A steel box with a hatch cut in the side is about as industrial-chic as a garden bar gets. Containers are strong, lockable and look great with festoons strung off the roof. They also sweat, rust, need a crane or a lorry with a hiab to arrive, and count as a building for planning purposes.
Why people like them
- Security: a steel shell with lockable doors is hard to break into. See garden bar security.
- The look: corrugated sides, chunky doors and a long hatch suit a modern garden bar.
- A quick shell: the walls and roof arrive in one piece.
They suit bigger gardens with good access. In a narrow terrace garden with no side gate, they are usually a non-starter.
Condensation is the big one
Steel is cold. Warm, damp air from people, breath and a fridge hits the cold walls and roof and turns to water, which then drips on the counter and rusts the shell from the inside.
- Insulate the walls and especially the roof. Specialist container converters often use spray foam or rigid boards. Ask what they recommend and why.
- Ventilate. Even an insulated box needs air movement. Vents, an opening hatch and an extractor all help.
- Avoid unflued gas heaters inside, which add moisture as well as carbon monoxide risk.
Our guides to insulating a garden bar and damp and ventilation explain the principles; they apply doubly to a metal building.
Cutting openings
A container's corrugated walls are part of its strength. Cutting a large hatch or a full-width glazed opening removes some of that, so the edges usually need a steel frame welded in.
- Ask a converter or fabricator to cut and frame openings rather than doing it with an angle grinder at the weekend.
- Plan the serving side first. See serving hatches.
- Seal and paint every cut edge or it will rust.
- Pick doors and glazing that suit the use; see doors, windows and shutters.
Delivery and the base
A container arrives on a lorry and is lifted or slid into place. Before ordering, check:
- the route from the road, including width, overhead cables, trees and soft ground;
- where a lorry can park, and whether a crane or hiab can reach over the house or fence;
- whether you need permission to park or lift on the road (ask the supplier and the council).
It then needs a level, firm base: often concrete pads or a slab under the corners. Our base guide helps plan this. Delivery advice for sheds in delivery and assembly applies too, only with a much bigger vehicle.
Think about where the doors will face before it lands. Container doors are usually at one end and need room to swing fully open. Once a container is down, nudging it round by hand is not an option, so mark the footprint and the door swing on the ground with string or spray paint and check it from the house, the seating area and the neighbour's side before delivery day.
Planning permission
The Planning Portal treats a container used as a garden building much like any other outbuilding. In England it may fall under permitted development if it meets every outbuilding condition, including height limits near the boundary and not sitting forward of the house. A standard container sits on its base, so the total height including the base and any roof you add matters. Read our planning permission guide and, outside England, the guide for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats have tighter rules. If in doubt, ask the council before the lorry is booked.
Rain, roofs and finishing touches
A flat container roof holds water in the dents. Some owners add a light pitched roof or a canopy over the top and the hatch, with gutters to send the water somewhere useful; see guttering and rainwater and awnings and canopies.
Inside, ply or timber lining softens the look and hides insulation. Electrics go in through a proper gland and should be done by a registered electrician; see power to a garden bar.
Walk the route from the road to the spot in your garden with a tape measure, then send photos to two converters and ask what access they need before you get attached to the idea.
Quick answers
Do I need planning permission for a shipping container bar?
Not always. In England it is treated like other outbuildings and may be permitted development if it meets every condition. Check height near boundaries; see planning permission.
How do I stop condensation in a container bar?
Insulate the walls and roof, keep ventilation, and avoid unflued gas heaters inside.
Can I cut a hatch in a container myself?
It is better done by a fabricator. Large openings usually need a welded steel frame to keep the shell strong.
What base does a container need?
A firm, level base, often concrete pads or a slab under the corners. Ask the supplier, and see our base guide.
Sources
Primary guidance checked 10 November 2026.