Container workshops and garages, built to work in

You need a secure, weatherproof place to keep tools, work on a vehicle, run a trade, or chase a hobby — and building a brick garage means planning, a slab, and weeks of work you would rather skip. A shipping container gives you a lockable steel shell that we set on your site, ready to fit out as a workshop or garage.

The problem with finding work space

Tools left in a shed walk off, and a project car under a tarp rusts. A spare-bedroom workbench runs out of room the day you buy a second machine, and renting a unit means a monthly bill and a drive every time you need a wrench. Most people do not have a spare garage, and the ones who do have already filled it. What you want is your own lockable, dry space on your own ground — without the cost and delay of a built garage, the foundations, and the permit run that comes with it.

How a container becomes a workshop or garage

A shipping container is a precision-built steel box made to cross oceans, which is exactly why it holds up sitting on your plot for years. It arrives wind and watertight (WWT), meaning it keeps rain and weather out, and locks from the start. From there it can be fitted out to suit the work: a man door so you are not swinging the cargo doors every time, windows for daylight, insulation and lining so it holds a temperature, lighting and power wired to your spec, and a roll-up shutter or double door if a vehicle has to get in. None of that is standard on a bare box, so the fit-out is a separate scope on top of the unit.

Some of that work is already done before you start. A 40ft container with a man door gives you a full-length bay plus a normal walk-in entrance, which is a sensible base for a working shop. If you want extra height for racking or an engine lift, a high cube, a container a foot taller than a standard box, like the 20ft high cube container, buys you that headroom in a smaller footprint. We handle the custom work in-house, from cutting and welding to electrical and finishing, so the container you pick sets the shell and we fabricate the fit-out to your spec.

Where people put them to work

At home, it is a maker or hobby workshop: a bench, a wall of tools, and a door you can lock behind you, kept separate from the house. For a trade or contractor it becomes a base you can secure overnight and load out of in the morning, and a 45ft high cube container gives the most floor for a van, a bench, and stock under one lockable roof. With a roll-up door it works as a motorcycle or classic-car garage, dry and out of sight, though a long car needs a 40ft or 45ft box to clear the doors with room to walk around it. It also makes a straightforward equipment and tool store, or an on-site workshop a crew can lock up between shifts.

If the job is half workshop and half desk, a 20ft office container with a glass door and air conditioning pairs a clean, climate-controlled room with the storage bay, and our container offices solution covers that setup.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get power and lighting in the container?

Yes — sockets, lighting, and a consumer unit can be installed and wired to your spec through the modifications service, but none of it comes on a bare box, so it is added as a separate line. The connection to your supply and any electrical work should meet local code, and how that is signed off varies by area, so treat this as general guidance and confirm the requirements where you are.

How do I get a vehicle inside?

By cutting in a roll-up shutter or a set of double doors at one end. That is a fabrication job, so it is quoted to the size of opening you need and the reinforcing the cut calls for. For a motorcycle or a compact car a 20ft box can work, but a full-size or classic car usually wants a 40ft or 45ft container so there is room to open the doors and walk around the vehicle inside.

Do I need to insulate it?

For storage, no — a bare box is dry and secure. For a space you will actually work in, yes: uninsulated steel gets cold in winter, hot in summer, and can sweat with condensation. Insulation and lining add cost and take up a few inches inside, which is part of why some people start with a high cube for the extra room. It is specified as part of the fit-out, not a fixed option on the unit.

How is it delivered and set down?

On a tilt-bed (roll-off) truck: the bed tilts and the container slides off at ground level, with no crane or forklift needed for most units. The truck needs the straight, obstacle-free run it takes to position and unload, and the ground should be firm and level so the unit sits square and the doors line up. We check site access and clearance before delivery. A heavily modified or static unit may need a crane, so flag the build and the access when you ask for a quote.

Get a free quote

Tell us what you want to do in the space — the tools or vehicle going in, whether it needs power, windows, insulation, or a vehicle door, and a note on the site and its access. Our custom modifications service specs and prices the workshop or garage fit-out, and our container delivery team handles the tilt-bed drop onto your pad. Every unit is inspected and graded before delivery, and you get one free, itemized quote covering the container and delivery with no hidden fees, so what we quote is what you pay. We reply within one business day. Request a free quote to get started.