Container homes and backyard ADUs, finished and delivered

Extra living space, without a ground-up build

Extra space takes different forms depending on the need: a suite for visiting family, a rental that generates income, a home office with a bed, or somewhere close for an aging parent. Building a conventional addition or detached cabin, though, drags on for months between framing, weather delays, and a contractor working your lot the whole time. Going the container route means the structure shows up already built. A backyard ADU, or accessory dwelling unit, is simply a second, smaller home sharing your lot, and a converted shipping container gives it a predictable, sound shell.

Turnkey or shell, delivered to your lot

Two paths exist for getting a container home or ADU. Finished entirely off-site, a turnkey unit lands close to move-in ready, leaving mostly hookups for the on-site work. A 20ft container home fitted with a water tank and the turnkey 20ft container house both arrive as compact, finished dwellings. Choosing a shell instead means a modified box that you or a local contractor fits out, giving you say over layout and finishes. Either path ships to your address, while site utilities, the base, and permits stay under your ownership.

What we handle, and what stays yours

Real advantages come with real conditions attached. Off-site construction means a unit lands in weeks, not the months a stick-built addition needs, yet what actually paces your project is permitting and site prep rather than the box itself. Steel resists rot, pests, and weather on its own, but because it also transfers heat and cold, livability comes down to insulation and condensation control, not extras. Footings replace a poured slab under most units, trimming groundwork, although leveling still matters on a sloped or soft lot. One itemized quote covers the unit and delivery with nothing hidden, while utility hookups and permits stay separate items you arrange locally.

Where a container home makes sense

Where zoning allows it and extra income or family housing is the goal without a full build, a backyard ADU or rental fits well. Tucking a finished 20ft or 40ft unit to the side of the house makes a natural guest suite. Turning a small unit into a quiet workspace that also sleeps overnight works as a home office with a bed. On land where scheduling trades is difficult, a remote cabin puts the steel shell and off-site finish to good use landing livable space anyway. For a full 1-bedroom layout, a 40ft container house featuring a kitchen and washroom or the 40ft modular prefab container home gives you separate areas for living and sleeping.

Looking for a particular finish? A 40ft container house for living as well as a 40ft container house, prefab complete the larger lineup. Weighing cost, permits, and fit before you commit? Our container home guide.

A note on zoning and permits

City to city, ADU and dwelling rules shift, and some jurisdictions cap size, restrict setbacks, or limit whether the unit can be rented. The same building code that governs any house also governs a container home, checked through inspections. Before buying, confirm with your local planning department that your lot allows a container ADU. Treat this as general guidance rather than legal advice; the final word belongs to your city and any HOA covenant.

Common questions

Can a container ADU be rented out?

Rental income from an ADU is possible in plenty of cities, though this is precisely the sort of rule jurisdictions handle differently. Long-term leases get a green light in some places; others cap short-term stays or require owner-occupancy. Before counting on that income, look up your local ADU ordinance. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Do you deliver and place the unit?

Delivery goes to your address, with site access and clearance checked beforehand: the straight, obstacle-free run the truck needs to position and unload. For lighter units, a tilt-bed, also known as roll-off, truck lets the box slide down to ground level without a crane. Heavier or fully finished cabins sometimes call for crane placement, and we settle on the method for your unit and site before anything ships.

Is the unit livable the day it arrives?

Finished on the inside as it arrives, a turnkey unit still isn't livable until three things happen: utilities get connected, the base is set, and inspections clear. A shell needs the full fit-out process before that. Ordering the site work and permits in parallel with the unit keeps things usable soon after delivery.

Request an itemized quote

Share the size, whether turnkey or shell suits you, and your address, and a free, itemized quote covering the unit and delivery comes back, with nothing added to that figure later. Inspection and grading happen on every unit before it ships, and a reply lands within 1 business day. Unit selection and delivery run through our ADU and modular builds service, while windows, doors, insulation, and electrical adaptations go through custom modifications.