What size container do you need? 5 Questions help you figure it out.

You know you need a lot of dry, safe storage, but just how much is enough?  Ask yourself these questions and you’ll know:

1)      How much stuff do you have? Size up what you actually need to store.  The most common sizes of containers are :

20’ – 20’ x 8’ x 8’6” – or 1,169 cubic feet
40’ standard – 40’ x 8’ x 8’6” – or 2,385 cubic feet
40’ high cube – 40’ x 8’ x 9’6” – or 2,690 cubic feet

High cubes are nice if you are thinking about living in a container.  The internal height of a standard container is 7’8.5”, and a high cube is 8’8.5”.  Over time, you will feel that height difference.

Do one of these seem like enough to fit what you have?  If not, think about specialty sizes, but keep in mind that the cost on those containers adds up – bigger, more specialized trucks are required to deliver them and they may have to come from further away.

Used 20'

2)      Are you going to move the container around? If the answer to this is yes, think small.  A 20’ container weighs 5,000 pounds when it is empty, but is still small enough and light enough to be mobile.  20’ containers can be moved on a variety of trucks and even when they are full, can be moved by very heavy duty forklifts.

Once you jump up to a 40’ container, you will need a larger truck for moving it and when they are full, you will need a crane to lift the container on and off the truck.  Cranes mean money.  So even if you need the space of 40’s, think about 20’s.

3)       Are you going to ship the container overseas? If yes, even though the container is moving around, think about the 40’ or the 40’ high cube.  Usually there is a minimal extra cost to the larger size and you get to send more per cubic foot.  However, the delivery issues listed above still apply.  To get around this, most freight forwarders will pick up your container from a depot, bring it to you for loading, you load it while it stays on the truck, then they deliver it to the rail or port to ship.

40' container on a truck

4)      Do you have enough space to accommodate the size you want? Containers are delivered on tilt-bed trucks when you ask for ground-level delivery.  This means that the truck will back into the spot you want the container.  The back of the truck tips down and there is a winch on the truck to lower the container off of the bed of the truck and start setting it on the ground.  Then the driver pulls forward and finished setting the container on the ground with the winch.  All of this works beautifully – if you have enough space.  For a 40’ container, you will generally need 110-120’ of a straight, relatively flat area.  For a 20’ – 100’.  And don’t forget that the truck has to get to that spot.  Make sure you think about how the driver will pull in and pull out of your site.  Think about how firm and flat the ground is because delivering a container involves more physics than driving a truck across a ground.

Used 45' container

5)      Do you still need more or less space? If you need more space, there are larger containers – 45’, 48’ and 53’ containers.  They are not available in all markets and require larger trucks than 40’s, so be prepared for additional costs.

10' with roll door added

If you need less space, containers can be cut down for an additional fee.  Generally this process will add an extra $2000 dollars and the containers will still be delivered on the same truck.

If course this won’t answer everyone’s question on sizes.  Give us a call if you want to discuss it further!

Do It Yourself Container Modifications

Container Office

You’ve got the plan in your head – get a container, add doors, windows, or other simple improvements, and then you have your container office, shop or cabin.  You’re handy, know your way around a do-it-yourself project, but where to start?

Inside modified container part 1

No need to reinvent the wheel—container modification kits will come with everything you need to install a door, window, partition, AC, insulation or even a sky light.  See the pictures below for ideas.    You provide only the cutting and welding skills.

1)      You configure the kits that suit your plans. The basics include a lockbox, man-door (steel, 3 feet wide), a roll-up door (6’, 7’ or 8’ wide), windows, insulation, AC with a cage, etc.  Order them from your friendly container store (Super Cubes has all the kits and free DIY support).

Inside modified container part 2

2)      When the kit arrives, it will include the parts you ordered along with installation frames (not needed for insulation or partitions).

3)     Cut a hole in the container to the size noted in the instructions. (Tip: Borrow or rent a plasma cutter, which whirs though steel using only air and electricity.)

Instant shelving organizes a container quickly

4)     Weld in the frame, which fits neatly to the container’s corrugated steel.

5)      Install the door, window, skylight, or whatever.

Kits take all the guesswork out of framing a wind- and water-tight add-on into your container. Container kits also solve problems you might not have considered.

Roll-up door with lockbox

For example, the AC kit comes with a frame, air conditioner, and a cage to weld over the AC so that no one could pull it out and potentially gain access to your container.

Roof between containers

With kits providing everything you need, you can have exactly the container office, shop, or cabin you imagine—foolproof and frustration free.

Office Container

Container Living: Cabins, Huts, Offices & Homes

Living inside the box is a hot trend for a good reason: Steel shipping and storage containers make smart, tight huts, cabins, offices, and homes. Container living is eco-friendly, offers lots of flexibility, and can save a bundle if you keep it simple. And the options for cool container houses are almost infinite.

Huts

A hut is your basic shack in the woods (or your backyard) for keeping dry and sacking out on a cot. It won’t be pretty, but it will do the job. Just paint it with SuperTherm, an insulating ceramic paint, add a door, and a window or two. You can go unplugged or rig basic electrical (anything from an extension cord if you are on the grid to a small generator if you are more remotely located).

Cabins

Here’s where your container becomes a livable dwelling. Besides the hut-like basics, a container cabin will have more creature comforts—larger windows, maybe better electricity, and more insulation and an HVAC system for extra comfort (steel containers do conduct heat and cold). It’s a do-it-yourself project to put up rigid-foam insulation and paneling as well as partitions for rooms. As with any cabin, you can put in plumbing. Beyond that, it’s all about adding amenities (from awnings to skylights and decks) to give your hunting/lake/ski cabin good looks and charm.

Offices

A container-based office, work shed, or studio can be a modified cabin, designed around the work you do. But often container offices mean mobile work space. Construction trailers, sales offices, security offices, portable classrooms, temporary medical clinics, or event offices are just a few of the many possibilities. These can be delivered already customized to suit your needs, making these the most hassle-free container conversion projects.

Homes

Container housing has caught on for many reasons. Containers make strong, secure, indestructible building blocks for full-featured houses. Container homes are a green and efficient housing choice, and they lend themselves to very cool living spaces.

Container housing can be quicker than traditional building. But keep in mind that turning a container into a full-featured home is still about building a house, with many of the same costs. If you’re looking for a full-featured home that will look great and blend in with your neighbors’, you’ll need both an architect and engineer. You’ll need proper footings and foundation, as well as full plumbing and electrical, flooring, HVAC, and all the rest.  Building a container home is going to cost at least as much as a traditional home, so this is generally not a decision based on money, but rather other factors.

You’ll also need to contend with layout and design issues that may quickly get structural, especially if you’re combining two or more containers. Containers aren’t designed to be chopped apart. You may need to add support beams to maintain structural integrity (and sometimes jams, headers, and sill posts as well).

The good news is at the end of the day, you’ll have a truly unusual dream home that’s as strong, secure, and eco-friendly as any house around. It will be impervious to fire and if properly anchored, able to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. Nothing against ordinary houses, but its hard to say any of that about the rambler down the street.