Shipping container conversions in Newcastle upon Tyne
Habitable lodges and conversions built from steel shipping containers, from the groundworks to the fitted joinery inside. Alex does the groundworks and the plumbing himself, container work is £350 a day, and every quote is free and in writing.
Why a container needs a joiner
Box & Beam began as a shipping container conversion business, and that work still goes on.
Turning a steel box into somewhere a person can live is joinery with the tolerances tightened and none of the forgiveness. There is no stud wall to pack out, no floor screed to level a mistake into, and every millimetre you lose to insulation is a millimetre off the room. Everything has to be measured off steel that was built to hold cargo, not to be square.
Alex has worked in joinery since leaving school, on site and in joinery since 2015, and moving the business over to joinery and property work was, in his words, sticking to the trade he knows best. A container is the same trade with the tolerances tightened. He does the groundworks and the plumbing himself and brings in a qualified electrician for the wiring, so you deal with one person from the base to the handover.
How the business got hereWhat a conversion involves
A container is a shell. Everything that makes it somewhere you would want to be is the bit that comes after.
Getting it there
- Groundworks and the base it sits on, done by Alex himself
- Delivery and lifting into position, arranged with the haulier
- Levelling and fixing down
The steel
- Cutting openings for doors and windows
- Framing and reinforcing the openings where the steel is cut
- Treating and finishing the shell
Making it warm
- Insulation through the walls, floor and roof
- Internal stud framing off the steel
- External cladding, in timber or composite
Making it a room
- The full internal fit-out: linings, flooring, doors, trim and fitted joinery
- Kitchen and bathroom joinery to the same spec as a house
- Plumbing by Alex, with a qualified electrician brought in
Thinking about a container build? Tell us what you have in mind.
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What a container conversion costs
Container work is priced the same way as everything else we do: by the day.
How much does a container conversion cost per day?
£350 a day.
Box & Beam’s own day rate for container work, for labour.
How is a container conversion priced?
By the day.
Quoted by the number of days it takes at the day rate above. You get the day count in writing before anything starts.
Do you provide a written quotation?
Free, always.
The visit and the written quotation cost nothing.
Do you still take on container work?
Yes.
Box & Beam began as a shipping container conversion business, and that work still goes on alongside the joinery.
This is our own price for labour, correct as of September 2026. The container itself, the materials, and anything bought in such as delivery and craning are on top, and the written quote lists each of them, with the number of days, before anything starts. A container fit-out is effectively a small property renovation, and it is quoted the same way. Box & Beam is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT to add to any price here.
Container questions
Do you still do shipping container conversions?
Yes. It is where Box & Beam started, and that work still goes on alongside the joinery.
How much does a container conversion cost?
£350 a day for labour. The container, materials and anything bought in such as delivery and craning are on top, with the days and the cost set out in a free written quote before anything starts.
Do you do the groundworks?
Yes, Alex does the groundworks and the base the container sits on himself.
Who does the electrics?
A qualified electrician is brought in for the electrics. Alex does the plumbing himself.
Ask for a container price
- Send it overA rough idea is enough to start with.
- Alex comes to lookA free visit at a time that suits you. He measures up and talks through the options.
- A written quote, freeThe scope and the cost in writing. If you are happy, a deposit books your start date.
Would you rather talk it through? Ring 0191 743 3002 or email enquiries@boxandbeam.co.uk.
Every job carries a 12 month workmanship guarantee, and the balance is only paid once we have walked round the finished work with you. £5m public liability cover with Markel, employers’ liability on top, CSCS carded and DBS checked.