2×20 L-shaped container as an annexe: 29.5 m²
Two 20 ft in an L. Weekend house or rural holiday let on a plot with difficult access.
The space standard applies only where your council has adopted it in its Local Plan. Check with the council and an architect before you choose a plan.
How much it costs
Between £50,709 and £68,607, VAT included and a ±15% margin. Balanced finish, one-trip containers, residential plot with water, power and drainage. The land is not included.
Container prices from UK depots (2025–2026) and building work with UK factors on the Contentar engine, checked in November 2026. VAT at 20%. Excludes land, heat pump, solar panels, warranty, CIL and stamp duty.
It includes 8% more than the same area in simple containers. The structural link has an almost fixed cost and weighs more in a small set: ~+6–10%.
Build complexity: medium.
For and against
For
- Two small modules reach plots a 40 ft cannot get into (access, cranes).
- The corner becomes the kitchen and hinge: sleeping in one wing, living in the other, deck in between.
- Cheap to found and transport; good for phases (one container now, another later).
Against
- 29.5 m² built: below the 37 m² space-standard minimum; it works as a garden annexe.
- A standard 20 ft gives ~2.25 m ceiling height: insist on 20 ft High Cube; the joint costs almost as much as on a 40.
Sun orientation
Deck in the corner facing south/east; the west wing gives afternoon shade; north side almost blank.
Adjust the finish, used or new container and the land, and see the cost line by line.
Work out my cost UK guide · join the waiting listSee this plan in 3D on Contentar
Other plans
- 1×20 container as an annexe: 14.8 m²Annex in a 20 ft container · £30,698–£41,532
- 1×40 container as an annexe: 29.7 m²Studio in a 40 ft container · £42,063–£56,909
- Container home 2×40: 1 bedroom, 59.4 m²1 bedroom · two 40 ft side by side · £78,046–£105,591
- Container home 3×40: 2 bedrooms, 89.2 m²2 bedrooms · three 40 ft side by side · £110,928–£150,078
- Container home 4×40: 3 bedrooms, 118.9 m²3 bedrooms · four 40 ft side by side · £144,913–£196,060
- Container home 2×40 + 1×20 L-shaped: 2 bedrooms, 74.2 m²L-shaped 2 bedrooms with a patio · £92,681–£125,390
- