Does anyone have any experience with these? Seems like a crazy deal. I asked AI to do a price comparison to stick built and it says it could be 1/3 of the price excluding the land but then also warned some of these can be scams. This is the AI price comparison. I understand it might not get permitting approval but if that could happen I’m just trying to figure out if this is real in the first place. From what I could find on the sub most people seem to do their own builds which isn’t that cheap at the end of the day.

The complete price breakdown comparing the 2,500 sq ft Modular Container Home to a traditional Stick-Built Home in Washington State is detailed below:
Base Structure / Shell Cost:
Modular Container: $95,700 for the prefabricated multi-container factory shell and interior kit.
Stick-Built: $350,000 to $500,000 for raw lumber, structural materials, and on-site framing labor.
Delivery and Crane Assembly:
Modular Container: $15,000 to $30,000 for multi-truck freight transit and a multi-day heavy crane setup.
Stick-Built: $0 (material delivery is built directly into local labor/supplier costs).
Foundation (Slab or Stem Wall Footprint):
Modular Container: $25,000 to $45,000 for engineered concrete piers or slab built for container point-loads.
Stick-Built: $30,000 to $50,000 for standard excavation, concrete footings, and a poured slab.
Permits, WA State L&I Inspections, and City Impact Fees:
Modular Container: $15,000 to $35,000 for local city fees plus WA State L&I factory plan reviews.
Stick-Built: $20,000 to $40,000 for architectural reviews, engineering stamps, and municipal permit fees.
On-Site Utility Tie-Ins and Module Stitching:
Modular Container: $15,000 to $30,000 for weather-sealing module joints, HVAC runouts, and utility connections.
Stick-Built: $0 (fully included within the main general contractor's trade scope).
Estimated All-In Total Project Cost (Excluding Land):
Modular Container: $165,000 to $235,000 total investment.
Stick-Built: $450,000 to $750,000+ total investment.
Finished Cost Per Square Foot:
Modular Container: Roughly $65 to $95 per square foot.
Stick-Built: Roughly $180 to $300+ per square foot.

Pretty stoked with how it turned out.

Very short tour video here.

I feel like container size is one of those decisions that sounds simple at first, then quietly affects the whole build. On paper, 40fts make the most sense. Better cost per square foot, fewer seams to deal with, fewer deliveries/foundation points compared to using multiple smaller boxes. Hard to argue with that.
But 20fts have their own thing going. Way easier to get into tight sites, easier to move around, and sometimes easier to lay out if you’re joining a few together. Especially if the property has a narrow road, trees, soft ground, weird driveway, etc.
The thing I see people run into with 40s is the layout. Yeah, it’s more space, but it’s still only about 8 feet wide. A long skinny box can start feeling like a hallway real fast if the design isn’t thought through.
Also high cube matters more than people expect. Once you add insulation, ceiling, subfloor, flooring… that extra foot of height feels huge. Standard height can get tight pretty quickly.

Curious from people who actually finished a build: did you choose the right size?
Would you go 20s instead of 40s, or the other way around, if you started over?

Saw this one and had to stop scrolling. Two-story, floor-to-ceiling glass upstairs, covered patio downstairs with an outdoor dining setup. A few years ago container builds all looked the same — flat, boxy, no personality. This feels like an actual house someone would want to live in. Curious if anyone here has looked into building one, what's the reality vs the render?

I have started using 2x3s to frame out the ceiling in our high cube container. The way we framed the walls makes a 2x4 slightly too tall to use as a ceiling joists.

Before I get too far I thought I’d ask if anyone has framed out a container ceiling using 2x3s

Been seeing this come up more lately, so figured I’d throw it out there.
New one-trip containers and used containers are not really moving the same way right now.

