Trussed Shipping Container Sheds

Lots of people use shipping containers for storage, but there are some clever people getting very creative and maximizing every square foot available in, and around, their storage containers – and they're using simple steel or wooden trusses to do it.

The first question to address is why would you want to put a trussed roof span on two shipping containers? The quick and simple answer is to create a protected area for storage, parking, work space, or just a patio area.

How to Truss Out Two Shipping Containers

The first, is just purchasing a manufactured set of steel trusses. To do this, you'll need to provide the company, or mill working shop, with the distance between your containers, and the length of the containers. From there, they will provide you with several trusses to span the length of the containers, be it 20' or 40' long. Once the trusses are in place the roof will need to be installed, and this will most likely consist of bolting painted aluminum sheets into place.

The second option requires that you, or a friend, are handy with a hammer and nails, but it can be customized to a greater degree. Building wooden trusses takes some understanding of carpentry and wood frame construction, but by doing it by yourself allows you to add things like a crawl space for storage in the rafters. You could also dress it up to include windows on the gable end, or a chimney area for a barbeque grill.

Things to Factor In

 As with any project, before you jump in head first you'll need to include several factors in the planning process.

• Wind: How much wind will the roof need to withstand?
• Snow: If you're in a snowy area, the pitch of the roof may be a factor.
• Foundation: Make sure the containers are level, and on a firmly settled foundation. If not, the roof could twist and come apart prematurely.

ContainerAuction.com isn't directly involved with manufacturing trusses for shipping containers, but the sellers on the marketplace provide new and used shipping containers that are suitable for storage sheds, overseas or domestic shipping, or even repurposed into modular buildings. If you have a question about a specific shipping container that's for sale please contact the seller directly through the listing page. If you have general questions and aren't sure where to get started you can contact ContainerAuction.com directly.