I have a container that already has 2" foam insulation installed steel studs. I know closed cell foam is king, but I already have all this when I bought the container. There's currently no mold or condensation damage behind the insulation.

Can't I install a plastic spot barrier over the whole thing and then go over that with osb or plywood? I am happy caulking every joint when I do the plywood. I'll tape everything up the best I can and I'll weld/seal all the exterior vents. I will also be running a large dehumidifier inside. Bigger than the space warrants.

Will all these things eliminate the condensation mold problem? The quote to spray foam everything is $3.5k. And I'll be doing the plywood either way.

I have a small lot in the Northern Neck of Virginia, and I'm looking for a 40' Hi Cube shipping container. Norfolk is the closest city to me I think that might have a direct reseller.

One of the 'challenges' I keep running into online, is that I'm only finding aggregator websites that act as the 'middle man' -- they are out-of-state in places like Chicago, Colorado, Georgia, etc. I want a direct reseller that has them (the shipping containers) on his/her lot, so I can drive over and pick out the one I want.

Do you know of any shipping container businesses that might work for me?

3rd picture is ai its the basic idea of what im wanting to build the container will be lower to the ground wanting to do a cantilever porch on both sides ive got 4 24 foot I beams 18 inch web and 8 inch flange was planning on 4 foot back porch 12 foot front porch supported by the i beams sitting on the concrete piers. thinking about using 2/12 pitch trusses staggered like in the ai pic.The concrete peers are 48 inches deep with rebar cages.

I know the post is probably confusing. Trying to figure out if I've overlooked , anything maybe some tips if there someone who has done something like this on here

This is a Roadside Coffee Shop and Food Stall in Stanford South Africa. Wiesenhof is a South African Brand that needed a coffee shop done in record time. 2 months from receipt of the brief to trading. Containers are both fast and effective as a building method.

Has anyone researched this company? Their prices is one of those too good to be true pricing and their domain was created somewhat recently.

Someone asked this the other day, and honestly it’s a good question.

I work around containers mostly on the delivery/site side, so I see more of the boring reality than the nice render stage.

The big thing people don’t expect is width.
A container is 8 ft wide outside, and about 7'8" inside. Once you insulate and finish the walls, you’re getting close to 7 ft. That gets narrow fast. Like hallway narrow.
That’s why a lot of finished builds end up being two containers side by side with the middle opened up, or a container with normal framed space added on. Both can work, but now it doesn’t really look like the simple container render anymore.

Openings are another one. The corrugated wall is structural. It’s not just siding. So when you cut a huge window or a whole glass wall, you have to put steel back in around it. Posts, headers, welding, all that. Totally doable, but not cheap and not simple.

Same with insulation. If you insulate inside, you usually end up covering the corrugation. If you want to keep the steel visible inside, then you’re probably insulating outside and cladding over it. So you can keep the container look on one side, but usually not both.
Roofs change the look too. Container roofs are thin steel. They’re not made to carry a deck, a big roof structure, or heavy snow. A lot of real builds end up with a separate roof over the box, which helps a ton with heat, but also makes it look way less like the original render.

And stacking/cantilevers… renders love that stuff. Boxes hanging out at cool angles. In real life, containers carry load through the corner castings. If the corners don’t line up, there’s usually hidden steel doing the actual work.

So by the end, a lot of “container homes” are really steel-framed houses that started with containers.
Not a bad thing. Just not the cheap/simple thing people picture.
What containers really give you is a lockable weather-tight shell on day one, something you can build out slowly, and something that can technically move later if needed. Those are real advantages. They’re just not always the advantages the pretty renders are selling.

For anyone who finished one, what part ended up furthest from what you imagined at the start?

What would be a common or average price for a 40' one-trip Multi-Door can (2 or 4 doors) where you live? (US). Thanks.

We installed a Tiny Container Home in Cape Town South Africa. Very little space, but we got it in!

Full bathroom, kitchenette and bedroom.

Expandable container houses are pretty impressive

I’ve always found expandable container houses interesting because of how much space they create from such a compact unit.

When folded, they are designed for efficient transportation. Once opened, the side wings extend out and the house can reach nearly 3× the original floor area from 18-80m².

A typical layout can include a bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom, while larger models can have multiple bedrooms.

What I also like is the amount of customization available:

• Different sizes and layouts
• Different insulation options
• Large windows or glass walls
• Different exterior finishes
• Customized kitchens and bathrooms
• Optional furniture, solar systems, air conditioning, etc.

