Hire Pros. Stay Under $18K. Your 20-ft Container Home Guide

Introduction: Why I Wrote This Guide.

I started building shipping container homes because I wanted to offer affordable housing. That was the goal from day one—create something solid, livable, and low-cost that regular people could actually own.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize something: affordable housing stops being affordable the moment a middleman gets involved. Contractors add their markup, architects over-complicate the design, and suddenly that “cheap” tiny home costs as much as a traditional build.

That’s when I made a decision—if affordable housing was ever going to be real, people needed a manual. Something they could follow step by step to build their own home without getting taken advantage of, overwhelmed, or buried in hidden costs.

This book is that manual.

It’s built on my years of experience working with containers—not just stacking or delivering them, but converting them into full-blown homes, offices, mobile kitchens, and even multi-container builds. I’ve cut new roofs, welded in staircases, joined units side by side—you name it. And along the way, I learned what works, what fails, and what you don’t hear in most DIY books or YouTube videos.

This guide isn’t theory. It’s not design fluff. It’s a blueprint for real-world success, especially if you're working with a tight budget and want to stay under $18,000.

You’ll learn:

• How to choose the right container and avoid the money pits
  
  

• What to ask zoning officials, and how to avoid permit nightmares
  
  

• Who to hire, what to pay them, and when to schedule them
  
  

• How to design a small space that still feels like home
  
  

Most importantly, this guide puts you in control—so whether you’re building a backyard rental, an off-grid retreat, or your first permanent home, you won’t be dependent on anyone else to make it happen.

If you’re serious about building smart, building solid, and building something you can be proud of, let’s get started.

– Wayne Gardner