What is a Shipping Container?
The Man Cave. The She Shed. The Shipping Container
As parents in a family you lose your identity. The adults lose their names and become Mum and Dad. Kids are the be-all and end-all of life. You came together as two individuals to produce those rug rats so isn’t it only fair you get a space to be you, and not just another person called Dad or Mum?
This is one of the biggest reasons that She Sheds and Man Caves have become so popular. Mum gets her name back and can do things that she enjoys and indeed her made the woman that Dad thought would be the best person to spend the rest of his life with.
Dad needs to be himself too – he might want a bar with a dozen different optics and a beer chiller to bring his friends to, or a quiet spot to focus on his obsession with model airplanes.
Whatever the reason for wanting a man cave or she shed, it can be the saving of Mum and Dad as a couple as they can escape fast growing offspring and in doing so get that vital recovery time they need!
There are all sorts of ways you could go about putting a she shed or man cave together. You may have guessed it (this blog being where it is) that yes, shipping containers are one of the best starting points to build one (or both!). Let’s look into the ins and outs of why this is the case.
What do you want your escape pod for?
Image source: Off Grid World
The man cave or she shed can be almost anything you desire:
- Want leather chairs and a widescreen projector so you and your buddies can sit and watch the footy?
- What about a place to store and taste your favourite wines?
- Your very own billiard room for your property?
- A place to enjoy a jacuzzi or sauna (or both together) to escape from reality?
- A spare room outside the house for entertaining house guests?
- What about a place to rebuild that classic car, motorcycle or boat you’ve long wanted to do? With a garage or repair shop you can get your hands mucky in peace away from the rabble in the house!
One of the great things about shipping containers is that they are weathertight. That means a sewing room or place to do your art and craft can be possible and your things won’t be affected by heavy weather be it hot, wet or cold!
As with every building it can be insulated and done in such a way that it is neither too hot or cold while you hide away from that Mum or Dad name and just be you.
Other than these ideas, there are a lots of incentives to use a container as a man cave or she shed!
Low cost
The first thing to note is that the box itself can cost you very little money in the first place. For a few thousand dollars you already have a man-sized box that you can then convert.
If you went bricks and mortar for your adult escape pod, after laying the foundations, it could take a few days to get the walls and roof up. Why do that when you can have all four walls, a ceiling and a floor there already?
Foundations for a shipping container building are a lot simpler than a bricks and mortar/wooden framed job. In most cases you only need ‘pier foundations’ that are concrete blocks buried in the ground at each corner. That saves a lot of effort on a concrete slab or other type of foundation that would be required for a traditional building.
Converting and fitting out – including reinforcing the windows and new doors can be done for as little or as much cash you want to spend. A basic job that’s weathertight would make it extremely competitive with one of the wooden off-the-shelf sheds you can buy from Bunnings but a lot nicer to look at!
Image source: Grass Roof Company
Ready made
Part of the reason that the container she shed/man cave is going to be so cheap is that most of it has already been built for you in a Chinese factory!
There are things you need to remember when it comes to converting a container to its new purpose, but here at Gateway Container Sales we have a team who know all there is about cutting, reinforcing and converting one – we’ll even do a lot of the work before delivery to your home too.
Do you need plumbing and electrics? These can easily be fitted too as part of the design. Once the container man cave or she shed has been dropped into place then it can then simply be plugged into the grid. You could also reduce your energy demands by having solar panels on the roof…
Durable
Image source: You Tube
Shipping containers can take a fair bit of abuse. They are built to take huge storms at sea and still carry on. Those that fall off ships will often float for weeks on end too.
The reason for this is that the container is built of Cor-Ten steel, which is designed to rust on the surface and the layer of rust to protect the metal beneath. With a bit of tender loving care (perhaps a pink topcoat?) there’s every reason that the she shed or man cave can last for many years to come.
Though we cannot recommend using it as a shelter for yourself, containers are fireproof too so those carefully collected items and heirlooms may well survive one of the curses of our natural environment should it sweep through.
Easily transported to site
Image source: Domain
Containers are designed to be shifted about with up to 20 tonnes or so of cargo within. That design can also mean that once converted it can be fitted out off-site and then taken to your home by a standard container truck.
Not that we know anyone who has done this to date (though we’re sure some people have) you might also be able to take your escape pod with you when you move house. That could save lots of hassle when it comes to upping sticks and heading for a new beginning couldn’t it?
Craning it over your house isn’t that much of a bother either, and can still be done at a relatively low cost to having had it built and fitted out on site.
Gateway’s Experts
Here at Gateway Container Sales we get a lot of requests to convert shipping containers, and can even do much of the initial job on site. This includes cutting holes for windows, as well as insulating and reinforcing the container for its new use.
Give our team a call today to discuss your needs!
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