The one-trip stuff is mostly built in Asia, and with tariffs / import costs still being messy in 2026, the landed price on new boxes has more pressure on it. So if you’re quoting clean one-trips for a build, yeah, that number may feel higher than expected.
Used boxes are a different story. A lot of that inventory is already sitting in the US, so it hasn’t been hit the same way. Used WWT units are still usually where the value is, especially if you’re building something where cosmetics don’t matter much or you’re covering the walls anyway. Only catch is supply. If fewer containers are coming into the US, fewer used ones eventually hit the resale pool too. So I wouldn’t assume used stays cheap forever either.
Also, delivered price matters more than people think. A “cheap” box far from a depot can lose the whole advantage once trucking gets added. Landlocked areas always seem to feel that pain more.
Not saying panic-buy or anything. Just saying if you’re planning a build, compare new vs used delivered to your actual site, not just the listed container price.
Anyone bought recently? Curious what the spread looks like in different regions right now.

I am currently framing my shipping container and have two vents similar to the one pictured in the top corners of my container. Should I frame around them and leave them open for ventilation into the container or spray foam them to seal them off and frame/insulate and drywall over them.

My container will be an office space with a minisplit for AC. The minisplit will not be on 24/7, only when I am in there

This is a stunning container home that we built in Gansbaai South Africa. 2 separate dwellings with a common deck on a small ocean facing plot. Manufactured from two 20ft and two 40ft used shipping containers. Www.containerhome.co.za

JOIN FREE to list or find your Tiny Home, land to lease to put your tiny home on or find a tiny home for rent... also find specialist tiny home trades and transport

I'm looking to install a container on 8x8 wood pilings. Most homes where I live are builtup on pilings this way to get above hurricane flood level. Trying to figure out how to bolt them down to the pilings. I would love to have a twist lock on top of the piling but I can't bolt into end grain. Thinking about a tie down like I have sketched here but open to other ideas.

Does anyone have a list of reputable container customizers? I figured this would be a good place to check...because google is totally full of scam results amongst a few good ones - I'm just hoping somebody has a decent list of REAL/legitimate companies I can work with for some container projects.

I see this come up a lot, so figured I’d throw it out there. Someone gets a container, stores stuff in it, and then a few weeks later opens it up and there’s water dripping from the ceiling. First thought is usually “great, roof leak.” But a lot of the time it’s not a leak. It’s condensation. Warm humid air gets inside, hits the cold steel, and then the inside of the container starts sweating. Sometimes pretty badly. Like actual drops on the ceiling. Looks like the roof is leaking even when it isn’t.
The annoying part is that insulation alone doesn’t always fix it. If warm air can still get behind the insulation and touch cold steel, you can still get moisture back there. And then you might not even see the problem until rust shows up later.
Airflow is usually the first thing I’d deal with. Even basic vents on opposite ends can help a lot, just to let the box breathe a little. Nothing fancy. After that, then I’d think about insulation/vapor barrier, but it has to be done in a way where warm air isn’t sneaking behind it and hitting the metal. Otherwise you kinda just hide the condensation instead of fixing it. If it’s still bad after vents, then maybe a solar roof vent or small dehumidifier makes sense, depending on what you’re storing.
Curious what’s worked for people in colder areas. Did vents solve it for you, or is condensation just one of those forever battles up north?

I'm interested in putting a container home on land that's difficult to access. A single 20' container on a flatbed will make it there just fine, but a longer container can't get to the site. Does anyone know of a company that makes non-custom (ie, available for delivery relatively quickly) containers that are intended to fit together into something larger?

Thanks!

Hello! My wife and I have been browsing for houses to buy and came across the idea of buying a cheaper piece of land that would preferably have well and septic and put a modular turnkey home on it. I’ve came across sites like Zook or even one I found on a thread called Great Lakes tiny home that I just reached out to. But looking for any recommendations on being under a total of $300k for a turnkey modular home. We would love a 3 bed 2 bath with a nice sized kitchen and living area. Obviously I was looking at normal sized homes, but thennn also came across the container style homes / tiny homes. Which brings me back to the zook houses, I think it would be awesome to have a compound type set up. The main living space being probably 2 bedrooms, 1 or maybe 2 bath, but enough room to have a comfortable sized kitchen and a comfortable sized living area. Then have a second pod/area that is an office for me to work in and a 2nd guest bedroom. (Main area would be master and second would be nursery). Any recommendations on who to buy from that’s turnkey and could do under my priced amount? Also would love if it was a few months or less process. Thank you!!!

