Anyone use one? Much cop? Reckon it would be secure. I’d clad in wood to make more visually appealing for the neighbours.

Reckon it would be secure

actually the doors are horrendously insecure. But that can be sorted.

Stick some insulation on the outside, either paint the foam black or fit a black breathable membrane on top of the foam (breathable as water will probably get behind it somehow and go mouldy) and then clad with some gappy yorkshire board style cladding and you will end up with something nicely hidden and condensation proof. Don’t forget to keep it off the ground and insulate the floor.

Consider noise ….. They are horrifically noisy to open and close. ( i use one as a tool shack in africa daily)

I wouldnt have one in mygarden , as above very easy to break into.

“to make more visually appealing for the neighbours”

You’re not putting it in their garden surely? 😀

We’ve got one. Condensation is ridiculous.

+ all the above

I also used a converted one as an office. It was insulated and heated, and had proper windows in it. Condensation was ridiculous.

as above very easy to break into.

Not if you get the right one – but a thief will get into anything at the end of the day. Got to be more secure than a wooden shed

Condensation would be your main problem.
We have a stable that I put a plastic coated steel roof on about 10 years ago and sometimes there’s loads of condensation dripping off the roof some mornings.
We also have a big barn that was re-roofed last year with plastic coated steel sheets that have a fleece layer glued to the underside – this holds the moisture while it evaporates away. Hardly any water dropping in comparison.
A steel box would be a shocker unless you insulated it.

The Mrs has two for workshops, she’s kitted both out at great expense with all sorts of insulation and sound deadening, condensation extractors and windows. Both are secure now, but it took a lot of ancillary welding of brackets and covered locks and anchored pins and such. Took a huge amount of gunk to make them water tight, took ages to find decent railway sleepers and ground clearing and levelling to get them to sit “square”.
But now they’re fine, solid and quiet places to be, she’s even decked out in between both to add work space and a roof to cover the area.

It’s been 12mths of graft and £10k of materials, but she’s an absolute perfectionist so that’s probably not what you’ll end up doing. Just thought I’d give another POV.

I assume the right one doesnt have double bloxwich handles with an unprotected swivel down padlock eye…..

I forgot about the month i spent living in a converted container one on the deck of the attwood hunter.

That was horrendous for condensation youd wake up i. The morning with wet quilt and all your clothes were soaked it was literally running off the roof. Didnt help that they had ac units on the inside of them.

Another point to consider that often the ones for sale are at end of useful life . Ive come across more than a handful that when it rains it also rains inside 🙂

I hired a container as a storage unit while we were inbetween houses.

It had this stuff all inside it & had no issues with condensation at all. The owner swore by it

http://www.grafoproducts.co.uk/contain.htm

Worth a look, I doubt it’s cheap but it’ll be good

The other option is insulate the inside but this will eat into your internal space and make mounting anything hard. If you insulate the outside you risk still have a cold bridge to the inner wall but you can have nice secure shelves and bike cages/locking points welded to the inside. I would suggest welding before sticking insulation to the outside though just in case.

Noise can be an issue, I would go as far as suggest having the doors modified or replaced for something more user friendly and something that locks properly, not with a hasp and padlock and those locking bars, while very good for compressing the seals can be a PITA.

another thing is ventilation. Using a container as storage is one thing but if you are regularly going in there and putting away wet bikes etc then you will be adding to the moisture in there.

How about getting a site office and cladding that?

I assume the right one doesnt have double bloxwich handles with an unprotected swivel down padlock eye…..

It does, but it also has a covered hasp – the little square bit where the doors join. Put the right lock in there and it makes it harder. How is everyone securing their shed doors?

Maybe better off with an old canteen or site office as they come with a single door rather than big doubles.
Also come insulated.

also remember that somehow the container must be lifted off the truck and for that you need access for the truck and hiab craneon the truck or an extra crane.

Bikebouy, got any pics of your Mrs’s containers? Sounds awesome.

Friend uses an old refrigerated trailer (not on its chassis) as a workshop/storage unit. Might be worth a look!?

Old refrigerated containers are already insulated, and containers are regularly being converted to housing.
Got to be vastly more secure than your average single-walled garden shed, shirley?

Bikebouy, got any pics of your Mrs’s containers?

Yeah, pics of her ‘containers’

We want pics
We want pics
…..

Commonly used as travelling workshops for yacht racing programmes. Have seen them fitted out with a/c and heating.

Yes, yes I have.

I’ll post them tomorrow.

I have 2 for storage in a yard, not sure I’d want in my garden though. £1500 new on site from china. Very handy for what I need and secure as anything can be with the right hasp and cisa covered locks like above.

A friend set one up on an estate as a kit store – he used an old chimney pot with a spinning cowl on top that he got from a building site, and now doesn’t have any condensation problems.

(He also used some old bricks and cast iron drainpipes to build a rudimentary hypocaust underneath it, it’s like a flipping oven in the winter aparrently)

I forgot about the month i spent living in a converted container one on the deck of the attwood hunter.

That was horrendous for condensation youd wake up i. The morning with wet quilt and all your clothes were soaked it was literally running off the roof. Didnt help that they had ac units on the inside of them.

How did they get away with that? Accommodation modules are normally Type Approved and A60 fire rated on any proper vessel/rig/barge.

I have used converted containers for various control rooms and offices, in a variety of climates and never had a problem with condensation.

Surely the a/c can only reduce condensation?

The best one was a 20′ insulated/reefer box. Spot on.

They are also way more secure than a wooden shed or up and over garage door. It also easy to fit a locking bar or similar.

Remember, a lock will only keep an honest man out.

I have built a 3 storey office building out of shipping containers and can honestly say that I think they should be avoided. They’re not particularly easy to alter in any way and as previously said, the condensation is an issue.

They’re not that cheap or secure either so I’d just go for a nice shed if I were you.

Here’s what I have for now, interior shots later.. these are from Nov, we’ve done a lot since..
The decking has been laid inside (in between), the rear wall has been fitted, full guttering around all corners, the roof has been double lined with acoustic deadening material, electrics for lights, the front (where the blue tarp is) has a sliding door, the interior of the right hand container has had insulation, acoustic wadding, boarding and electrics fitted, condensation extractors too, window with security cage and door, the left container has had the insulation fitted, acoustic wadding, the windows (double sliding with security cages) single internal and door, electrics and condensation extractors, but not boarded out yet. To the right hand side we’ve extended some decking towards a hay storage shed we have and we plan on putting a roof on that section too. The roof lining on the external roof has been covered in some gunk that’s watertight.

I’m considering putting a corrugated aluminium roof on my garage, would this condensate badly?

The neighbours won’t even be able to see this one

EX army and looks tidy linky

I can’t see anything in that photo apart from what looks like an empty storage yard.