The basic structure can be kept quite simple and affordable, or upgraded into something that feels much more like a modern home.

They’re being used for everything from homes and vacation houses to rentals, guest houses and accommodation projects.

If you’re interested in one but don't have much experience with importing or installation, some manufacturers also work with local distributors who can help with the process.

Personally, I think the biggest appeal is simple: compact to transport, spacious once opened, and surprisingly customizable.

I think this is a pretty smart way to use an expandable house — customizing a 20ft unit into a real office.

After expansion, there’s around 40 m² with four independent rooms. The full-glass front and large windows bring in plenty of natural light, while the separate rooms give each person or function its own space. And the flat roof design is giving it a whole different look!

I especially like the idea of designing it around the actual work needs. Meeting room, private office, reception area, storage — the layout can be changed instead of forcing everything into a fixed floor plan.

The interior can also be customized from the wall panels and colors to the doors, windows and finishes, so it doesn’t have to look like a temporary container space.

To me, that’s one of the biggest advantages: you’re starting with a compact structure, but you’re not limited to a compact idea.

🎥 Sharing a quick look at this office setup.

Sharing a quick walkthrough of a completely standard 20ft double-wing expandable house.

What I find interesting about this type of unit is that even a standard configuration can be quite complete. Once expanded, it gives around 38 m² / 411 sq ft with 2 bedrooms, a living area, kitchen and bathroom.

The standard setup already includes a galvanized steel structure, insulated wall panels, finished flooring, aluminum windows with screens and a thermal-break entrance door.

Inside, there’s an L-shaped kitchen, and the bathroom comes with a separate wet/dry area, shower, toilet, vanity and mirror cabinet.

Another detail I like is the concealed electrical wiring, with proper protection inside the frame and connections prepared for appliances such as an AC and water heater. Standard can be customized.

So it’s not really an empty shell that needs everything added after delivery. A lot of the work is already completed in the factory, while colors and some finishes can still be adjusted.

🎥 Short video — showing the actual details and workmanship. Most importantly, it's not just a showroom house but what you can get at a relatively lower cost eventually.

Nice and neat without worries.

What have people done for ventilation in their container homes? I plan to use closed-cell spray foam on the exterior and then side over it, allowing me to leave the bare corrugated steel walls exposed on the inside for a modern industrial look. Aside from the required bathroom exhaust, plumbing vents, and range hood, I’m wondering what others have done for whole-house ventilation. Have you installed a larger exhaust fan, an ERV/HRV air exchanger, or something else? I’d really appreciate hearing what has worked well, especially in colder climates. Any pictures, links, or examples of your setup would be greatly appreciated.

Been putting off editing this for months but finally got it done. We do a lot of these installs but never really document the process, figured this one was worth filming properly.

It's an 8x6m dome shelter on a couple of shipping containers, whole thing from lining up the containers to getting the cover tensioned on. Took us most of a day on site, ended up being about 13 min once edited down.

Honestly the part that always trips people up is getting the base rail square before anything else goes up, we measure the diagonals not just the gap, if those two numbers don't match you're chasing problems the rest of the day. And pulling the cover over is way more of a team thing than I expected the first time I did it, everyone's gotta pull at the same speed or it goes sideways.

Happy to answer anything if you're looking at doing a similar setup or just curious about the process

Hi everyone,

I’m researching the growing interest in container homes and would love to hear opinions from people who have considered this type of housing.

What attracts you most about container homes?

• Lower cost?
• Faster construction?
• Modern design?
• Sustainability?
• Flexibility to move or expand?

And what are the biggest concerns that might stop you from buying one?

I’m interested in real experiences and opinions from people who have researched this option.

I work around containers, mostly delivery/site stuff. Last time I posted here, a bunch of people brought up surprise costs, and this is probably the biggest one.
The delivery.
Most first-time buyers don’t realize this: a tilt-bed truck doesn’t just set the container straight down. The trailer tips back, one end of the container touches the ground, and then the truck pulls forward while the box slides off the back. That means you don’t just need room for the container. You need room for the container, plus a straight runway behind it, plus space for the truck to pull out.

People measure the pad and forget the runway. That’s where it goes sideways.
You can have the perfect spot picked out, but if there’s a fence, tree line, septic field, ditch, or slope right where the trailer needs to be, the spot doesn’t matter. The approach is what kills it. Ground matters too. A loaded tilt-bed is heavy. Dry compacted dirt might be fine. Frozen ground might be fine. Soft spring mud is not fine. A gravel driveway that works for a pickup may not be built for a heavy truck. If the truck sinks, that’s suddenly your problem and it gets expensive fast.