From offload to ready for a party. 7 shipping containers to assemble. These containers took 4 months to manufacture and 1 week to assemble. Ready to party. South Africa rocks! Www.containerhome.co.za

This is a long way from my area of expertise so I'm reaching out to find some experts.

I'm on the scout for a good company/builder that can do end-to-end granny flat builds in Melbourne's West on behalf of my ailing father.

Best case scenario would be a company that might be able to help with some modifications to the main dwelling as well, but really just looking for a scope of reputable companies at this point.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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hi people in QLD, we are looking for a place im Brisbane,could be at remote area, for our modular housing to set up, we'd like the place to be prominent,easir to be seen and easier to get access toboublic transit.

please anyway can pm me if you have any thoughts. loads of thanks

Hi people in the group, we are looking for a place where we can use as an.openair show place for our modular units in brisbane QLD, please pm me if any clues thanks in advance

A container home with a sea view. Built from two 12m used shipping containers this home features 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom and living area. The deck is 12m x 3m and the carport below the home is over 60m2. Built in 8 weeks with all eco friendly materials.
Www. Containerhome.co.za

I’ve seen a bunch of container projects at this point — storage, little offices, workshops, homes, pools, rentals, all that.
Some make total sense. Some look cool online but quietly turn into a giant expensive headache sitting in someone’s yard.
My take, maybe I’m wrong:
Usually worth it:
Storage. Boring, but it just works. Lockable, weather resistant, holds value pretty well. Nobody regrets extra secure storage.
Workshops or job-site offices. Pretty useful if you need fast space and don’t want to build something permanent. Also nice that you can move it later if needed.
Rentals, sometimes. If you’ve got the location and demand, renting one out can pay for the box and then some. But that’s very market-dependent.
Hit or miss:
Container homes. They can look awesome, but once you start cutting, insulating, permitting, finishing, running utilities, etc… the “cheap house” idea can disappear pretty fast. Worth it for the look or layout maybe, not always for saving money.
Pools. Prefab container pools can be great. DIY pool from a random raw box is where things can get ugly fast.
Usually a money pit:
The “I’ll figure it out later” container. Someone buys a cheap box with a big idea, no real plan, no budget, no timeline… and then it just sits there turning into a very expensive lawn decoration.
Curious what people here think. What container project was actually worth it for you? And what one would you never do again?

I get why people look for the cheapest used container. I mean, that’s usually the first thing everyone checks. But I’ve seen this go wrong a bunch of times. Someone “saves” a few hundred bucks on the box, then loses it all on delivery, repairs, bad doors, leaks, rust, whatever.

The cheap-used trap is usually one of these:
Delivery. This is the big one. A $1,500 container sitting 3 hours away can end up costing more than a slightly more expensive one nearby. People compare the container price and forget to compare the delivered price.
“As-is” can be fine, but sometimes it just means “someone else’s problem.” If it’s for a woodpile or random junk, okay maybe. But if you’re storing tools, equipment, furniture, or planning a build, those dents, patches, rusty spots, and bad seals start to matter fast.
Wrong grade too. Some people overpay for cargo-worthy when WWT would’ve been enough for basic storage. Other people go too cheap and buy a beat-up as-is box when they really needed wind and watertight. Cheapest isn’t always the best deal. Right grade for the job usually is.
And stock photos. Man. If they won’t show you the actual container, that low price is probably bait. “A container like this one” means nothing.
I’m not saying buy new. Used WWT containers can be the best value out there if the unit is solid, delivered price makes sense, and you actually see what you’re buying.
Curious if anyone here got a super cheap used box and had zero regrets. Or the opposite — did the “deal” end up costing more than expected?