How it works
Six steps, no surprises.
The whole reason we publish prices and put a design tool on the website is that nobody should have to sit through a sales pitch to find out what a home costs. Here is exactly what happens and in what order.
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01
Design and price it yourself
Today · Free
Use the design tool to pick your containers, layout, square footage and finishes. You get a build price, an all-in project estimate and a design ID you can save, print or send to us. No email required to see numbers.
Open the design tool -
02
Free consultation call
30 minutes · Free
We go through your design, your lot and your jurisdiction. This is where we tell you the things a configurator cannot — whether your city allows it, whether your access will take a crane truck, and whether a container is even the right answer for your property.
Schedule the call -
03
Site Discovery
1–2 weeks · Paid, credited to your build
We visit the property, confirm setbacks and zoning, check utility locations and soil, measure crane and truck access, and produce a written report with a firm scope. This is the step that keeps a project from going sideways after money is spent.
What Site Discovery covers -
04
Design review and final scope
2–4 weeks
Drawings, engineering, structural calculations and the permit package. You sign a fixed scope and a fixed price. Nothing goes to the shop floor until you have both in writing.
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05
We build while your site gets ready
8–16 weeks
Your home is fabricated in our Mesa yard — framing, insulation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, finishes — while your foundation and utilities are prepped on site. Two schedules running at once is the main reason container builds beat conventional construction on time.
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06
Delivery, set and final
1–3 days on site
Trucked to your lot, craned onto the foundation, tied down, connected to utilities and walked through with you. Final inspection, punch list, keys.
Start with a free call
Step 06, on video
What set day actually looks like
Three clips from one Arizona delivery: crane set on a prepared pad, the haul out of our Mesa yard, and final placement squared to the slab.
Straight answers
Are shipping container homes legal in Arizona?
Yes, when they are permitted like any other structure. Mesa, Phoenix, Tucson and most Arizona jurisdictions permit them under the residential code as long as the structural modifications are engineered and stamped. The variable is not legality, it is your specific city, county and HOA. We confirm this in Site Discovery before you commit real money.
How long does a build actually take?
From signed scope to keys, plan on four to six months for a single-container home and five to eight for larger builds. Permitting is usually the longest unpredictable stretch. Fabrication itself runs eight to sixteen weeks.
Can I get financing?
Container homes on a permanent foundation are increasingly financeable, but not through every lender and rarely through a standard mortgage until the home is complete and appraised. Most of our clients use cash, a HELOC on their existing property, a construction loan or a personal loan. We will point you toward lenders who have actually funded one of these, but we do not originate loans and we do not give financial advice.
What is not included in your prices?
Land, site preparation and foundation, permits and jurisdiction fees, utility connections, delivery beyond the quoted radius, crane set, landscaping, furnishings, financing costs and taxes. Every one of those is estimated separately in the design tool so you can see the real all-in number rather than a headline price.
Do you build outside the Phoenix area?
Regularly. We deliver across Arizona — Tucson, Flagstaff, the White Mountains, Rim Country — and we will quote further on request. Delivery is priced by distance and crane requirements.
How well do they hold up in Arizona heat?
Well, when they are insulated properly. Every home we build gets closed-cell spray foam, which is why we spec it as standard rather than an upgrade. A steel box with fiberglass batts is miserable in July. A steel box with closed-cell foam and a correctly sized mini-split is not.
Can I put one in my backyard as a guest house?
In most Arizona cities, yes — that is what an accessory dwelling unit is, and state law has pushed cities to allow them more broadly. The limits are lot size, setbacks, height and sometimes total ADU square footage. If your HOA has architectural review, a traditional stucco casita is often the easier approval.
What happens if I want to change something mid-build?
Changes are possible but they get expensive fast once fabrication starts — steel work in particular. This is exactly why we push so hard on the design tool and the design review step. Decide on screen, not on the shop floor.
Ready to start at step one?
Design something in ten minutes, or skip straight to a phone call. Both are free.