shipping containers???

[Tom M King]

I'm getting ready to get a 40' shipping container, and am wondering if anyone has any experienced advice. The place that sells them is a couple of hours away, and I'd rather just call them, and tell them to bring one.

I have a 24x40 foot building, that I use for metal work, and mechanic work on my own stuff, but I've about gotten crowded out by our (grown and gone) kids, and my Wife using it for storage. I'm going to put their stuff, that may, or may not, ever be used again, in the storage container.

Also, my 103 year old Mother had to move into an assisted living place, just this past week. We're going to rent her house out, and there is a lot of stuff in there that doesn't need to stay in a rental house, but we don't want to get rid of.

I may end up with multiple containers, but we have plenty of room. I had a spot cleared off, and leveled for them this past week. We buried a 40 year accumulation of stuff that I know I will never use, in the process, so that was long overdue anyway. There is plenty of room for containers to be delivered.

Any ideas about what I should look out for are much appreciated.

[Gary Ragatz]

No first-hand experience, but I'd worry about humidity, and the possibility of mold and mildew. We might be getting to the time of year when it won't be a problem for a while, but come spring it could be a mess.

[Jamie Buxton]

Look out for leaks. Containers do spend most of their life on the ocean in salt spray, and they do get banged around a bunch. So water-tightness is not guaranteed.

[Ronald Blue]

We use shipping containers for parts storage. Have them send photos if you can't inspect the one you are getting. They are used so they will have a few dings and scratches. You want the doors to seal up tightly. None of the ones we have ever showed any signs of corrosion from salt water. They do make a good inexpensive storage unit. One other thing. There are two styles of latches. One is like a semi trailer swing out door with double cam latches. The other has a handle that operates a top and bottom locking rod. Single handle operation. If you are going to get in it very often that's a much easier system to use. The semi door style is a pain in my opinion. You have to engage first the middle one and then cam the one at the door edge in as the door closes.

[Bill Dufour]

You can buy a new container in China and they ship it to the USA with a clean load of boxed goods to someone else in the states. It is unloaded and the empty is then shipped to you. Cost is a little more then a used container but it a almost brand new container. This may not be common on the east coast?
Bill D.

[Tom M King]

Thanks, especially Ronald. I guess I should go pick one out. The do sell "one trip" containers, but they start close to 5k, whereas the others start at 2,800. I expect the good, used ones are in the middle of that.

edited to add: The first one will only be about 75' from a 200 amp panel, with less than half the breaker spaces filled, under a shed on the outside of the Mechanic shop. I'm planning on putting a subpanel in the first unit, to have lights, and can run fans, and a dehumidifier, if we need to.

[Greg Parrish]

My Dad has one at our farm. He cut a side door into it and leaves the end doors closed. He built a small awning over the door to shed water, and he also cut a window unit A/C into the rear end wall. He ran electric via a sub-panel that ties into the main electric in our barn. Very nice setup for his metal working and tool storage needs but in the summer it gets so hot you can hardly stand to work in it. The A/C helps but the metal just absorbs so much of the southern sun radiation and heat that it’s tough. Unfortunately all the options we’ve come up with so far to cut that heat are pricey.

[Tom M King]

I've seen them with roofs built over them, and even two with an open space between the two. I can also spray a lot of paint in a short amount of time.

[Ronald Blue]

After looking and researching a little myself apparently the door style with the locking pins and single handle operation is obsolete now. We do have several containers that were converted to a roll up garage door style door. So if you find the cargo door style a pain that's an option as well. Good luck in your quest.

[Scott Donley]

Just make sure you check the floor really good. Old containers had wood for flooring (think rot) and newer ones are aluminum. I spent most of my work time going in and out of them on my forklift, about 25 years worth. The aluminum floors give out because of the stress they go through, think bending a can back and forth. I went through a bunch of floors over the years, thank goodness the frame is only 6/8 inches below the floor, still really wakes you up fast :)

[Bill Dufour]

You can buy a refrigerated one that is already insulated. It will cost more but the extra cost may be less then the cost of buying insulation and framing over the insulation.
Bill D.

https://www.discovercontainers.com/should-you-use-a-refrigerated-shipping-container-for-your-container-home/

[Mel Fulks]

You can buy a new container in China and they ship it to the USA with a clean load of boxed goods to someone else in the states. It is unloaded and the empty is then shipped to you. Cost is a little more then a used container but it a almost brand new container. This may not be common on the east coast?
Bill D.
We're in Virginia,and that's how my son bought his.

[John K Jordan]

I have two, more or less! I've had a shipping for a decade and use it for hay storage. (I can fit 276 square bales) I cut six vents near the floor and put rotating roof vents in the top. Bought it used from a woman, not a company.

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(It looks better after it was pressure washed!)

The advice I got at the time has been proven by looking at some others have. If keeping it under the trees and if the roof is steel you HAVE to keep the leaves cleaned off. The guy selling containers and trailers from big rigs warned me that too many people dont and the roof will rust through. I looked at one that a friend had in her woods that she hadn't opened for years - the roof had rusted and the water ruined everything inside.


