Shipping Container FAQs

Shipping Container FAQs

Roll-up doors, sometimes called overhead doors, lift from the bottom and roll up inside the container. They are lockable, easily unlatched, and lightweight. These doors are also welded into the container wall and can be installed almost anywhere along the side walls or at the ends of the container. Keep in mind that there are various grades of roll-up doors, and depending on the frequency of use, it may be worth an additional cost to purchase a premium roll-up door. Some lower-level roll-up doors are not designed for frequent use and can quickly wear out.

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Side doors are cargo doors at the end of a shipping container. They are heavy-duty, weather-tight, and secure swinging doors. They use a cam and lock system, which ensures the contents inside the container are protected against theft and environmental threats.

Blog — Building a Shipping Container Home

Hi, I'm Ben and this is The House I Built out of Shipping Containers. I've been interested in shipping container architecture for quite some time, but I had a hard time finding good information about permits or costs. We did the research, documented everything, and now we're excited to share what we learned. So check it out. This is episode two. We’ll show you how we moved the containers, cut them open, and started the structural reinforcement. After letting the concrete cure for three days, we began stripping the mold and getting ready for crane day. This is the single biggest piece of equipment we rented for this project. It’s basically like a giant transformer.

To pick up the containers, they use fabric straps, which are very strong, and each one has a hook to hook into the boxes at the container corners. We started by moving the extra 20-foot containers I bought to store tools and materials on-site. This specialty container opens up not just on the short sides, but also on the broad side. Next, we moved the other 20-foot container, which will be the guest bedroom and bathroom. This container is lightweight enough for the crane to drive while the box is suspended in the air.

We lined up the containers so that one wouldn't break a drain pipe sticking through the concrete. Next up was a 40-foot container, which is too heavy to drive with. So we picked it up, swung the arm around to get it closer, then repositioned the crane and did it again. We put some blue painter’s tape on the corners of the concrete foundation to mark our aim. The second 40-foot container had the farthest distance to travel, moving like an inchworm across the desert.

It took a few attempts and three guys pushing on the corners to get it in the right location. If I were designing this again, I would now know it’s possible to get it within about half an inch of the desired spot. Crane day was a lot of fun, but now it's time to turn these steel boxes into a house. We started pulling up the container floors, made of plywood about one and an eighth inch thick. The steel structure underneath is coated with a thick black tar-like substance for waterproofing and rust prevention. Most of the house plumbing will go in this layer among the steel beams. Things never align properly, so we will have to cut out a few of them. The pipe that Robert the plumber is working around will be the main drain to the septic tank.

Initially, we left this pipe longer, but once we saw it wouldn't align perfectly with the container structure, we cut it down to fit when we drop the container into place. This meant Robert had to use a jackhammer to expose a bit of the pipe by removing some concrete to fit an elbow on it. I was worried this would take a long time, but it only took about 45 minutes. We then cut holes in other beams to run smaller drain pipes for the bathroom sink, shower, toilet, and kitchen sink. The steel's cut edges are sharp, so the plumbers used 20-minute hot mud and spray foam between the pipes and steel beams to prevent damage.

Wherever you have drains, you need venting pipes that go up through the walls and out the roof. Black ABS pipe is fine for wastewater, but we want to use copper for clean water. This is more time-consuming because the copper has to be sweated with a torch, whereas ABS plastic pipe can just be glued. In floor areas without pipes, we filled with rigid insulation: two layers of two-inch thick insulation sealed with spray foam. Although the insulation has excellent R-value, it won't be super effective here due to the metal's thermal bridge, but it helps keep the space full, critters out, and gives extra thermal protection.

The foam insulation cuts easily with a box cutter, so we cut pieces to fit around all the pipes. After sealing with spray foam and testing the pipes for water tightness, we put the floorboards back on to get to the framing. We’ll show full installation details, including continuous insulation over the plywood, in next week's episode. While the rest of the crew worked on insulation and floors, I started making structural frames for the doors and windows. After double-checking window dimensions, I made 45-degree cuts to create a mitered frame. The shipping container gets its strength from continuous corrugated panels, so cutting these panels requires reinforcement. For the first few windows, I used two-inch tube steel. It works great and is strong enough, but for later frames, I switched to angle sections.

I did all the welding for doors and windows using a small Forney welder. It's affordable, easy to use, and powerful enough to build a house. Then came the moment of truth: cutting into the container for the first time. I was nervous because I invested a lot in these containers and didn't want to screw up. Using a silver Sharpie, a level, and cardboard for straight lines, I drew out the square to cut for the frame. Without grid electricity, I used a small portable power pack with solar panels to keep my battery-powered angle grinder charged.

I've seen people use plasma cutters, but I'm accurate with the angle grinder. It's easier and cheaper. I went slow, following the lines carefully, and went through many discs, but it took about an hour and a half to cut the window. The container paint is thick, so I wire-brushed it to expose the steel for welding. I needed a way to hold the frame in place while welding it to the corrugated metal, so I built sliding supports from two-by-fours. They allowed me to clamp the two-by-fours to the corrugation and hold the frame flush. This technique is important because big corrugated metal panels can bow and flex when cut. It’s crucial that the hole is just the right size, so you don't need to bridge gaps with the welder. I tried to get two to three-inch welds every six to eight inches. I over-cut on this piece but filled it in with my welder.

