Shipping Container Conversions - Part 2 of A Diary
June 13th, 2009 | 
Author: Yesterday we discussed the process of ordering a shipping container conversion. Today I promised that we would go through some of the options that you might want to consider when converting your container.
If the container is going to be used as an office, site accommodation or a classroom, the first thing is to insulate and line it. The most common method of doing this is with a combination of rockwool and melamine faced board. This produces nice smooth walls and ceilings - although you can choose to have wall paper or a painted finish if you require. Flooring is generally placed over the existing wooden shipping container floor. The most common is a hard wearing lino although carpet (and in particular carpet tiles) are another favourite.
10 ft office conversion
The next thing to consider is the number of windows required. For a 20ft container the normal requirement is between 2 and 4 windows and for a 40ft 4 or 8 windows. The windows can be double glazed and are normally 3ftx3ft with lockable steel shutters for security. As far as access is concered it is quite common for the double shipping container doors to either be sealed off or replaced with a blank end and personnel door put into the container - usually on one of the long sides.
Shipping containers are then ideally suited to be fitted with electrics, lighting and heating. Specify the number of double or single sockets you require and, if possible, where they are to be located within the container.
shipping container conversion
Do remember too that it is perfectly possible to have containers joined together along the length to give additional width. Bespoke Container Conversions are able to do this with up to 5 containers and then go up to 7 storeys high due to the strength of the corner posts of a genuine ISO shipping container.
These are just the basic alterations that you can have to a shipping container. Plumbing, glass frontage, internal bulkheads and air conditioning are also possibilities - in fact most things are possible so don’t be afraid to ask. And if you are looking for something temporary on a short term basis, don’t forget that standard offices and site accommodation are available on a hire basis as well.
Posted in Shipping Container Conversions | 
Tags: 20ft, 20ft container, 40ft, bespoke container conversion, bespoke container conversions, Container, container conversion, container conversions, Containers, Hire, iso, Shipping, Shipping Container, shipping container conversion, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers, site accommodation
My company is a small structural engineering firm, and we’ve structurally designed one shipping container house in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), and we’re working on two other designs right now. The home designer and myself are struggling with trying to improve on a couple of items. First, what is the best way to put a roof over these? The home designer likes a gable roof built over the container, I personally like the idea of putting an EPDM (rubber membrane) roof over poly isocyanurate insulation. The other issue is HVAC. In Asia split system units are popular in buildings but we don’t use them much in the US, we use interior furnaces and air handlers. However, that type of system eats up valuable floor space. I also would like to go with instantaneous water heaters, which I saw are common in Europe and Asia but rare in the US. Again, it allows more floor space.
The final issue is joining together the containers. Previously we designed them to be welded together where they join horizontally, but the next design will use bolts. I’ve seen one design where the joint had a neoprene gasket at the joint, but I’m concerned about the life of the neoprene.
Any comments would be appreciated.