With shipping containers being recycled as buildings, rooms, artwork and more, the following should help you in your pursuit of purchasing just the right shipping container for your needs. People have come up with a way to recycle these giant behemoths without going through the entire process of melting them down. Magnificent homes are in fact being created through the use of discarded shipping containers. Here’s what to look for.

The Arch Enemy of Steel Shipping Containers

Water, moisture and the resulting rust is probably the biggest threat to steel shipping containers. If you’re looking at a container for purchase and smell mold or mildew as soon as you walk inside, you’ve got a problem already. And you know what happens with metal and rust. Should you be able to see daylight from the inside of that shipping container, the rust has already eaten through. To make absolutely sure that the roof of your shipping container is in good condition, bring a ladder along with which to inspect the top. Know the difference between surface rust and serious rust.

How Much to My New Home?

Clearly, these massive shipping containers weigh more than you’re going to be able to move by yourself (unless you own a crane and semi truck and trailer). If the container that you’re looking at is empty, that’s one thing. But sometimes companies will charge extra to move a shipping container that is full of ‘stuff’ – whatever that stuff may be. If there are valuables inside and you can make some extra money by selling them, it might be worth the extra money. Chances are however that an old abandoned or discarded shipping container is going to have nothing but junk inside.

Are these containers available for free? Aside from the moving costs, yes but fewer and fewer are going to be available as the recycled architecture trend continues. People can spend anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars on empty shipping containers and that’s a lot of money. Be sure that the container you buy is solid, sturdy and is as rust free as possible.