site, the bigger the concern. Daylighted drainage that works by gravity, should be designed well, with plenty of clean gravel, silt protection and cleanouts. If your builder or grader shows up with corrugated, single wall PE, better call in an experienced civil engineer. It sounds like your lot is ideal for a stemwall slab, basically a crawlspace filled with compacted fill or better yet clean gravel and topped with a slab. This elevates the slab and provides gravity proven drainage below. Worthy's FPSF suggestion is also worth a look if your lot is really that flat. Slabs have better building science fundamentals being a well defined boundary (drainage, air barrier, insulation) between the elements and living space. Crawls are more confused. Vented crawlspaces in humid climates (east of MS) should be illegal, and if you decide to go unvented, ensure the entire crawl floor slopes to a daylighted drain. With a good design team, forced-air ductwork does not have to go in a basement, crawlspace or attic.

Hello everyone, it's been a while since my last post. I drilled my well which ended up being over 200 ft deep and costing ~13K to drill. Unfortunately I drilled it in the wrong spot. I was using a giant stump on the property as reference to drill because it was marked on the survey. Well, turns out the stump on the survey isn't the one I was using as reference. OOPS. I ended up needing to move the house and garage twenty something feet north to accommodate. Since my original post it looks like certain construction details are going to change. For one, I don't need the Prosoco Cat-5 WRB. I still think it's one of the best products for this application but because much of my siding is protected by the wrap around porches, the fact that roof leaks will be minimized with a full standing seam metal roof, and the siding I'll be using is immune to the elements it seems like using Cat-5, which is over $500 for a 5 gal bucket is unnecessary. My builder recommended a product they have used in the past with great success by Tremco called Enviro-Dri. Prosoco also makes a product called MVP which is less than 1/3 of the price. Speaking of siding, it doesn't look like I'll be using Boral. One of the issues with Boral is that it's very fragile. I have some samples and the edges will deteriorate quickly even when handled gently. I think once attached they work great though. Secondly, it's really expensive, like twice the price of fiber cement at least where I'm at. I spoke with Foreverboard and they're going to rip the magnesium oxide panels into clapboard siding for me. I'm using MgO for the wallboard so why not for the siding and possibly the roof deck too? It's a superior material. No soil gas venting system. The radon levels in my area aren't too bad so I can get away with a sealed crawlspace with active exhaust fans that will depressurize the crawlspace, forcing conditioned air from above to enter the crawlspace instead of the other way around which is better for indoor air quality. Finding an HVAC contractor has been extremely difficult. I've contacted almost every company in the area and most don't do residential new construction. The ones that do are completely booked up. I spoke with Cardinal Heating which estimated around $15-20 a square foot which for me would be $80K on the high end for a simple heat pump system. Looks like I'll be going with Ranger Heating which quoted me $30K. Single 4 ton heat pump, two zones. It's more expensive than I was expecting but I don't have a choice. I'm still doing engineering. I hired a civil engineer who said he would be available in December. He's doing my soil testing, grading and erosion control plan and drainage plan, He keeps delaying and just asked for another one. I was originally planning on breaking ground this summer but he made me miss my window and it looks like fall at the earliest now since King County estimates permit approval will take 16-18 weeks.. It's not like he was the cheapest option either. I'm very disappointed. I've been working on the garage. I added some awning roofs over the garage doors. I found a guy in Texas on Etsy who builds custom cedar doors like the ones in the photo. Very good price too - ~9K for all three shipped. I got a quote from another company that wanted at least $7300 per door! If got a panel design from Premiere SIPS. I'll be using 6.5" Graphite impregnated SIPS for the walls which are R29.8 at 40 degrees. Here's what the preliminary panel drawing looks like:

Container homes are cool. They use up materials that are water and weather resistant. The 9' tall containers can be finished to indoor specs. Just because they already have 5 metal sides and a door doesn't mean they are just inches away from becoming a home. An engineer is still required to get you up to CODE. Yes. The 'C' word. Code. Regardless of how you START the project you need to meet CODE to finish the project (aka. 'move in'). The use of cinder blocks with wood over raw earth with a question like "how much will the floor hold?" is the wrong question. The question you should be asking is, "How do I make two containers into a house?"