Wanted: Used sea container

[chris vickery]

Another idea just came to mind and may be cheaper. Have you considered a 48ft van trailer? Get it towed into place, jack up the rear, cut off the axles and drop it. Used van trailers are dirt cheap.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Chris is onto something. If you need the structural strength of a container, then you need a seacan. If you just need closed storage, a condemned semi trailer is as good as anything.

[chris vickery]

Terry, I have seen guys do this in two ways; either knock the dollies and rear axle off and set on the ground or dig a big hole for the rear axles to drop down into.
The better semi trailers are the insulated reefers, they are stronger and have less chance of condensation
The oine issue you need to think about on seacans is that they will condensate on the inside- they are made of steel inside and out so many guys spray foam the roof on the inside ($$$). The other alternative is to use a roof top whirly bird to encourage ventilation.
I was just on Kijiji and saw a guy who has a bunch of 45 and 48ft van trailers in Toronto at $1200 each.
Another suggestion if you want smaller is to look at a truck wrecker for a 20 to 28ft van body off of a moving van/cargo truck.

[Jack Innes]

Chris makes a valid point on condensation. I have two 40 ft. ventilated containers filled with antique cars & have no condensation problem.
There are sealed & ventilated containers available. The ventilation is simply a few small holes drilled in each corner with a shield over it. This seems to allow enough air to circulate but will not admit mice. The other important factor is allowing air to circulate under the container. The two I mentioned are sitting on very solid footing with a single railroad tie under each end.

[chris vickery]

I just spoke with my local container guy here in North Bay.
He advised me that seacans etc are use specific and careful consideration should be made before purchasing.
He carries all types including steel, plywood lined, refridgerated etc.
He did indicate to me that straight steel boxes do tend to have condensation issues, even though they have some ventilation.
He recommended going with a plywood lined can or a reefer can as they tend not to have this issue.

[Wpns 421]

last week I bought a 20 ft container from a company in Toronto Easy Access and I got a 20ft in excellent condition, it had been bout new and rented for a year. It was painted blue and the interior was very clean, I paid $2500 plus taxes.
I picked it up in Mtl, left Merrickville at 9:30am and was back home by 15:30.
This was amore expensive unit because it was new, an older model not as nice looking was going for about $2100.00. I have a 30 ft gooseneck and picked it up myself. The real killer is the shipping, they will charge you between $600 to $800 to bring one in from Mtl.
The 40 ft containers are cheaper than the 20 ft. The guy in Mtl was telling me that containers have dropped in price in the last month, before the same container I got would have sold for about $3000.00
I now have 3containers and I really like them, when you consider that building a wood shed the same size wil be as expensive apart from the time you take to build it and it is not as secure as a container.
Gilles

[chris vickery]

Another factor Gilles is that a container, unlike a wood shed, is not considered a "structure" in most jurisdictions, therefore, improvement taxes on you property nor building permits apply. It is considered a portable unit similar to any trailer, vehicle etc.