bar in a box

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

hello folks. this is the first time I've ever posted a message in a group online so please forgive me if I am unsure of the etiquette. I am hoping to open a temporary bar set in a car park in a laneway in an Australian city. As the bar will be temporary my partner and I want to use a 20ft container internally modified to accomodate refridgeration etc and use the external space as our bar area. Would anyone (a.) have any relevant experience or (b.) any pictures or design ideas that could be used as inspiration? Toilets will be located temporarily elsewhere onsite. In fact any help or input would be welcome........... thanks, Very Happy

fabadmin · Site Admin Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 648

1. Check out LOT-EK ContainerCafe in ContainerBay (project 061). Their web site might have some further info (http://www.lot-ek.com) - they have a book too. I've seen their book at MCA in Sydney - so it is available. A link to their book is on the infosource page:
http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/infosourcehome.htm

2. Royal Wolf in Sydney made a food servery from a container (see project 070 in ContainerBay). Royal Wolf are HQd on Sydney's upper north shore but have offices in most major cities. http://www.royalwolf.com.au

Where is your site (Melbourne?)

Michael

dcross · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 91 Location: SC, FL

I would consider a 20' Reefer which may be in abundant supply in Austrailia, not as common here in the US. This way it already has the insulation, foodgrade stainless you would want for a walk in cooler, etc.. The reefer machinery that is most common is either Carrier or Thermod King and there are numerous M&R and dealer facilities down under. Your only modification then needs to be basically a partition with a walk in door for your beer. I made our bar counter top look like a conventional bar all the way across the cargo door end but it was cut in the middle to make two pieces, we used continuous piano hinge and each side swung out. This was the short bar, a canvas awning went over the cargo doors
_________________
David

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

danke... site is in melbourne. We have sourced 20 ft insulated container.. food grade.. and will cut out door and two hatches for bar service area, (the bar top will either be internal or an external addition) and ventilation points in ceiling. Ultimately if council, government, private organisation or the good grace of the cosmos shower us with the money I'd like to install at least another two or three containers fo additional storage, food preparation area, gallery / exhibition area.

fabadmin · Site Admin Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 648

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

shall do. hopefully not too far away. Thank you for your help. Very Happy

varp · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 102 Location: australia

Sounds like a beaut project Bob. I'm in Melbourne (Monbulk) and besotted with everything a container can be, so if you want to chew the fat give me a ring on 0439833508 or 97566868.

I've amassed a fair bit of info on these beasts and are the proud owner of a 20' high cuber that has been very patiently waiting for me to learn how to weld. I've got an art and design background, but work principally as a landscaper/carpenter/builder.... impersonate them would be more accurate Very Happy

.

Give us a call!

fabadmin · Site Admin Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 648

I was wondering when varp's radar would pick up this thread...

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

thanks varp... i'll be in touch once we have further details and a design to chew over..

varp · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 102 Location: australia

Varp got his radar from sitting out in the western desert under the Southern Cross plucking bugs from the air with his quick wrinkled tongue.......he remains a crazy old bat......

nextmodernfacilities · Joined: 26 Oct 2004 Posts: 7

sounds like an interesting project - one that I had recently thought about.
My original idea was to prepare something that was either a seasonal cafe
or bar that would occupy some beautifully derilict industrial land in my hometown in a economical way. Wanted to make it in conjunction with a small playground for kids - the idel patron was me! lol.

anyway - I applied this thinking to a competition project for a girls soccer club / aids awareness center in south africa - cost of less than US $5,000
was the target budget.

The box was used as you stated - housing things and the area outside the box was charged with supplying the public spaces. take a look and see if my thinking can in any way be helpful to you. the project is on my website - one of the icons near the end - my laptop is running out of juice, bye

let me know what you think and best wishes for your project

fabadmin · Site Admin Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 648

For anyone visiting the nextmodernfacilities web site (http://www.nextmodernfacilities.com) the link is the fourth from the right titled BMA. Also note you can scroll to the right for more detailed images of the container-based Girls Athletic Facility - I missed this on my first visit.
I can't directly link to the page.

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

Aloha yet again..

months have passed and Varp must be getting tired out there in the Western Sun. I can report that after months of torturous negotiation with council; landlord; business partners et al... as of last Monday council has apporved our project and we have gone to public advertising. Our site is a dis-used carpark in China town in Melbourne and is predominantly used for parking cars and one regular junkie to shoot up in. It features two peach trees and a couple of high brick walls and hopefully fairly soon a 20 ft insulated container that has been modified to include 3 serving hatches, refridgeration, a coffee machine etc. We are also putting in a 10 ft as additional storage and at some point in the near future have plans to build a backpackers in Northern NSW out of containers. Possibly an entire city floating on floaties. It's like riding a motor cycle or getting a tattoo, once you start, the next project becomes an overwhelming obsession. Varp my name is Maz and I can be contacted on 0417 577 970... give me a call anytime you're in the neighbourhood...

fabadmin · Site Admin Joined: 31 Dec 1969 Posts: 648

please post some pics when it is done.
If you need somewhere to host them then email me a couple and I'll post 'em for you.
Michael

bobsbox · Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 6 Location: australia

hi there.. still no pictures.. I'm a little wary of posting these things before it's completed.. I mean jeez, there's a website devoted to this stuff I would feel inadequate posting anything less than perfect...

I'm sure that someone will enjoy the tale of... delivery...

Our block is in a back alleyway in the center of Melbourne with three dodgy Chinese restaurants and an Indian takeaway called... 'The Gaylord'...

Just before twelve mid-day the truck with our modified container reversed as far as it could down the alley leadinf towards our site, and from the back of a flat-bed truck in the middle of the road, myself and my scottish partner flagged down traffic whilst the driver deposited our container on the road in the middle of Chinatown. The driver then unloaded his forklift and poked it under one end, and with us steering his pallet jack on the other end we proceeded to negotiate this monstrous thing down 30 meters of laneway onto our site... slightly hampered by the owner of the restaurant next door saying.. "it's lunchtime, you must move big truck now!!!"

Suffice to say we have some relationship building to do..

keep you posted...

Maz