11/02/2023
SINGLE SHIPPING CONTAINER GARAGE PLANS
If you’re on a tight budget but you need to get small vehicles out of the elements and secure them, a single shipping container garage design may work for you.
This design requires, at minimum, a 20 foot shipping container. Without any modifications, a 20 ft container is perfect for storing lawn tractors, ATVs, motorcycles, and more. But parking a car is a different story.
To secure a car, small modifications may be needed like a roll-up door for the vehicle entrance and a man door or another roll-up door on the side of the container to allow you to exit the vehicle once parked.
This is not the ideal option, but it does allow you to fully lock up your car safely and protect it from rain, hail, wind and the beating sun.
LEAN-TO SHIPPING CONTAINER CARPORT
A lean-to carport is one of the easiest, fastest and most affordable shipping container garage designs for DIY. It doesn’t require extensive construction experience and the materials can be found at your local home improvement store.
This design concept requires a single 20 ft or 40 ft shipping container to be used for side storage with a shed roof extended to provide cover for vehicles. The carport’s shed roof can be mounted directly to the container or built up from the top of the container.
With a carport made from a 20 ft shipping container, you get about 150 square feet of lockable storage space and an area to park 1-2 vehicles undercover. Shipping containers are tall enough (8’6” or 9’6” High Cubes) to extend the shed roof far enough to cover two parking spaces and still maintain sufficient pitch to shed water.
DOUBLE ATTACHED SHIPPING CONTAINER GARAGES
This next garage design concept requires two shipping containers connected side-by-side. Since a midsize car doesn’t quite fit into a single container without modifications, stacking two containers offers plenty of room.
Connecting two 20 ft shipping containers and removing their interior walls creates about 300 square feet of space in a 20 ft by 16 ft rectangle. For reference, the average sized two-car garage is 18 by 20 feet.
So you can fit two compact cars or one large vehicle with enough space to exit the car and to store other items in this design. And you can fit 3-4 vehicles with this design when using 40 ft shipping containers.
These shipping container garage plans don’t require a roof, but it may be preferable to outfit them with roll-up container doors or standard mounted garage doors to be able to lock them.
And there you have it – some epic ideas that take the humble shipping container and transform it into something truly special for your vehicle storage. It's amazing to see how a simple steel box can be so versatile and aesthetically pleasing when given a creative touch.
As the world shifts towards affordable, sustainable and innovative design solutions, shipping container garages are clearly an attractive option. Whether you're looking for functionality, style, or both, there's a container concept waiting for you. Ready to think outside the box for your next garage project?
