Practice Management

Thinking Inside The Box

By chucknewton

I have posted about alternatives for office space before, and I have posted about the possibility of using shipping containers to construct a law office.  A great example of this idea is the Office Cabin concept by Containex.  The company simply take a shipping container, or a combination of them, cuts out holes for windows, and a door, finish it out inside, and ship it to you on a truck to where you need it.

Shipping containers come in 16, 20, 30, and 40 foot lengths.  They are 8 feet wide and 9.5 feet tall.  You can combine them into almost any configuration.  They are readily stackable.  If you have a little bit of land and just need a home area office, the 20 foot container offers you 160 square feet, which is more than enough space.

You can simply paint the outside to any color you wish, and I have seen people easily stucco the outside, if that helps the ascetics.

But, you do not need a company to build these out for you.  Because of the trade deficit with China and other countries, there is an overwhelming surplus of shipping containers in this country.  I have seen them selling for as little as $2,500.00 dollars.  Transporting then for configuration and to your site is about another $2,000.00.  Find a professional welder to cut the entry points and window, a painter to spray paint it, and an electrician and plumber as needed.  Drywall and insulation services are relatively cheap.  The point is that you can have a marginally good looking office for slightly less than $50.00 a square foot, with not that much effort.

Even if you need a bigger, public office, you only have to purchase several, cut out the panels where you need to pass through, and have the unit welded into place.  A little landscaping, and you will have a new office on the cheap.

I would tell you that this possibility requires you to think outside the box, but my main thought at this point is that it requires you to think inside the box instead.

Full post as published by Chuck Newton on February 20, 2008 (boomark / email).