The second frame went smoother. I took more time ensuring the initial drawing was perfect and cut slower, keeping to the line. It was about 120 degrees inside the steel boxes, and cutting the window was great for cooling air at 105 degrees. Going slow and getting the initial cut accurate was worth it. The welding for the second frame was easier because the gap between the frame and corrugated steel was smaller. On the first window, I made seams too long. On the second one, I stuck to correct seam lengths of two to three inches. Long continuous welds can deform and bend the metal due to heat buildup.

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For the two big 10-foot long bi-folding doors, I wanted a stronger frame. I used three-inch by two-inch tube steel. I glued wood blocks to a steel square's underside to clamp the pieces at right angles. Grinding once installed is harder, especially on a ladder, so I ground out all my welds as I went. Door frames don't need a bottom piece, but I added a temporary support to prevent bending. I didn't cut the vertical pieces to length until the frame was welded together, ensuring both sides were even. Working close to the ground helps keep things flat, but it means flipping the frame to cut from the other side with the angle grinder.

The first frame was done, and it was time to make a second one the same way. We started cutting the openings from the inside, easier to ladder up with a flat floor. The black Sharpie line was clear against the light beige interior, making it easier to cut from the inside, even through sweat and foggy glasses. Cutting the part of the corrugation closest to you is easier from the outside, where the support beam angle is better. When cutting, be careful as the walls under pressure can move suddenly, pinching the angle grinder or snapping a blade. Handling bendy, heavy metal pieces with jagged edges is tricky without cutting yourself.

Some containers have welded steel loops for strapping cargo. I cut these out too. The corrugated metal was welded to a base beam; I switched to a heavier grinder to remove this. I stripped the paint for welding and lifted the 10-foot by seven-foot frame. Remembering window lessons, we cut conservatively but ground away until fitting perfectly. We tacked the frame to the base beam and worked up, keeping it level.

Three-inch wide tube steel was easier to weld to the corrugation than two-inch due to having more surface area and no slope. Once the frame was secured, I cut away the temporary support. Reflecting, I should have welded it higher to have room to cut it off. While welding the first frame, another guy cut the second opening. Shipping containers may seem strong but need additional support for fully permitted, code-approved buildings. Our engineer designed an interior support system with two-by lumber and plywood to meet permit requirements, including substantial headers over large doors.

We figured it out as we went, knowing the doors and windows were tricky. We framed around them relative to drawings before filling wall spaces. Once key structural elements were in place, using a nail gun for additional two-by-fours wasn’t hard. Usually, the header is directly over the door, but here it ties into the container’s square steel tube. We pushed the header up, then framed underneath. The header provides support over large openings, preventing flexion from breaking frames or hindering door operation. The framing went quickly but wasn’t tied into the container except for the lower wall's two-by-four attached to the plywood floor.

Wall sections without doors, windows, or plumbing features went faster. We panelized walls outside, dragged them into the container, and nailed them through the bottom sill plate into the plywood deck. Many asked why additional structure is needed. Aren’t these steel boxes strong enough? The strength comes from continuous corrugated panels, compromised when cut. More importantly, the steel is only an eighth-inch thick. If relying on thin exterior steel for support, neglect causing rust can collapse the building. No one wants buildings failing due to neglect. Framing to the steel container was annoying. We nailed galvanized steel brackets to two-by-fours, creating a double top plate, then drove self-tapping screws through the brackets into the container’s top square steel tube. Self-tapping screws into steel isn’t fun; it took a minute. With walls taller than eight feet, we had to add plywood sheathing. We added two-by-fours between studs for nailing the plywood.

The ceiling is supported by two-by-fours on joist hangers. We haven’t nailed these in yet, needing insulation and sprinklers first, but we cut and set them in place for now. To recap, we have a lower two-by-four, vertical two-by-fours with stiffeners, additional pieces for sheathing and drywall, hangers for ceiling support, and a double top plate bracketed to the container. A tricky requirement was tying some shear walls to the foundation with a steel bar coming from the concrete, either cast in place or epoxied, connecting to galvanized brackets tied to posts. Tony wrestled with this, but we waited to lock the post until the window installation.

After cleaning the welds with a wire brush, I sprayed a few coats of rusty metal primer over the welds, exposed steel, and frames. We ran a bead of caulk inside the frame, then pressed the window into place. The window's nailing flange goes against the frame's inside, secured with self-tapping screws. This isn’t ideal in wet climates but works here. With the window in, Tony added the post.

Here’s the end wall framing: a steel rod into the foundation attaches to a bracket tied to a post and two-by-four framing. I recommend drilling holes and using anchoring epoxy to fix rods into concrete easier than casting perfectly. The floor where the rod was is steel, meant for forklift access. Our building details vary because we learned as we went. Tube steel frames worked, but holding them perfectly was tough. Next, I used angle steel for frames, creating a flange to catch on the hole. It made clamping and straightening easier and offered overlapping connections for caulking from both sides. I notched angle steel with a grinder for a flat flange, reinforcing openings for entry doors.

We welded corners, added temporary support, flipped the frame, and welded from the other side. The 20-foot container for the guest bedroom has two parallel swinging doors for cross ventilation. My buddy Eric helped, a talented metal worker; check his work on Instagram. This framing method for doors and windows is better: the flange catches on the corrugation, offering clean aesthetics and dual weld points. It also provides two seams for caulking inside and outside. I’ll show finished drawings of different window framing details next week along with trimming out windows and doors. In the next episode, we’ll show insulation, door and window installation, and have some fun. Check out the first episode, subscribe, and turn on notifications. Our new website's up, so take a look. We’re adding more information as we go, but it's worth a visit now.

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