Questions we get before the deposit

A steel box can, and we would rather tell you that up front than have you find out in August. Warm humid air meeting a cold steel surface will condense — the same reason a glass of iced tea beads up on the porch. The cure is not to hope; it is to keep humid interior air away from the bare steel and to give the assembly a way to dry.

Every 320 is framed inside the corrugation with a vented cavity behind the interior panel, so any moisture that does reach the steel can move rather than sit. On the ceiling, where the risk is highest, our standard assembly is a one-inch closed-cell spray foam flash against the deck with fiberglass batt behind it and a one-inch insulation board under the batt — roughly R-25. That board matters more than it sounds: it keeps the 2×4s from pressing straight against the steel and carrying heat through.

The Sport ships with batt and no foam flash. That is an honest choice for a shaded site or seasonal use, and it is the reason we ask where the cabin is going before we quote it.

• Sport 320 — R-13 fiberglass batt in 2×4 wall framing, batt at the ceiling.
• Comfort 320 — R-19 fiberglass batt in the walls, mineral wool at the ceiling.
• Classic 320 — closed-cell spray foam flash over batt, walls and ceiling.

Two upgrades are available on any model: 2×6 wall framing on 24″ centers for a higher wall R-value, and the closed-cell flash added to a Sport or Comfort.

Yes, and a lot of ranch and hunting-lease owners do exactly that so the unit is not 120 degrees when they pull up. If that is your plan, we will steer you toward the closed-cell flash rather than batt alone: cooled interior air against uninsulated steel in a Texas summer is the one combination that reliably makes water.

Worth planning for the condensate line too. A mini split running unattended for weeks should drain somewhere you have looked at, not into a pan nobody is emptying.

A one-trip 40′ high-cube container — a box that has made a single ocean crossing, not a twenty-year-old unit with a history. Finished interior dimensions are about 8′3″ floor to ceiling and 7′ wall to wall, for 320 square feet.

Walls are framed in 2×4 inside the corrugation (2×6 on 24″ centers is an upgrade), insulated, and panelled. We do not use Sheetrock on the walls — panel products travel better on a trailer and stay put.

Vinyl plank laid over the original container decking. No other treatment as standard; we will seal the deck first on request.

Some municipalities prohibit shipping containers as dwellings or accessory structures inside city limits, and the rules differ from town to town. Where the ordinance is written about appearance, wrapping the container in wood or lap siding sometimes satisfies it. Where the ordinance names intermodal containers directly, siding will not change the answer.

Please talk to your local building official before you place a deposit — one phone call saves everyone a hard conversation later. Tell us what they say and we will build to what they will approve if we can.

No. We are not pursuing park model RV certification right now. The licensing process requires engineering and recurring inspections, and we are not big enough yet to carry those costs without putting them on your invoice.

That makes these cabins a good fit for land where a structure permit, an accessory building permit, or no permit at all is the path — and a poor fit anywhere that requires a certification label on the unit.

Where it applies, we are willing to build to IBC Section 3115, the section covering intermodal shipping containers. Send us what your inspector requires and we will tell you straight whether we can meet it.

A third-party hauler brings it on an F-350 with a tilt-bed trailer, at current market rates for at-grade delivery. Deliveries are in-state.

Two numbers to check before you order: the truck needs about 65 feet to turn around, and overhead clearance along the route generally runs 11 to 15 feet. Above a certain finished size and weight the haul goes on a semi instead, which changes both of those.

Piers sunk in the ground with cement blocks and a metal tie-down work well and are what most of our customers do. Have it ready before the delivery date — the hauler sets the cabin on whatever is there if the truck can reach it without special ramps.

If your foundation is above grade — piers with real height, or a foundation wall — you will need to arrange a telehandler or a crane. Steps, the landing and the tie-down are on your side.

Between 18,000 and 20,000 pounds finished, depending on model and options. Worth knowing if your access crosses a cattle guard, a culvert or soft ground.

The cabin ships with the exterior electrical panel only — no cord and no feeder — so your electrician makes the final hookup to your service and pulls the local permit. Inside there is a ceiling light in every room, a porch light at each exterior door, a 240V range circuit, and an exterior A/C disconnect ready for a future mini split. Battery-powered smoke and CO detectors are included.

Plumbing terminates under the cabin beneath the bathroom, for your plumber to vent and tie into the on-site septic.

Every cabin is wired for 120V window units and comes with the exterior disconnect in place for a mini split. The mini split itself, and security lights, are options rather than standard. We can have one sized and installed before delivery if you would rather not chase an installer afterward.

A 30-gallon tall electric heater on all three models — a double-element 4500W unit with a six-year warranty. We standardized on electric because it is simpler to install and, once it is in, it is a thing you never have to think about again: no gas line, no venting, no seasonal service.

An outdoor propane tankless mounted on the back wall behind the bathroom is available if you would rather have the floor space back and endless hot water. Ask and we will price it.

The Comfort comes with a contractor-quality package and the Classic with an upgraded one. The Sport comes with none, on purpose — buyers at that level usually have their own plan. We will tell you exactly what fits: a 20″ electric range and a roughly 7 cubic-foot refrigerator no more than 21 to 23 inches deep keep the walkway clear.

Yes — a ceiling vent fan wired to run whenever the bathroom light is on. There is no separate switch to forget.

Eight to ten weeks once the unit is in the shop. What moves a date is almost never the carpentry — it is the pre-order items (the container itself, mineral wool, some doors, cabinets) and getting the third-party electrician on the calendar.

Payment is made in installments ahead of the work at each stage. The warranty is one year.

We do sell them. A recent one went out with two side windows, an entry door and the wall framed three feet inside the cargo door area — framing only — to a retired coach who is finishing it with friends as a hunting cabin. Tell us how far you want us to take it and we will price that point.

Yes. Alongside the 320 we build 160 and 480 square-foot cabins, and we build to other footprints entirely — including small site offices and guard shacks down to 8×10 with steel framing, spray foam, commercial-grade flooring and HVAC. If you have a use that does not fit a 40-foot box, describe it and we will tell you what it takes.