A shop with steel walls, not plywood ones
Most shop break-ins take about two minutes: a cordless grinder through a hasp, or a pry bar under a plywood wall. A shipping container changes the math — Corten steel on every side, a welded frame, cargo doors that take a lock box and a steel personnel door with a commercial lockset. It crosses the Pacific with tonnes of cargo inside; it does not care about a crowbar.
Inside, we build it for work. The package starts with steel stud framing, rigid foam, a barred sliding window and a 100A panel with LED lights and receptacles roughed in. Then you tell us what you run — welder, compressor, a bench of battery chargers, a mower that has to drive in — and we add the 240V circuits, air lines, benches and doors to suit.
It sits on a gravel pad or blocks. When the project wraps or you sell the acreage, it leaves on the same tilt-deck it arrived on.
- Corten steel walls, cargo doors and a locking 36" personnel door
- Steel stud framing and rigid foam, ready for a heater or mini-split
- 100A panel, LED lights and receptacles roughed in for your electrician
- 240V circuits, compressed air, benches and roll-up doors quoted per design
Everything a working shop needs, built in before delivery
The package covers the shell, the insulation and the power. The rest gets sized to the tools you own.
Personnel door + cargo doors
A 36" steel man door with a commercial lockset, so you are not swinging the cargo doors open for a socket set. The original doors stay for wide loads; add a lock box and they beat any shed door.
Roll-up door
For a mechanic bay or anything on wheels, swap one end for a roll-up door and drive straight in. Quoted per design and sized to your clearance — a 40' high-cube adds headroom.
Framing & insulation
Steel stud framing with rigid foam board is our standard — steel because a shop gets damp and wood does not like that. Closed-cell spray foam for the tightest seal up North; rock wool as the fire-resistant pick behind a welding bench.
Power that matches your tools
The basic package roughs in a 100A panel, four LED fixtures, four 15A receptacles and an exterior weatherproof outlet. Tell us what draws current — welder, compressor, heater, chargers — and we add dedicated 240V circuits for your electrician's final hookup.
Compressed air & ventilation
Air lines and drops run inside the framing before the walls close, with a louvred vent, roof turbine or forced ventilation for weld smoke and fumes. Quoted per design — you pay for the drops you use.
Benches, shelving & parts cages
Heavy-duty workbenches down the long wall, shelving to the ceiling and a lockable parts cage for the expensive stuff. The barred sliding window sits over the bench for daylight.
Popular builds & starting prices
Real starting totals: an inspected container plus the modifications listed. Add or remove anything.
20' Insulated Workshop
from $11,700 CAD
+ tax & delivery
Bench-ready, lit and powered — a steel shop nobody is cutting into overnight.
- Inspected used 20' container
- 36" steel personnel door
- Sliding window with security bars
- Steel stud framing + rigid foam insulation
- 100A panel, LED lights, 4 outlets
Quoted per design: Workbenches, shelving & parts cages · Roll-up door · Compressed-air / 240V circuits
Prices in CAD, plus tax and delivery. Every build is quoted line by line before any steel gets cut.
Workbenches, shelving, parts cages, roll-up doors, 240V circuits and compressed-air lines are always quoted per design — tell us what you run and each one gets its own line in the quote.
Add or swap any modification
The same menu the yard quotes from — build up from the package above or start from a bare container.
Doors & windows
- Steel personnel door (36")
- $950each
- Sliding window
- $650each
Framing
- Steel stud framingOur standard
- $2,200per container
- Wood framing
- $1,800per container
Insulation
- Rigid foam boardOur standard
- $1,400per container
- Closed-cell spray foam
- $4,800per container
- Rock wool (mineral wool)
- $1,600per container
- Fiberglass battsOn request
- $900per container
- Undercarriage insulation
- $1,100per container
Electrical & HVAC
- Basic electrical package
- $4,000per container
- HVAC pre-wire
- $450each
Prices in CAD, plus tax and delivery. Every build is quoted line by line before any steel gets cut. Prices reviewed 2026-08-30. Full menu with details
Who puts a shop in a container
From a trades crew that moves every season to a rancher tired of driving to town for a part.
Trades tool cribs
Electricians, plumbers and framers on multi-month jobs. Tools charge overnight in a locked steel box on site instead of riding home in the truck, and the crib follows the crew to the next job.
Acreage & hobby shops
A 20' gives you a bench, shelving and room to turn around; a 40' high-cube doubles the floor and adds headroom. Heated, it is a shop you use in January, not a shed you avoid until May.
Mechanic & small-engine bays
Roll-up door on one end, workbench on the other. Pull a sled, quad or mower inside, close the door and work under LED light while it snows.
Welding & fabrication shops
Steel walls do not care about sparks. Add a 240V circuit for the welder, forced ventilation for the fumes and rock wool behind the bench where the slag lands.
