Seven Reasons Why Shipping Containers Have Become Canada’s #1 Choice for Modular Buildings

New homes are gaudy and overpriced. Utilitarian office buildings are vilified. It’s time for a drastic change in the way we think about the spaces we need to live, work and play.

More than ever before, Canadians are discovering the benefits of using sea containers to create new spaces for their lives. These steel boxes can be completely modified and converted into stunning modules, which are delivered fully completed and ready for your personal use more efficiently than alternatives.

In the grand scheme of things, module construction with shipping containers is very new. So where did the shipping-container modular construction movement originate from? Why is it so popular? Why are all respectable Canadians no longer considering standard modular construction?

Let’s see why!

Reason #1: Shipping Containers Are Plentiful

As global trade picked up steam in the 1990s and exponentially grew in the early 2000s, shipping companies came to realize that it costs them more to ship empty containers back to Asia than to just make new ones, so they began a more concerted effort to leave their containers behind here in North America. Ships grew in size to contain tens of thousands of containers and leave thousands of them here in North America. The result was an abundance of large, steel rectangular boxes with no apparent uses.

With the increase in knowledge about the many innovative uses of shipping containers, and the recent increase in shipping demand, fewer are now available but through businesses like TargetBox, Canadians still have access to affordable shipping containers with modification options that make modular buildings a great option.

Reason #2: Shipping Containers Have Standard Sizes

Over many decades of globalization growth and agreements with various shipping organizations going back as far as the 18th century, today’s shipping containers are available in sizes that fit together for easy shipping on container ships that deliver goods around the world.

This means that those seeking to build using modular construction know exactly the dimensions of the structural steel exoskeletons they have to work with. There’s very little guessing how big your shipping container will be. Some can be cut to be smaller – as small as 10 feet wide – while others are as long as 40 feet with extra high ceilings.

Reason #3: Shipping Containers Are Fast to Upgrade

They are bare bones and you can begin converting your shipping container as fast as you can get your steel grinder out from your toolbox. Many buyers used their ingenuity to do basic upgrades, but most people do not have the time and skills to do it on their own, which is why TargetBox often takes on these conversion tasks.

Reason #4: Shipping Containers Are Affordable

As the housing market and construction material costs have skyrocketed so has the consumer’s demand to do more with the materials given to them. Shipping containers are practically begging us to make modular living and working units out of them!

A standard home costs more than half a million dollars, while a practically new shipping container can cost pennies in comparison. Talk with TargetBox about the latest prices for the containers you need.

Reason #5: Shipping Container Modules Are an Environmentally Conscious Way to Address the Mountains of Overstock

Thousands of shipping containers would be wasted if it weren’t for the ingenuity of Canadians who transform these boxes into upcycled living units. We all need to think more green and take advantage of the products available to us.

Reason #6: Shipping Containers Are Versatile

If you think your home is strong, wait until you learn more about shipping containers! They are made of 14-gauge corrugated steel and can often withstand hurricane-force winds. Consider that they have been stacked on oceangoing ships more than a dozen containers tall.

Standard module construction can’t compare to shipping containers’ strength and versatility.

Reason #7: Shipping Containers Give You Flexibility

Modular construction isn’t just for homes, there is an endless array of spaces you can convert your shipping container into: restaurants, retail spaces and other mobile business spaces are all popular among the growing number of container innovators.

What Does the Future Have in Store for Modular Construction with Shipping Containers?

As long as creativity lives in Canada, there will always be a home for shipping containers. For all of the reasons above, they will forever remain a formidable structure for homeowners and business owners looking for a unique solution for a wide variety of reasons.

If you’re looking for a custom portable solution to your building needs, reach out to TargetBox using our quote form. We’ll get back to you shortly with how we can help to transform your vision into reality.