4 Reasons You Should Consider Shipping Containers for Storage
Your plumbing works, check. The roof is in good shape, check. There’s plenty of room for the kids or office staff, check. No visible damage to the foundation, check. Ah, there’s too much storage space, never mind.
Whether you’re shopping for a new home or commercial business space, it’s highly unlikely that the last statement would be a deal-breaker. That’s because when it comes to having enough storage space, there is no such thing as too much room.
Even if your family or business doesn’t currently have an overflow of “stuff,” it’s inevitable that at some point – probably sooner than you think – you will. Maybe that time is right now, and instead of relocating, you’re considering adding a storage structure to house equipment or tools, supplies, vehicles, or extra business inventory. Instead of taking on an expensive and time-consuming construction project for a new building, consider a more cost-effective and immediate solution - buying a shipping container.
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Here are 4 reasons shipping containers are ideal for storage:
Shipping containers are cost-effective
Construction projects are expensive. Not only are building materials costly, especially for a one-off project, but unless you’re providing the sweat equity yourself, you’ll also be paying for the labor. If new construction is out of your price range, you could consider buying a prefabricated shed or building. With any luck, you’d only have to pay someone to prepare the area where the shed will sit so it won’t be directly on the ground. But these already-built structures still aren’t as cost-effective as a shipping container when you look at price per square foot.
For example, a used shipping container measuring 20’ long x 8’ wide x 8.5’ tall costs around $2,500. This averages out to about $15.63 per square foot. By comparison, a typical 12′ x 12′ shed can cost at least $3,000 at your typical big box hardware store. That comes out to around $24.19 per square foot. Storage containers offer a cost savings of almost $10 per square foot and provide you way more storage space.
Shipping containers are durable
Another advantage of using shipping containers for storage is that they are better constructed than many other types of buildings. They are built out of 14-gauge Corten steel, that even when left unpainted, will maintain a stable coating for several years. Painting shipping containers with high-quality industrialized paint will protect them from weather and the environment while also giving them an attractive outside appearance.
The entire bottom of a shipping container is sprayed from the factory with an undercoating similar to what is used on an automobile, which significantly increases a shipping container’s ability to resist corrosion from the bottom. On the other hand, unless you’re purchasing an expensive vinyl shed, you’ll have to give your wooden shed a fresh coat of paint every couple of years to keep the wood from splitting, cracking, or rotting.
Shipping containers are spacious
If you’re going through the trouble of adding a storage structure, you should make sure it’s large enough. A shipping container checks that box. On average, shipping containers have more interior height than a shed of similar size. A typical 8’ x 20’ shed will have a wall height of around 6-foot-3, but a shipping container has a minimum interior wall height of 7-foot-9, which will allow overhead storage.
A “high cube” shipping container gives you an additional foot of interior height, making them perfect for storing small to medium-sized tractors, mowers, excavators, and other personal or business equipment. In addition to the interior height, the doors of a shipping container are much larger than the doors of a shed. This allows for storing much larger items such as cars, small trucks, UTVs, ATVs, tractors, forklifts, etc.
Shipping containers are secure
The things you’ll be storing are important to you. You want them to be safe and secure. Shipping containers are as secure as any storage structure can be. Not only will the container keep out mice, raccoons, and other critters, it will also deter nosey neighbors or potential thieves. Unless they want to make a lot of noise and get caught, no one’s breaking into your shipping container storage unit to steal your expensive equipment or inventory.
Besides the heavy-duty construction of the shipping container itself, you can add other security measures to make your shipping container into a fortress. You can add heavy-duty padlocks, lockboxes, inner bolts, crossbar locks, and even alarm systems. Learn more about increasing security on your shipping container here.
If you, your family, or your business consider adding more room for storage, shipping containers save you money, convenience and are a durable, secure solution. Check out our selection of shipping containers and give us a call; we're always happy to help.
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