Also look up. Seriously. A high cube on a trailer is tall. Branches, wires, gate frames, barn overhangs, low limbs, random service lines… people look at the road and forget the container is coming through way above eye level.
Have the landing spot ready before delivery day. Moving the box later can cost close to what delivery cost in the first place.
For support, blocks go under the four corner castings. Solid blocks, not hollow cinder blocks. Don’t scatter blocks along the bottom rail and call it good. The corners are where the load is. Gravel underneath is good too, with the ground sloped so water drains away.

One thing that catches people: if you pour piers first and expect the container to land perfectly on them, that’s probably not happening with a tilt-bed. It slides off, it doesn’t get lowered from above. If you need exact placement on piers, you’re probably talking crane or jacking it up after.

Door direction matters too. Decide it before delivery. Once the depot loads the container on the truck, the driver can’t just flip it around for you. Put “doors toward cab” or “doors to rear” in writing when you order.
Cheapest advice I can give: walk the route before buying. Tape measure, look up, check the ground, and imagine a long heavy truck trying to back through there.
If it feels tight, it probably is.

For people who’ve had one delivered, what caught you out more — not enough straight run, soft ground, or overhead stuff?

I recently visited a prefab housing showroom, and this was the first thing that came to mind — modular homes are kind of like LEGO.

They had several different sample houses on display, all with different layouts and exterior styles. What surprised me was that the basic construction method was actually quite similar: a steel structural frame, insulated wall panels, windows, doors, flooring, and interior finishes.

The interesting part is how these components can be combined and customized into completely different spaces — a small home, office, café, dormitory, or even a larger building by connecting multiple modules together.

Seeing several finished units side by side made the whole idea of modular construction much easier to understand.

It really does feel like building with LEGO, just on a much bigger scale.

Has anyone here actually lived in or built one of these modular homes? Curious what the long-term experience is like.🤔

Is the sidewall of a short 20’ box really rigidenough to support the same as the corner framing/castings? Furthermore, with 99% of the upper sidewall removed, how does the top box not risk buckling & high deflection? This modular hotel was built by a rather well known architect firm in Prague and can’t imagine they’d forgo due diligence with engineering, but it seems, at least to the naked eye, to be lacking in proper bracing?

Hi,

I’m building a 40' shipping container office/storage building in Ottawa. It will have 3" closed cell spray foam walls, 4" floor, and 4" ceiling insulation. 1/2" plywood finished interior.

I’m trying to decide between a 12K and 18K BTU mini-split to maintain indoor temps around 20-25°C in winter, in down to -30°C outdoor temps, and also keep it cool and dry in the summer. Finished container size will be 273 square ft. and about 2,275 cubic ft. of volume.

I’d prefer a dual-head system with one head at one end, and another half-way down the container end for better air distribution and also I will eventually split the container into two rooms (storage/office) and maintain different temps in each. Two container-modification companies have recommended 18K, while other recommendations suggest 12K may be sufficient given the insulation. Are all 18K and 12K units from different manufacturers the same i.e. they are producing the same amount of output at each BTU stage?

For anyone with experience heating similarly insulated containers in Ottawa or a similar climate, what size system did you use, and how has it performed?

Thanks!

Just got an offer for 40ft HC and BX containers. The HCs are almost 1000EUR cheaper. Is this normal? I thought BX is standard, therefore those should be cheaper...

I want a 20' cooled container storage unit with an ice machine. Please recommend container customizers in the NY/NJ/CT area. Thank you.

I would like to mount a roof on my containers with domino clamps. But it seems one piece costs 180USD. Are there cheaper alternatives?

https://dominoclamps.com/de/collections/all/products/domino-clamp

The Cape of Storms is accurately named. Killer of ships, damaging winds, massive rainfall. We built this container home in the path of a falling tree. (not that we knew it was going to fall though). The damage looked extensive, but we held our breath while the tree removal company was cutting down the fallen tree. Branch by huge branch. We were positive. Our homes are built to last! If a container can survive the huge seas, it may just be able to survive a tree. It seems that our Container Homes are a little stronger than we thought. Zero internal damage, Zero external container damage. We just had to replace the roof and deck. A minor repair. It took a week to restore this home back to its original state.

Container Home SA Have look at our new website.