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Container Studios & WorkshopsConcept render — example build

Container conversion

Container Studios & Workshops

A dedicated space to make, record or create, built around the work.

Somewhere the work can live

Makers, artists, woodworkers, producers and side-hustlers all hit the same wall eventually: the work outgrows the kitchen table, the garage or the spare room, and there’s nowhere it can just stay set up. A converted container gives you a dedicated, secure, properly serviced space where tools stay out, projects stay in progress and the mess stays in one room, without taking over the house.

We build the space around what you make. A woodworking or maker’s workshop needs solid power, bright even light, room to move around a bench and good extraction. A recording or music studio needs the opposite of noise: acoustic treatment, sound isolation and a controlled, comfortable room. A painter or photographer wants light (north-facing glazing or skylights) and clean wall space. We start from the work and design back to the room.

Power, light and a layout that works

The two things a workspace can’t compromise on are power and light, and both are decided up front. We fit ample sockets where you’ll actually use them, at bench height, along the walls, wherever the kit lives, and can upgrade the supply or run three-phase for heavy machinery. Lighting is bright, even and LED, with task light where precision matters. The layout is planned around your workflow so you’re not working around the building.

Underneath it all the shell is insulated to a real standard, so the studio is usable in winter as well as summer, which is important when you’re spending whole days in it. The steel structure is secure, which matters when there’s valuable tools and equipment inside, and it locks up solid when you’re done for the day.

Finished by a tradesman

Jack’s fifteen-plus years as a kitchen fitter is, at heart, workshop craft: precision joinery, fitted storage and getting a working space laid out so everything has its place. That’s exactly what a good studio or workshop needs: built-in benches, shelving and storage made to fit, a finish that’s hard-wearing rather than precious, and a room that’s been thought through by someone who works with tools for a living. Because we hold our own container stock, the build starts when it’s agreed rather than waiting on a supplier.

Sized to the job

A 20ft container gives you a generous single-craft workspace; a 40ft gives you room to separate messy work from clean, or a workshop with a small office or finishing area built in. We’ll size and lay it out around your tools, your materials and how you move through a job, and we can link or stack units for a larger setup.

Sited without the groundwork

The studio is built complete at our workshop and delivered finished on a HIAB lorry that lifts it into position over fences and walls, sets it level on pad stones and leaves it ready to plug in and work. For most sites that means no foundations and no concrete. Access and siting are planned with you ahead of delivery day. And because it’s a container, it moves with you if you relocate. The workshop you’ve set up just right doesn’t have to be left behind.

Planning

Used as a day workspace, not for sleeping, a studio or workshop normally falls under permitted development as an outbuilding: behind the house, single storey, kept low near boundaries, under half the garden, with tighter rules in conservation areas, AONBs and for listed properties. Electrics always fall under Part P, which we wire to. If the unit is for business use or on commercial land, the position can differ, so we’ll talk it through with you. (Always verify with your local planning authority; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ from the England guidance here.)

Built around your craft

Every workshop and studio is different because every maker is. Tell us what you do, what you make and what gets in your way now, and we’ll design, build, deliver and site a space built around the work, backed by our 5-year structural guarantee on the shell. Because the layout and services are bespoke, we price each build to the brief rather than off a list. Tell us what you need and we’ll put a clear quote together.

What’s included

  • Full insulation for comfortable year-round use
  • Lined and finished interior, painted to your scheme
  • Robust flooring suited to the work
  • Electrics: ample sockets, bright task lighting, consumer unit (Part P)
  • Secure lockable doors and ventilation
  • Layout designed around your tools and workflow

Popular options

  • Acoustic treatment and sound isolation for recording
  • Three-phase or upgraded power for heavy tools
  • Dust extraction and bench / storage joinery
  • Sink, water and drainage
  • North-light glazing or skylights for studio light
  • Heating / air conditioning and external cladding

Studios & Workshops builds

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Garden studio: light, power & space to make
Concept render — example build

Garden studio: light, power & space to make

Greater Manchester

No jargon, no dodging

Studios & Workshops: common questions

Do I need planning permission for a container conversion?

For a day-use garden building, such as a gym, office, room, bar or studio, you usually fall under permitted development and need no application, provided it sits behind the house, is single storey, is kept low within 2m of a boundary (max 2.5m high there), covers no more than half your garden and has no veranda or raised platform. Conservation areas, AONBs and listed properties have tighter rules. Anything used for sleeping or letting always needs full planning permission. Always verify with your local planning authority. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ from this England guidance, and a Lawful Development Certificate is worth considering for peace of mind.

What about sleeping in it, or using it as an Airbnb or annexe?

Any space used for sleeping or letting, such as a guest annexe, a holiday let or an Airbnb, always needs full planning permission and must meet Building Regulations, without exception. That covers insulation, ventilation, fire safety and how services are installed. We build glamping and holiday-let units to that sleeping specification from the start and will guide you through the planning route, but the permission itself is granted by your local authority.

Do Building Regulations apply?

For a detached garden building under 15m² of internal floor area with no sleeping use, Building Regulations generally do not apply. Between 15m² and 30m² there are conditions, mainly around proximity to boundaries and fire. Any sleeping accommodation brings full Building Regs into play. One thing always applies regardless of size: Part P, covering electrical work, and we wire every build to it. Always confirm your specific case with your local authority building control.

What foundations does it need, and how is it sited?

For most gardens, none in the traditional sense. A container is structural in its own right, so we typically site it on levelled concrete pad stones or a simple prepared base, with no digging foundations and no waiting for concrete to cure. On softer or sloping ground we will advise on the right base. The unit is craned into final position, levelled and left ready.

How is it delivered, and how much access do you need?

The finished unit is delivered on a HIAB lorry, a lorry with a crane that lifts the container over fences, walls and hedges into position, so the lorry itself does not need to reach the exact spot. We do need clear access for the lorry to get close enough and overhead room for the crane. Tight or unusual access is usually workable, but we assess it with you before delivery day so there are no surprises. We deliver nationwide from our Radcliffe base.

Is it insulated enough to use all year round?

Yes. Proper insulation is the difference between a usable room and a cold steel box, and it is where cheaper conversions cut corners. We insulate walls, floor and ceiling to a real standard and seal against draughts, so the space holds heat through a Manchester winter and stays comfortable in summer. Add heating or air conditioning and it is a genuine every-day-of-the-year room.

Concept render — example build

Ready for your studios & workshops?

Tell us what you’re picturing. We’ll design it, build it, and set it down ready to enjoy.

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