Yes, people live in shipping containers! Do an online search and you’ll be absolutely amazed by what some people have accomplished in transforming old shipping containers into livable spaces. There is even a television series on HGTV called “Container Homes” which showcases some seriously tricked-out homes all made from used shipping containers.
It’s a brave new world out there, folks, and that bit of information should spur a few business owners to ask the following question: if a container house is possible then why not a container office, or a container warehouse or retail business?
And the answer is, of course, that it is possible and in fact being done at this very moment.
Back to the container homes for a moment . . . quite literally, a handyman with a power saw, a screwdriver, and some screws, could retrofit an old shipping container into a comfortable living space in a matter of a week or two. Cut out some windows, cut out a door, put in some insulation, hook up the water and power, and you have a home. No exaggeration, it could be done in a week or two! Go online and take a look at some of the beautiful creations designers have made from old shipping containers. It will blow your mind!
So doing the same thing with a container, but this time retrofitting it so it becomes an office, is just as simple. No framing is necessary, so the construction costs are less expensive. Basically we are talking about cosmetic surgery rather than major reconstructive surgery, and the results can be astounding.
Do you need further convincing?
Go take a look, online, at Box Office Warehouse Suites, the first, and only, business park in the Fort Worth, Texas, area made entirely from shipping containers. There you will find thirty-eight business suites for rent made from 100 re-cycled shipping containers. Some of the suites are offices, some warehouses, a couple are retail businesses, and some are workshops. All have modern conveniences and amenities, all are brightly painted, all have multiple Wi-Fi access points, and all are less expensive and more flexible than similar commercial property for lease made in traditional ways.
Besides being inexpensive, shipping containers offer flexibility you won’t find in traditional construction. Containers were literally made to stack on stop of one another, so adding on to your existing business is a snap. It’s like an adult game of building blocks. Put one on top of another, cut a hole in the ceiling of the bottom one and the floor of the top one, add a staircase and presto, you doubled your office space.
This isn’t make-believe! It actually exists, and Box Office Warehouse Suites is proof that it works and works well.
So why not a container office for your small business? They are less-expensive, flexible, quirky, funky, sturdy and indestructible, and eco-friendly. If there’s a reason to not take them seriously we can’t think of it.
How about you? Can you think of a reason why you wouldn’t try a shipping container office?
We didn’t think so!
