shipping container home

Some time ago, containers began to be recycled and used for different functions. These sturdy metal boxes are no longer just used for shipping. Many people use them to build houses and businesses that have turned out to be very profitable.

Establishing a container business is an inexpensive, fast and environmentally friendly option. If you are considering the idea, here we leave you 11 options to use recycled containers as a business.

1. Coffee Shops

Cafeteria business opportunities are endless. This type of business offers the ideal environment for new entrepreneurs to start their project. A very profitable option, to begin with, is containers, which are undoubtedly very useful for housing cafes. Thanks to its size and mobility, a container is a comfortable establishment to decorate and personalize. Therefore, the speed of commercialization is a little faster.

However, the feature that business owners are most excited about is its easy mobility. With the ability to relocate, entrepreneurs are able to present their new business in different markets.

shipping container coffee shop

2. Specialized Retail Stores

The term refers to the type of businesses that focus on selling a particular product. Employees are usually passionate, very knowledgeable about the subject and focus on providing the client with a more personalized treatment accompanied by optimal advice. Generally, this is not achieved in large stores, which make this type of business stand out.

Some of these stores are self-contained but are almost always part of a more massive mall. Sea shipping containers have recently been presented as a good option in this field thanks to their distinctive characteristics. You will attract the attention of customers for having an innovative space.

brewery with shipping container facade

3. Mobile Bars

Chances are you’ve attended events like concerts, festivals, carnivals, parades, etc. As you may well know, these events have different purposes and natures. But there are two things that almost always have in common: a short duration and liquor sales.

As they are temporary entertainment venues, they don’t remain open throughout the year. So short-term, low-cost solutions are needed that can be easily assembled and disassembled in a few hours. The containers have all the characteristics needed, offering maximum ease of use for the event organizers.

shipping container bar

4. Fast Food Restaurants

It is estimated that for each week the opening of a restaurant is postponed, the owner loses 2% of his total profit. Containers allow you to open your new restaurant in less than half the time it takes to build a typical brick and mortar structure.

If the planning is well thought out, and if the restaurant is built taking into account safety regulations from the beginning of the project, it is possible to launch in record time. Avoid a few headaches, give your bank account a break, and consider opening your fast food restaurant in a container.

shipping container restaurant

5. Convenience Stores

As the name implies, these are accessible shops, usually small and with extended hours (more than 18 hours a day). However, many times these establishments are not so convenient and easy to find.

With the use of containers, these types of stores can experience a new range of benefits. Lightweight, easy-to-move boxes can help storeowners quickly make themselves known, seek out, and meet the needs of new customers, no matter where they are.

shipping container convenience store

6. Pop-up Stores

Pop-up stores, also known as fleeting stores, almost always have the same dull, traditional aesthetic. They seem to be taken from the same catalogue, and it isn’t easy to make them stand out. This is not the case for shipping containers; the possibilities of creating an innovative and personalized design are practically limitless. Also containers are designed to be resistant to weather and does not degrade over time.

7. Mobile Showrooms

Retail distributors have been making some significant changes over the past few years. One of the best results obtained from this reinvention is the birth of the concept of the “showroom.”

Some brands are no longer seeing the advantage of maintaining large stores with huge inventory and tons of consultants or employees. For this reason, some interactive concept stores are being established that allow the customer to be in contact with the available merchandise. But instead of taking the item home right away, your order is noted and mailed. Many times the order arrives the same day.

Since this is an exhibition, not much space is needed. So shipping containers are an excellent choice to establish these types of conceptual retail stores with a lot of personalities.

8. Stacked Houses

This design shows that container houses can be elegant and colorful. For the construction, shipping containers 12 meters long and about 2 meters wide are used. Boxes can be stacked on top of each other, giving great flexibility in design, especially when living space is tight. Stacking them is a smart choice, which also allows you to orient doors and windows according to each need. Some have wooden floors and furniture, just like those found in any traditional family home.

9. Decommissioned Containers 

There are shipping companies that sell boxes that are used for the transport of goods and that are later recycled by architects and designers to make homes. But most apartments of this type are made from old or decommissioned containers.

10. Small But Tall

Living in shipping containers does not mean giving up comfort. The developer of one micro home managed to turn a 20-foot container into an ideal home. In 13 square meters, there is a combined living and bedroom, a bathroom and, if necessary, an integrated workplace.

11. Rusty Facade

This alternative is ideal for students looking for a cheap place to live. There are small individual apartments, others with two rooms and spaces for three people. Due to the rusty colour of the facade, the apartments look decadent and not necessarily comfortable. But this material is exceptionally durable and made of long-lasting steel that provides excellent insulation, which ensures a pleasant climate indoors.

If you want to invest in a maritime container, contract a high-quality service for containers sale and rental of these containers.

Finding Help with Moving Professionals

We hope you found this blog post on 11 Innovative Uses of Shipping Containers informative. Be sure to check out our post on 7 Differences Between Roll On Roll Off and Container Shipping for more great information!

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