Permits for a container workshop
A container workshop is generally treated as an accessory building, and whether it needs a building permit depends on where it sits — municipalities and regional districts set their own thresholds for size, placement and setbacks. A plain storage container on rural land often faces few rules; a wired, insulated shop with people working inside can be treated differently. Check with your local building department before you order and tell us what they said.
The electrical side is simpler. We rough in the panel, circuits, lights and receptacles at our yard; a licensed electrician in your area makes the final connection under whatever electrical permit your jurisdiction requires. Your quote spells out what we rough in and what your electrician finishes.
General guidance, not legal advice — rules differ by municipality and regional district. Read our BC container permit guide.
Workshops: common questions
How much does a shipping container workshop cost in BC?
The 20' Insulated Workshop package above starts from our published prices: an inspected used 20', a steel personnel door, a barred sliding window, steel stud framing, rigid foam and the basic electrical package. Benches, shelving, a roll-up door, 240V circuits and air lines are added per design; delivery is quoted by distance and site access. Lease-to-own is available if you would rather pay monthly.
How long does a container workshop take, and how is it delivered?
Simple modifications like an extra door take days. A full workshop build — framing, insulation, wiring, benches — is scheduled with a committed date in your quote. Delivery is by tilt-deck truck to a level gravel pad or blocks; the driver needs firm ground and room to back in.
Can I run a welder, an air compressor or 240V tools in it?
Yes, with the right circuits. The basic electrical package is a 100A panel with 15A receptacles — lights, chargers and hand tools. A welder, compressor or electric heater each need a dedicated 240V circuit, roughed in per design, and air lines can run inside the walls before they close. Your electrician makes the final hookup.
Is a container workshop usable through a BC winter?
Yes. Bare steel sweats and gets cold fast, which is why the package includes steel stud framing and rigid foam, with the HVAC pre-wire ready for a mini-split or hard-wired heater. For a shop heated daily in Prince George or the Peace, closed-cell spray foam gives a full air seal and undercarriage foam stops the floor pulling cold off frozen ground.
Should I keep the cargo doors or add a roll-up door?
Keep the cargo doors if you open the end a few times a month for a big load; they seal well and take a lock box. Add a roll-up door if something drives in and out daily — a mower, a quad, a sled or a project car. Either way, the 36" personnel door is how you walk in.
Can I move the workshop later or sell it?
Yes. It is still a shipping container with its corner castings intact, so it lifts onto a tilt-deck and goes to the next property or jobsite. Keep the electrical as a single feed to the panel and disconnecting it is one job for your electrician. A finished, insulated shop holds its value; a shed stays behind with the land.
More questions? See the full FAQ or call (778) 694-4050.
Shipping container workshops and tool cribs across British Columbia
Valleyview Containers builds container workshops, tool cribs, mechanic bays and welding shops at our Kamloops yard and delivers them across BC — the Thompson-Nicola, the Okanagan and Shuswap, the Cariboo, Prince George and the Northern Interior, the Kootenays and the Peace. Trades crews use them as jobsite tool cribs that move between projects. Ranchers and acreage owners put a heated shop on a gravel pad without pouring a slab. Mines, mills and First Nations communities use them as maintenance shops at sites where a stick-built shop would take a season. Every one starts as an inspected, wind and watertight container.
Pricing starts with the 20' Insulated Workshop package above, and every add-on comes from the same modification price list the yard quotes from: personnel doors, sliding windows, steel stud or wood framing, rigid foam, spray foam or rock wool, the basic electrical package and HVAC pre-wire. Roll-up doors, 240V circuits, compressed-air lines, workbenches and parts cages are quoted per design. A used 20' suits a tool crib; a new 40' high-cube makes a full shop. More office than shop? See our container offices. Tack, feed and chemicals? Farm and ranch containers. A generator or pump house? Equipment enclosures. Lease-to-own and fleet pricing apply to workshops too.
Delivery is by tilt-deck truck from Kamloops to a level pad on your site, quoted by distance and access — end-of-road ranches and forest service roads included. Before we book, we confirm the approach, the turnaround and which way the doors should face, so the shop lands where you want the bench. Insulation and heat get sized to where it is going — a Kamloops July and a Prince George January are different jobs. Tell us what you run, where it sits and how often the big doors open, and you will get one itemized quote — container, every modification and delivery — before any steel gets cut. Family-owned in Kamloops, (778) 694-4050.
See all custom container solutions, the full modification price list, our project gallery, or browse containers for sale.
More custom solutions
Container Offices
Insulated, wired 20' offices that replace the rented trailer — and move to the next project with you.
Learn more
Farm & Ranch Containers
Rodent-proof, frost-ready storage for feed, tack and chemicals — delivered to end-of-road ranch sites.
Learn moreEquipment Enclosures
Secure, ventilated housings for generators, pumps, compressors and controls — winter-ready and movable.
Learn more