Home Business Portable Storage

With the demand for computer, Internet, and other tech jobs rising, the amount of businesses that can be run from home are also increasing. If you run your business out of your house, you know how restrictive space can be. It’s crucial to properly organize your business equipment and supplies for a smaller work environment, and Porta-Stor can help. Here are some of the ways that portable storage can help you make the most out of the space you have for your home business.

On-Site Delivery

One of the best conveniences of portable storage containers is their ability to be delivered directly to wherever they are needed. Having the container set up next your home office makes it much easier to transfer items to and from storage. Keep in mind the surrounding area when choosing a unit size. If the access roads are narrow or you want to set up the unit in your driveway for a while, you might need a smaller unit.

Convenient Timing

Portable storage units are great for working around your schedule. If you work in a home business, you know the importance of this convenience. You can have a storage container sent to your home when you need it, left there for as long as you need, and then taken away for either short-term or long-term storage.

Organization

Organizing a business takes a lot of space. A portable storage unit can greatly help you get the extra space you need. Depending on how much stuff you need to store, there are a variety of sizes available, allowing you to organize not only your newly cleared-out home office, but also the items that are put into the storage unit. Separate your supplies into different categories so they are easy to find when you visit your container or have it delivered back to your home.

Security

If your business needs to store important, confidential documents or expensive equipment, you can rest easy knowing that your portable storage unit offers great protection and security. Porta-Stor’s durable steel containers are secured with hidden locks that blend into the side of the container. The containers are also resistant to heat, cold, water, and moisture.

Affordability

Many people run their business out of their home because it’s a very affordable option. Luckily, renting a portable storage unit is not overly expensive, and there are several options available at different price ranges. Porta-Stor can help you figure out which one is right for you!

If you have further questions about how portable storage can help your home business, check out Porta-Stor’s other blogs. See how other businesses use portable storage, or how to plan for an office move.

Clinic in a Can – Shipping Container Hospitals

About Clinic in a Can

Clinic in a Can is a nonprofit group that sends shipping container hospitals around the world. The company is based in Kansas, but has far-reaching effects. Their medical facilities have helped provide disaster relief in many areas and fight Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

The purpose of Clinic in a Can is to make medical care more accessible to people in remote locations. Their website proudly states that their main objective is that “every human being should have access to quality healthcare,” and they work hard to work towards that goal.

These shipping container hospitals are extremely portable. They can be shipped across the world and set up quickly and easily, allowing medical care to reach isolated populations that have no other options. Currently, the company has connections in Haiti, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. They also help with domestic disaster relief across the United States.

How the Clinics Work

Like other shipping container buildings, these clinics are very adaptable. They can be set up for critical care, primary care, dentistry, surgery, emergency care, or pretty much any other medical facility that is needed. They are solar powered and work extremely efficiently on less than 500 watts of electricity. Their green equipment provides air conditioning and any kind of lighting requirements.

There are 3 major types of clinics in a can:

Premium clinics mimic the technology, equipment, storage, and cleanliness abilities of an actual hospital. This provides the doctors with a lot of flexibility in what they can do.

Economy clinics provide a quality medical center that is climate controlled, energy efficient, and clean, but at a lower cost than the premium setup.

Isolation clinics are designed to help combat infectious diseases and prevent their spread. They include a waste-disposal system and negative-pressure environment.

Success Fighting Ebola

In December 2013, the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded at the time began devastating West Africa. By 2014, the fatality rate of the virus in the area had reached 70%. The countries most affected were crippled by disease, conflict, and instability, resulting in weakened health care capabilities.

Clinic in a Can stepped in to help in 2015. Their portable shipping container hospitals could help overcome the obstacles facing these areas to build actual hospital buildings, such as cost, time, and government support. They provided supplementary medical care to locations that were desperate.

One such clinic, Masanga Hospital, was set up in Makeni, Sierra Leone. People came from Denmark, Holland, Norway, and the UK to work there. With their help, it was capable of serving over 400,000 people and greatly helped the effort to combat Ebola.

Since then, Clinic in a Can has continued to spread its help to more areas of the globe. The ability to send durable, portable, easily set-up clinics wherever needed is an amazing feat. Hopefully they will continue to help people facing natural disasters and disease outbreaks in many more locations in the future.

If you want more information about how shipping containers are being used in unique and interesting ways, check out Porta-Stor’s blog here.

