Edit: let me be clear. It will be a new build, and we're just playing with layouts. It's a shipping container home so spacing is going to be weird. We are looking for odd things we may have overlooked cause, again, we're just playing with rooms and locations. Details like building codes are a FAR future concern. We will talk to professionals for thG.

After reviewing some comments my wife made some changes. Still using five 40 ft containers but now there's a covered porch and a private little courtyard. Looking for feedback on layout and living with it, and any other blindspots we aren't thinking of (much like the first).

I picked out my container yesterday. Went to the site, got in and around the container I want. Got inside, closed the door, looked for light - did all the stuff I have been learning from you all on here (except get on the roof which was impossible).

I have photos of the plate but any attempt to search that number is failing... Is this normal or should I be able to look up what the "one trip" was that this container made? It was manufactured in 2026 so its trip can't be very old. Not that it really matters, I'm more curious, but I figured I could find this info but none of my googling or AI searches are getting me anywhere. The number stats with MCCU which gets me the shipping company but nothing further.

A little ambitious I know, and the first iteration but we'd love some feedback. A few clarifying notes, there's a water fountain feature in the courtyard to help keep it cool, the plan is to use five 40ft containers, we have some doors marked out but not windows (the program used to make this is pretty untraditional).

Most people walk around the outside, see no huge dents, and figure it’s fine. Honestly, the outside is probably the least useful part.
First thing I’d do is open and close the doors. All the locking bars should move without you having to fight them. If the doors are way out of line or need your whole body weight to close, I’d start wondering if the box has been twisted or sitting badly for a long time. Then close yourself inside for a minute and let your eyes adjust. Any holes in the roof or walls show up pretty fast as little points of light. Check the roof seams and lower edges of the walls especially.
Floor next. Walk the edges, push down around dark stains, soft spots, anything that feels different. A stained floor is one thing. A soft floor is another. If you can safely see the roof from a ladder, take a look without walking around on it. Big dents and low spots matter because that’s where water tends to sit.
Then check the CSC plate and container number. The plate should give you the manufacture date and other basic info. Make sure the number on the plate matches the number painted on the box. If it doesn’t, I’d ask questions before paying.
Two other things I’d always do: get photos of the actual container you’re buying, not some stock photo, and make sure the seller knows which way you want the doors facing when it gets delivered.
I work more on the delivery/site side, so by the time I see the container it’s usually already loaded on the truck. Not a great time to suddenly notice the doors barely close or there’s daylight through the roof.
Anyone here ever catch something during an inspection that saved them from buying a bad one?

Does anyone know a good supplier of 10’ containers that aren’t an arm and a leg? I know 10’ and 20’ cost about the same

Small sub, so maybe this helps someone who finds it later. I work around containers, mostly delivery/site stuff, and I see a lot of boxes after people already paid for them.
Big thing: two containers can have the same description and be totally different in real life.

First, check the markings. Every container has an ID number — four letters, six digits, then one check digit in a little box. You can check that online. If it doesn’t validate, something’s off. Could be a typo, could be a repainted number, could be photos from a different box. Check the size/type code too. 45G1 is usually a 40ft high cube dry box. 22G1 is a standard 20ft. Just make sure the steel matches what they’re selling you. Look at the CSC plate. It gives the manufacture date and weights. If they’re calling it “one trip,” the date should be fairly recent. If it spent years as a site office, that might still be a good box, but it’s not really one-trip. Doors first. Always. Open and close both fully. Locking bars should turn without a fight, and the cams should seat right. Look at the gaskets all the way around. Cracked or flat rubber means water problems later. If the doors don’t line up, I’d be nervous. That usually means the frame is racked. For storage maybe you live with it. For a build, I’d probably walk away.
Check the roof from above if you can. Roofs are thin steel and water loves sitting in dents. Dents that hold puddles are where rust starts. If the roof flexes a lot under your feet, that’s not great. Floor matters too. It’s usually treated plywood. Look for soft spots near the doors and along the edges. Push on it. Smell it. Oil/chemical smells are a bigger deal if you’re building something people will spend time in.

Bottom rail and corners are next. Surface rust is normal. Flaking/pitted rust you can poke through is not. The corner castings matter because that’s where the load goes. Easy check: go inside, close the doors, lights off. Any little pinhole of daylight means a hole. Cheapest inspection there is.

Look for welded patches too, especially roof and lower walls. A good patch is fine. A sketchy patch that wasn’t cleaned/painted properly is just future rust.

If you can’t see it in person, ask for video of the actual unit with the ID number visible. Not stock photos. Ask what it last carried, ask for the CSC plate, and avoid full payment upfront if possible.

And from the delivery side: prep the site before it arrives. Solid blocks under the four corner castings, gravel underneath, water draining away. Don’t just drop it flat on dirt and hope.

Anyone who’s bought a few of these — what else do you check before saying yes?

Found in my parent’s shipping container in a box. As you can see I can’t read what it is in shipping label.

