Shipping containers aren’t fancy but serve as the backbone of the global shipping industry. Used shipping containers are similarly useful; once they’re no longer sea-worthy these large, bulky boxes can serve a variety of functions limited only by a person’s imagination. See the list below for different and creative shipping container uses.
1. Use an Old Shipping Container to Create a Home
Living in something used to carry bulk items sounds odd, but it’s easy to transform used shipping containers into homes. Creativity is the key, and these large, rectangular metal cans offer lots of opportunities to build a space to best suit your needs. If you love the idea of an open concept home – the used shipping container presents the ultimate open design.
You may be wondering about windows and ventilation. The good news is cutting out openings for windows and HVAC isn’t that difficult. Installing windows and cordoning off areas to be rooms is also quite easy. Used shipping containers are designed for customization, so it’s easy to create the home you desire.
The best part about making a home out of used shipping containers is you can truly make the space your own, and they’re quite affordable! With the explosion of housing prices, if you’re looking for a place to settle in for a while and build a nest egg, there are few places serving that purpose better than used shipping containers.
2. Use Desks, Chairs, and Technology to Make a School
Many places around the world are lacking in facilities for classrooms. Utilize used shipping containers instead to get a classroom on the cheap and millions of kids around the world can have a safe place to learn. Installing doors and sectioning off the shipping container is quite easy. A door to the outside fulfills the PE requirement!
Many corporations and nonprofits are especially interested in bringing education to areas where there are no schools. By partnering with companies looking to offload used shipping containers, the gift of education can extend to millions of children who wish for nothing more than the opportunity to learn. These used shipping containers are available for very reasonable fees, and customizing them for individual communities is ridiculously easy.
3. Cut the Sides Off One to Set Up a Restaurant
The showstopper at a restaurant is the food, but many restaurants are out of business in the first year due to steep rental costs. Used shipping containers cut facilities’ costs to a fractional level. In fact, you could outright purchase used shipping containers and build your restaurant’s atmosphere around its industrial decor.
One of the more creative ways to make used shipping containers work as a restaurant is cutting off the sides. These can be used as awnings. It could also be perfect as a beach-side bar where the coastal breeze keeps everything cool. Instead of paying crazy rent, focus on the food you serve and growing your customer base. The shipping container is the perfect place for your restaurant business to get off to a great start.
4. Create a Workshop
Workshop space is very expensive. Finding a large space to house big tools is a job, and by the time you find the facility, the rent alone eats up profit.
Used shipping containers are the perfect workaround. They are large and open – meaning you have all the space in the world to store big tools like lathes. For craftsmen, having a large space to store lumber, metal, and other supplies is critical. Being able to easily move the materials over to the machines makes your business more efficient and profitable.
5. Stack Used Shipping Containers to Form Office Buildings
Admittedly, this seems a bit odd, but the way used shipping containers are designed is for stacking. These metal cans fit atop each other with ease and are designed to stay in place in rough seas. For people seeking to build office buildings, there’s a lot of time, materials, and money involved. Why not slash the costs and gain the same function?
Stacking used shipping containers to form an office building allows your business to spend more on business infrastructure than on the actual edifice. This expands profit margins and as your business grows, the reputation of your stacked shipping container building is enhanced. These buildings are structurally sound, fully functional, and easy to navigate.
6. Temporary Disaster Housing
When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, the acute need for housing could have easily been solved with used shipping containers. Instead of having people without shelter, these used shipping containers would have served to house people after they’ve lost everything.
Because used shipping containers are easy to transport, NGOs or governments can purchase and store them easily. Getting them to disaster areas is simple with the proper infrastructure. When people have a place to lay their heads at night, it’s much easier to get started with the business of disaster clean-up and relief.
7. Fabricate a Swimming Pool
Maybe the idea of using shipping containers as swimming pools seems odd (they don’t have a shallow end), but if you make some adjustments, not only will you have a swimming pool, but it will be the envy of the neighborhood.
Used shipping containers have lots of room and allow you to easily place them in a yard or another setting. Fill them with water, bury them inground or create an above-ground aquatic paradise. In the summer, few things are more relaxing than swimming in the pool, so why not get yourself a pool without paying obscene prices?
Discover Fun Ways to Utilize Used Shipping Containers Today
Creative use of used shipping containers isn’t limited to these seven suggestions. The only limit to their usefulness is one you impose. There’s no better time than today to learn about buying a new shipping container along with many embedded features including refrigeration!
Read our blog to get more ideas about used shipping containers, and request a custom quote for a storage container.