Use Portable Storage When Staging Your Home

Getting clutter out of the way is the most important part of staging a home. Whether you have important visitors coming to stay or need to prepare your house for sale, getting extra stuff out of the way will make it seem cleaner, roomier, and more inviting. Unless you have a huge attic or shed available, it can be hard to find space to store your belongings. Portable storage containers are a great and convenient way to add extra storage space for long or short periods of time. Here are some reasons why you should use portable storage when staging your home:

Portable Storage Containers are Convenient

Portable storage containers are convenient and flexible in several ways. They can be dropped off directly to your home, stay until you’re done packing, then taken away while working around your schedule. They come in many sizes, allowing you to store a lot of stuff if necessary, including large furniture. You have complete control over how your belongings are packed and stored. You can also easily access your storage container whenever you need to get something out of it.

Long-Term or Short-Term Storage Options

Portable storage containers can be used for long or short periods of time. If you want to impress some visitors who are staying through the holidays, put away your extra clutter for a few weeks. On the other hand, sometimes selling a home can take months. Having to stage your house for sale is a pain, but by putting your belongings into long-term storage, you can be sure that everything is safe, secure, out of the way, and easily accessible for as long as you need.

Security and Protection

Porta-Stor’s containers are made of strong steel and stored in safe locations. They are secured with locks that are hidden with more steel that blends in with the rest of the container. They are also resistant to heat, cold, water, and moisture. You can rest easy knowing that your belongings are well protected.

If you are selling your home, having visitors coming to stay, or just want extra clutter out of the way, consider using portable storage when staging your home. Make sure that your belongings are safe, secure, and accessible to you while working around your schedule.

Shipping Container Street Restaurants

As a result of modern globalization, shipping containers are being used more than ever around the world. However, after they arrive at their destinations, many are stacked up and left unused. This has led some people to find other uses for these durable, versatile containers as building materials.

Recently, shipping containers have been used for housing, hotels, farms, and more. (See Porta-Stor’s other blogs on these topics here.) These structures range from permanent, beautiful designs to temporary and mobile conveniences. Yet another way people are using them as a building material is for shipping container street restaurants. A major benefit of these designs is that they can fit in small spaces that regular buildings cannot and can be set up quickly when needed.

Aprisa Mexican (Shipping Container) Restaurants

Aprisa is a set of Mexican restaurants originating in Portland, Oregon and owned by Kirk Lance. Lance eventually wants to spread his vision of providing quick and delicious food through environmentally friendly means across the country. His restaurants would come as modular units in shipping containers that include all the basic equipment required to set up a street restaurant. They could be placed in parking lots or vacant areas near locations with high demand. The unit just needs to be connected to utility lines and could be up and running within 2 days after arrival!

You can find more information about Aprisa and how their current restaurants go green on their website.

Benefits

Shipping container restaurants have several benefits. As mentioned before, they can be set up quickly and easily in locations that regular restaurants cannot squeeze into. Their mobility allows for them to be set up where they are needed when demand arises and then moved to a new location if no longer needed in that area. This is great for locations that have seasonal restaurant needs.

Shipping containers are durable and modular. It’s relatively easy to alter them to meet the needs of the situation. A designer can use a single unit for a small area or combine several together for a larger, more permanent structure. The interiors can be finished in the same ways as normal buildings, with drywall, metal, wood, carpet, cement or other types of walls and floors.

If the shipping containers were previously used, they have the added benefit of being recycled into a new purpose rather than sitting around collecting dust. These days, running a business with environmentally-conscious methods is a huge bonus, helping the earth while drawing in more customers.

Because of these pros, even large chains have started using shipping containers for some of their locations, including Starbucks and Taco Bell.

Difficulties

Unfortunately, shipping container restaurants aren’t without their downsides. Although the initial cost of a used shipping container is low (usually less than $3000), there are many other costs involved with setting one up as a restaurant. The tough metal needs to be cut to include windows, doors, and utility lines. Insulation needs to be added, and finishing the interior can cost quite a bit of money.

The work to convert a shipping container into a usable building requires workers who are experienced with the medium and know what they are doing. The material is tough and space is limited.

Another downside to shipping container buildings is the size limitation. This is good for setting up a building in a small area, but it also severely limits the amount of space inside the structure. Even when multiple containers are combined together, they are not as versatile as a building designed from scratch without having to be made from size-regulated boxes.

It can also be difficult to acquire the correct permits for shipping container restaurants. These buildings are relatively new, and many areas don’t have specific permitting laws for them. Inspectors might not know how to go about examining the structure to make sure it’s up to code and safe, leading to a lengthy and confusing process. One advantage that modular buildings have when it comes to permitting is that they can be given an OK on the state level and then only require a simple utility check after they’ve been shipping elsewhere around the same state.

Some difficulties can arise when trying to set up a shipping container street restaurant, but overall there are many benefits. They use recycled materials, are quick to set up, have the ability to fit into small spaces, and can easily move to other locations when the need arises. Keep an eye out for shipping container street restaurants near you in the future!