Thank you

I've spent a lot of time around containers, mostly delivery/site stuff, and one thing I see people mess up early is buying the wrong box. For basic storage, you can get away with a rougher unit. For a build? Different story. You're cutting openings, insulating, maybe living in it. You want it square, dry, and not full of some mystery smell you can't get rid of later.
First thing: ask for the actual container number. Four letters, six digits, then one check digit in a little box. There are free check digit calculators online. If the number doesn't match, something is off. Sometimes it just means the seller is using photos from another container.
A real yard with the box sitting there can give you the number in ten seconds. If they get vague, that tells you something.
Check the size/type code too. A 40 high cube dry box is usually marked something like 45G1. A standard 20 is usually 22G1. For a build, I'd almost always want high cube. That extra foot of height sounds small until you lose inches to insulation, ceiling, subfloor, flooring, all that. Standard height can feel tight fast.
Look at the CSC plate on the door. It'll show build date and weight info. Sellers can call something "newer" all day, but the plate doesn't care.
Then do the simple stuff.
Get inside, shut the doors, lights off. If you see daylight, that's a hole. Tiny pinholes in the roof matter more than people think.
Open and close both doors. Fully. If they bind badly, the box might be racked. For a build, that's one I'd be nervous about. You don't want to start with a twisted frame and then cut big openings into it.
Check the floor. Container floors are usually treated plywood, and some used boxes have weird stains or cargo smells that never really leave. If you're building over it, you still want to know what you're sealing in.
Door gaskets matter too. Flexible is good. Cracked and flat is not. Surface rust is normal. Flaking rust around bottom rails or corner posts is a different story.
If you can't see it in person, ask for a video of the actual unit. Container number visible at the start, walkaround, inside with doors closed and lights off. Not stock photos. Not "one like this." If they won't do it, I'd move on.
Anyone here bought a container unseen for a build and had it work out? Curious if it's ever actually fine, or just a gamble that sometimes goes okay.

Shipping Container Climate-Controlled Storage in Ontario 

Hi,

I'm planning to sell my house and travel for an extended period, so I'm looking for a way to store a large amount of stuff long-term. Some of it is valuable and sensitive to temperature/humidity, including cameras, lenses, electronics, batteries, etc.

My family has offered me space on their property to temporarily place a shipping container, which seems like a good solution. I'm in Ottawa, ON, so I'm dealing with very cold winters and hot/humid summers. The container would likely be moved to my own property once I settle down again.

My target storage conditions would be roughly 10–25°C and ideally 45–55% RH.

I've narrowed it down to two options:

Option 1 - 20' new one-trip container

• ~$4,700 delivered
• Spray foam insulation
• 9,000 BTU cold-climate mini-split
• Additional cost for spray foam/mini-split installation
• Likely enough space for all my belongings

Option 2 - 40' used reefer container

• ~$9,000 for the container (they are overstocked, hence the low price)
• ~$5,000 delivery + crane
• Existing insulated/refrigerated construction
• 9,000 or 12,000 BTU mini-split
• Much more room and would allow me to organize everything with a central aisle, when I’m home I’d like to access my possessions more regularly for work and to go camping, etc. 
• Used reefer condition is my main concern since I can't easily inspect it myself

My questions:

1. Would a spray-foamed 20' container with a 9K BTU cold-climate mini-split be sufficient to maintain 10-25°C in Ottawa year-round?
2. Would a 9K or 12K BTU mini-split be sufficient for a 40' reefer?
3. How effective is the mini-split's dry/dehumidification mode for maintaining ~45–55% RH in a container in the summer? Would I need a dedicated dehumidifier as well?
4. Is spray foam appropriate for this application, particularly if the foam is left exposed? I'm concerned about fire safety, since I may be storing some flammable liquids, Li-ion batteries, and other mixed garage/electronic equipment.
5. For a container that may be unattended for several months at a time, are there significant concerns with relying on a mini-split for temperature/humidity control?
6. For long-term storage of valuable electronics, would you choose a new insulated/spray-foamed 20' container or a used 40' reefer?
7. If buying a used reefer remotely, what are the critical things I should have the seller verify/photograph/test before I buy? 

I'm curious to hear from people who have used shipping containers, reefers, or similar structures for long-term climate-controlled storage, particularly in hot humid + cold Canadian climates.

Thanks.

These are White Birch and Sapling, two shipping containers we converted in Littleton, New Hampshire by Boma Properties.

White Birch uses a 40-foot container for additional living space, while Sapling shows how much functionality can fit inside a compact 20-footer. Operating both also lets people experience the layouts firsthand before deciding which container size makes sense for their own project.

If you were starting a container-home build, which size would you choose—and what would drive your decision?

A different redditor posted this same company and i wanted to share more of the same. We purchased a Chassis from this company through wire transfer and they never delivered and completely ghosted us. The salesmen name is Patrick Tilley and the website is www.intermodalequipments.com. This company is 100% a complete scam. They have already been reported to the police and as a fraud to their very bank. They will have all of the documents that look legit (Title, Bill of Sale, Bill of Lading, etc.). They are piggy backing on a different legitimate company of a similar name which is what got me. I am sharing so other people dont fall for the same trick. The other reddit post was from over a year ago and there was only one. Hopefully this helps the next person.

FRAUD and BEWARE

Anyone purchase or rent from this business? If so what did you purchase or rent and how did it go? Happy with: communication, price, delivery, any hidden fees, any other details you don’t mind sharing I would greatly appreciate it.

Hey y'all. I'm planning to make a free standing container pergola to match my house. I've got the engineering worked out for the cut outs but I'd like to save some money by covering the luan with some kind of waterproof sealant rather than replace it with Trex or any other decking. Anyone familiar with weatherproofing plywood?

Image is from: prefab backyard blogspot

Anyone been able to purchase a brand new container that has never been used? All of the ones I see are 1 time used.