5 Ideas for a Used Cargo Shipping Container

creative ideas for used cargo shipping container tiny house cheap office

Perhaps your Uncle Shippy has bequeathed his shipping yard to you in his will. Or your massive logistics company was no longer financially viable. Whatever the case, you've got a lot of shipping containers that you don't know what to do with. 

Don't let this opportunity set sail. There's more to a cargo shipping container than exporting and importing. Check out these 5 alternative business ideas for your armada of cargo containers.


1. Life in a Cargo Shipping Container

People are downsizing. In this day in age, not many want or need a 4 bedroom house with an equal number of bathrooms. Maybe it's just no longer affordable.

There's a huge market for "tiny houses." A tiny house isn't much bigger than 300-600 square feet. That's big enough for a small kitchen, a queen bed, and a bathroom with a shower in it. 

Conveniently, a large shipping container is roughly 300 square feet. For bigger homes, two containers can be soldered together for an extra large tiny house. 

Fabricating the containers into a livable space doesn't require a lot of modification. Some cargo shipping containers are already insulated to weather the elements of different environments.


2. Go Swimming

Scientists say it's getting hotter. It certainly feels that way during the summer. 

Just about everyone fantasizes about having a pool on those sweaty days. Cheap, easily installed pools is a niche easily fulfilled with cargo containers. 

Shipping containers are durable to face harsh conditions. Their seams are impermeable to avoid damages. The only thing missing to make for a great pool business is the water. 


3. Movable Restaurants 

Yeah, food trucks are a thing. But you don't have a cargo yard full of old trucks.

The restaurant business is one of the most cutthroat markets to break into. People have great ideas (and some terrible) that they'd like to test before committing to a brick and mortar. 

A fabricated kitchen with a service window doesn't need a lease or mortgage. Its property rent would be tiny, too.

Entrepreneurial chefs need a feasible way to test the market for their vegan-butterless-gluten-free cinnamon roll doughnuts. Cue your portable kitchen idea. 


4. Let It Grow!

An amateur gardener's pipedream is their own greenhouse. They can be expensive and hard to maintain, especially in areas with hardy winds. 

The tops of shipping containers can be trimmed off to allow for sunlight. A structurally sound door is, also, easily installable. 

The insides of a greenhouse need to be resilient. They're often damp and humid; the frame of a container is impervious to this. 

Shipping containers can revolutionize the at-home gardening world. 


5. Office Escapes

Homeowners face this a lot: no escape from their partners. It sounds cruel, but it's true. Sometimes you gotta get away. 

A cargo container is a perfect escape for those that work at home. Insulation and wiring (and maybe plumbing) are possible. There's a market for those at-home workers that need their own place with a cargo shipping container workplace, office, or workspace. 


Don't Ship It 'Til You've Tried It

There's a lot of new life to be breathed into a permanently docked cargo shipping container. 

Cargo shipping containers can be converted easily into just about anything imaginable. And that diversity is exactly what makes for great business ventures. 

Cargo containers can be altered into homes, pools, pop-up cafes, greenhouses, offices, and practically any edifice. Few business owners have used choices like these—it's an untapped market. 

Creative Cargo Container Conclusion

Cargo containers are clearly a creative option with personal and professional potential. It's time you started seriously considering their use.

Want some more creative input on business ideas? Invest in reading our other articles, you'll surely get a worthwhile return. Visit the DIY and Frugal Finance sections to learn more.

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