One option is to put it where there are no trees and regularly clean off blown leaves and debris.


Another option is to build conventional gable or shed roof over top - that will protect it. An even better option if you can make a big enough flat spot is to get two, set them a little bit apart, and build a truss roof over the whole thing. This will give you an open-air space between, good for storage, parking a tractor/vehicle, or walling off for even more enclosed space


The best solution is don't buy one made from steel! This might cost more but could be far better in the end. I bought one that is all aluminum except for the steel frame for the floor. It has held up perfectly for perhaps 8-10 years with not a leak. The floor is strong enough I can drive my tractor inside with a pallet loaded with a dozen hay bales for stacking at the far end. If I had the time, I'd love to put side doors in it for easier access.


Don't forget to look at tractor trailer trailers too. A place here sells both containers and big rig trailers. I bought an all-aluminum trailer years before I got the shipping container and use it for storage. The trailer is nice for several reasons - mine is longer (45') and taller (9' instead of 8'). The floor is still very strong since it has to support a heavy fork lift for loading. The company here cuts off the wheels and delivers on a rollback trailer just like a shipping container. I've since built a leanto building next to it using the trailer for support.

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To prep the spot, I level with the tractor and spread and compact gravel. I have them set the things down on several 6x6 PT posts laid on the gravel. I put red flags down on the exact corners I want and give the driver a bonus if he's within 2". Those guys are GOOD! :)

Another thing to look for in either a trailer or shipping container is the quality of the doors. Some have been abused. I would not buy one without inspecting it first. The trailer I have must have had damaged doors because they put new doors on it and painted before delivery. I think it was about $1500 from a place in Knoxville.

Note that when set in place if the doors don't close well you might need to shim under one of the container corners at the doors. This might need to be repeated in a few years if the ground settles.

These things WILL get musty inside from the humidity unless vented.
Skunk love to live underneath.

JKJ



I'm getting ready to get a 40' shipping container, and am wondering if anyone has any experienced advice. The place that sells them is a couple of hours away, and I'd rather just call them, and tell them to bring one.

I have a 24x40 foot building, that I use for metal work, and mechanic work on my own stuff, but I've about gotten crowded out by our (grown and gone) kids, and my Wife using it for storage. I'm going to put their stuff, that may, or may not, ever be used again, in the storage container.

Also, my 103 year old Mother had to move into an assisted living place, just this past week. We're going to rent her house out, and there is a lot of stuff in there that doesn't need to stay in a rental house, but we don't want to get rid of.

I may end up with multiple containers, but we have plenty of room. I had a spot cleared off, and leveled for them this past week. We buried a 40 year accumulation of stuff that I know I will never use, in the process, so that was long overdue anyway. There is plenty of room for containers to be delivered.

Any ideas about what I should look out for are much appreciated.

[Tom M King]

Thanks a lot! All good information. I had all the trees taken out where the spot is. I'll go look them over before I decide on one. Looks like the two with a roof over is the best long term plan. These will be purely for just storing "stuff" that's too good to throw away, but probably never be used for anything.

[John K Jordan]

These will be purely for just storing "stuff" that's too good to throw away, but probably never be used for anything.

I have a lot of stuff like that. So does my buddy Joe. Periodically we visit each other and swap some of it. :)

JKJ

[Bruce Wrenn]

Tom, I would look at putting a gravel pad, with a three concrete grade beams to actually support container above the gravel. Space second container from first so as to create a breeze way between the two. Then add a truss roof spanning both containers and breeze way, the ends of which could later be enclosed to create more storage / work space. Plan on adding an access door to end of container that doesn't have a door. Door can be in side wall facing breeze way.

[Rick Potter]

I had two at my son's house, and I really liked the wooden floors in the ones we got. Any yard that sells them has a variety of qualities. Ours were hardly dented. I sprayed them desert tan and it took 5 gallons of primer and paint for each.

Wet climates like yours might not be best for wood floors unless you set them on something. They never even got any dust inside, and his house was in the high desert.

[Edward Dyas]

It depends on what you plan to do with the container. They get very hot inside. I talked to someone not long ago that was trying to use one for a shop out west and he was having to line the inside with insulating foam to have any chance of using it for that. Then because of the heat if you stored wood furniture in it for any length of time the wood movement would ruin the wood and finish it has. Then often a shipping container is retired because it got damaged and developed a leak. Someone may have patched the leak and you end up relying on a repair job someone did to sell the container. It may or may not be a good repair so unless the damage spot is obvious you may end up putting something important under the leak.

[Lisa Starr]

Not knowing your municipality's zoning, make sure you verify that it is permitted. In some of our areas, one is only permitted for 3 months. Other areas they're okay, but require a "building" permit.

[John K Jordan]

Not knowing your municipality's zoning, make sure you verify that it is permitted. In some of our areas, one is only permitted for 3 months. Other areas they're okay, but require a "building" permit.

