Container Modification of the Month: March, 2021

Here at Gateway Containers we don’t just sell and lease shipping containers. One of our core businesses is converting them for our customers. 

Shipping containers are blank canvases

We often say that shipping containers are blank canvases for your imagination. In the Gateway Gazette we have shown the almost limitless ways people have used them from dunny blocks to high rise hotels!

Working with Gateway Containers you don’t need to reinvent the wheel by buying a container, then cutting and reinforcing it yourself for your own use.  

That’s why we’ve developed our shipping container conversion business. With our team you can set out your criteria, such as the need for doors and windows (full length or standard), as well as other aspects of the design. 

We can then design the final unit and prepare it according to your needs. 

Modification of the Month – March, 2021


Here at Gateway Containers, we recently completed a 20ft container office modification. The customer needed a new office building as their current one was very run down, so they chose Gateway Containers to take care of their office construction needs. 

This 20ft general purpose new build shipping container was installed with an insulated roof, a 2400mm x 2100mm glass sliding door with a security screen, and two 1200mm x 900mm glass sliding windows with security bars.

Alongside these modifications, the 20ft container was fitted out with a basic electrical package, which includes a 15 amp inlet, 2 x 4’ LED Bar Lights, a light switch, and 2 x 10 amp double GPOS, RCDs.

Additionally, to the basic electrical package, a 5 kw split system MHI Air-Conditioning unit was installed in the recess box. 

Plumbing and electrics too!

As you can see, we aren’t just installing windows and doors and then leaving the rest for you to finish yourself.

We can take the container all the way to second-fix level, which is to say it is plumbed and fitted with things such as lighting fixtures, plug sockets, and even air con units. We can:

  • Get it to move in condition
  • Use trusted, experienced trades people
  • Make it cheaper than a permanent unit
  • Make the finished product fully mobile

For your part, once the unit is complete, you’ll just need to have the utilities ready to plug in when it arrives on-site and then you’re ready to roll in a very short time after delivery. 

Another advantage is, being made on the Gateway Containers site here in Brisbane, is that we use trusted trades people with experience in putting a conversion together in a controlled environment.

Thanks to the speed involved, and the fact that a container’s shell is largely pre-built, we can often compete on price with a ready-made permanent structure. Cost has always been a strong driver in our customers choosing a shipping container conversion. 

A final advantage is that the modified unit you’re buying from us is fully mobile too. The container can be shifted from location to location, using standard shipping container transport and lifting equipment, as long as it remains within the maximum gross weight of a standard shipping container (roughly 30,000 kg for a 12 metre container).

This comes in handy if you wish to retain the office as an asset in the future or you want a unit that can moved on a regular basis, such as for a construction site or music festival. 

Need a shipping container modification?

If you are struggling to start the process of modifying a shipping container, contact our expert, friendly team at Gateway Containers online or by phone on 07 3348 6463 to request some guidance on your next project. 

Ready to start your container journey?
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About Mark Finnegan

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