6 Essential Tips for Modifying a Shipping Container
Starting a shipping container modification can feel overwhelming. Where do you place the framing? How far should the studs sit from the walls? How do you leave enough room for insulation? And how do you finish around the original cargo doors?
In this project, Channing walks through three identical 20-foot high-cube container modifications and explains some of the systems The Container Guy uses to make framing, insulation and finishing much easier. Each container includes a man door, window and several Container Modification World framing and flashing products.
1. Use Steel Stud Brackets to Define Your Framing
One of the hardest parts of modifying a shipping container is knowing where to start.
Container Modification World Steel Stud Brackets and Corner Casting Covers help define the wall and ceiling planes before framing begins.
In this build, 1 5/8-inch steel studs were used along the walls while 2 1/2-inch studs were used across the ceiling.
The thinner wall studs preserve interior space while leaving clearance behind the framing for closed-cell spray foam.
2. Leave Room for Spray Foam
Proper spacing between the steel framing and container shell is extremely important.
The goal is to allow spray foam to fill the space behind the studs and around the container corrugations.
Corner Casting Covers help maintain those clearances and also leave enough room for the spray foam contractor to reach difficult areas.
Closed-cell spray foam provides insulation while also creating a continuous air and vapour barrier around the steel container.
3. Consider Steel Studs Instead of Wood
Steel studs are lightweight, straight and easy to reposition if a mistake is made.
They are also non-porous, meaning they will not absorb moisture like traditional lumber.
For shipping container construction, this can be especially valuable because condensation needs to be carefully controlled.
The steel framing also works naturally with Container Modification World’s bracket systems and leaves more usable interior width than conventional 2x4 framing.
4. Use Purpose-Built Window Framing Kits
Container Modification World Window Framing Kits are designed around shipping container corrugations.
The kits include a rain drip and lower corrugation cap, which also helps establish the correct rough opening and installation height.
The finished frame is designed to line up with the interior wall plane, making it easier to finish around the window with plywood, drywall, or PVC panels.
Complete kits can also be paired with vinyl windows for a more straightforward installation.
5. Insulate and Finish the Original Cargo Doors
The original cargo doors are another area that can be difficult to insulate cleanly.
Container Modification World Door Flashing Kits create a finished perimeter around the inside of the doors.
The kit helps retain spray foam during installation and allows interior wall coverings to finish cleanly against the door opening.
A Wall Flashing Kit then continues that finished plane from the cargo doors into the container sidewalls.
This allows the original doors to remain fully operational while still becoming part of the insulated envelope.
6. Seal Openings Under the Container
Before spray foaming the underside, smaller openings around the container can also be sealed with Fork Pocket Covers.
These pieces help prevent spray foam from expanding out of the openings and can also help discourage rodents and other pests from entering underneath the container.
Making Shipping Container Modifications Easier
The biggest advantage of using a complete system is that each component helps define the next step.
Steel Stud Brackets, Corner Casting Covers, Window Framing Kits, Door Flashing Kits, Wall Flashing Kits and Fork Pocket Covers all work together to create a more predictable framing and insulation process.
For DIY builders, these systems can remove much of the guesswork from the early stages of a shipping container modification and make it easier to achieve a clean finished interior.