I like living here. No permit needed for anything related to agriculture. The only "zoning" rule is 30' setback from the edge of the pavement on the county road.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

This property is not only zoned agricultural, it's out of sight of anyone on the ground. "Individual Agricultural Use" gets around all sorts of other issues too. In building new houses since 1974, and lakefront developing, I've done a lot of dealing with the county zoning department, so no worries there, but thank you for the concern.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Tom, couldn't you butt the shipping container up against your existing building and cut a pass through from the shop and container. It may make sense if you only used 1/2 the container for storage, the other half could be overflow for the metal shop.

Others have mentioned 2 containers with a roof over both and I like this option best, since I think it future proofs things.

[Tom M King]

There is already one 24x40 shed off one side, and a close passway between that shed, and the nearby woodland that goes back to where I'm putting the container. I'm planning on adding on another conditioned mechanic shop on the other side-23x40, to also house a lifetime accumulation of machine tools left to me by a dear friend. In short, it doesn't really work out to adjoin it to any of the other buildings. I mainly just want to get the stored stuff out of that building, and have somewhere to store the small stuff we need to take out of my Mother's house, for rentals. The rentals will be weekly vacation rentals, so there will be a lot of different people passing through there.

We do have plenty of room for multiples, and any roofs over, but my to-do list is long, so no time for something we really don't need yet.

[Kev Williams]

To keep the heat down in a Conex isn't too tough, for the ceiling:
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--then, pick up some precut 15x93" insulation
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go to harbor Freight and pick up a pair of the best $4 scissors you'll ever buy-
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-to split the insulation into 7-1/2" wide strips,
then use some of that spray glue to stick the strips into the wall valleys,
then screw some plywood or waferboard to the walls...

[Mike Kees]

I have a 53'' long one parked near my shop. I would recommend the containers with doors at both ends or even better the ones with 3-4 sets of doors down the sides. Access is restricted to much with the single end doors. DAMHIKT.

[Scott T Smith]

Hi Tom.

I’ve owned several shipping containers for about 17 years. I would highly recommend that you purchase an insulated container for storage; uninsulated ones tend to sweat a lot and get quite hot inside. I would not recommend storing any furniture in them, or something susceptible to heat.

I happen to know of an insulated 45’ high cube container that may be for sale. I would guess around $3,500. It was a standard steel container that has had a nice coating of closed cell spray foam installed inside.

As others have indicated, check for leaks, and check the doors for corrosion (especially the bottom’s).

Bruce’s advice about putting down a gravel pad is good - you want the water to flow away. Additionally, having two containers with a roof over them is a great way to create a lot of storage. You could have one insulated container, and a second non-insulated one for tools or non heat sensitive items.

On some of mine I removed 3 of the 4 locking shafts. It makes it much easier to open and close if you only have one to contend with.

Scott

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I use them on build sites for temp storage if we need to warehouse stuff. You'll like it a lot better if you get a tall one, the last one I rented was a couple foot taller than normal. I didn't measure, but I'd guess 9.5' ish. Sure makes flipping boards easier in there. The only downside is the width, they are narrow and long, so plan the loading so you don't have to unload the whole thing to get something back out. I've never had one that a mouse could get into, they are really tight. Had one with something stinky spilled on the floor once though, just put plastic down.

You probably live outside of zoning, but might want to check. Even in my little backwater of the wild west, the "city" code restricts what you can do with them. They can be ugly, so I get it, but it's a little draconian.

[Tom M King]

Haven't purchase one yet. In looking into this, there are a Lot of them just sitting around. I told a neighbor, with a lake house near here, that he was welcome to put one beside where I was planning to put one. He's asked me before about building a building to store stuff in, and said he'd leave it to me when he left. He told me that he had one at his home place, that is empty, and I would be welcome to have it if I could move it.

I also have a BIL that lives near a port. He said they're piling up there so fast that they sell them really cheap. I expect that's where the retailers get them from.

This has me looking into getting one of the tilt bed gooseneck trailers to move them with. Moving cost from the port is $737, and that still puts them lower than the retailers sell them for with "free delivery", but it won't take many of those trips to pay for the trailer. Yes, I have a truck to pull one with.

We have plenty of land, with some zoned commercial, that a storage facility may be worth investigating using containers, and roofs......

[Tom Bender]

Seems like a pole barn would meet your needs better.

[Jerome Stanek]

Seems like a pole barn would meet your needs better.

Here a pole barn raises taxes but a movable shed of container doesn't.

[Mark W Pugh]

For mine, I painted the roof with a white elastic type paint?, (can't remember the name, but in the roofing section). Plus, two vents high in the the back wall, and a vent in each door, down low. It still gets hot, but I have not had a mold issue. I live in SE OH.

[Tom M King]

This thread is a couple of years old. I'd had a container about that long now. It's cheap storage space.

[Ronald Blue]

Makes one wonder if the scam was who revived this. That post is gone now. It was also post #1 for them. How odd to join a woodworking forum and comment on shipping containers as your first post complete with a link....

[John K Jordan]

Makes one wonder if the scam was who revived this. That post is gone now. It was also post #1 for them. How odd to join a woodworking forum and comment on shipping containers as your first post complete with a link....

Yes. It was spotted not long after the spammer posted. He joined yesterday, posted his ad today.
Anyone who sees scam, spam, or nasty gram, click the little triangle below the message to notify the moderators.
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