Shipping Container Barn—A Flexible Storage—Four Different Uses

You own a farm. You don’t have enough storage space. You see containers around, but keep asking yourself if they really are as great as they seem. Here are 4 uses for a container on your farm that will last the lifespan of your container.

Shop made from containers

Great extra storage for equipment, feed, etc.

Containers with a roof between them EDIT: PLEASE NOTE OUR MANUFACTURER OF THESE ROOFS HAS STOPPED MAKING THEM. WE NO LONGER HAVE THEM AVAILABLE.

A cut up container provides additional storage attached to existing building

1. Container barn For this barn, you get two different types of storage—indoor storage inside containers and a covered area between the containers. You place two containers down with space between them. Install a roof between the two containers. You have wind and water tight, insect and rodent-proof storage inside the containers and a covered area for equipment that you want to keep snow and rain from damaging. You can also use the area under the roof for doing work when the weather is not cooperating with you.

2. Hay/feed/manure storage Store hay bales, feed or manure in storage containers. Keep in mind our 40’ high cube containers, which are 9.5’ tall. They give you an additional foot of container in height leaving you room for roughly 300 small hay bales along with room to spare. Increase air circulation in the summer by keeping the doors open or adding in some vents to help the hay dry out even more and prevent mold. Since they are wind-and water-tight as well as insect-and rodent-proof, shipping containers are a great way to keep what you want in inside the container and what you want out can’t get in there.

3. Equipment storage Do you have some equipment that just doesn’t fit in your other buildings? Put it in a container. You can even add roll-up doors on the container for access from multiple sides of the container.

4. Lean-to So your container isn’t so new looking any more. Your teenager ran some equipment into it and now it isn’t as water-tight as when you got it. But you know there is still some life left in it. Cut and finish off larger openings in the container and set it next to a pole barn or other building. You may have to do a little reinforcing to make sure the roof is still sturdy, but the container can still provide some shaded storage area, without actually leaning into your existing building.

Containers can be moved around, so you can keep changing how you use them to fit your changing needs. The 20’s weigh 5,000 pounds and the 40’s just under 10,000 pounds, so you can drag them around with your existing equipment if you have some chains to attach to the container. They can easily be modified with extra doors for easier access as well.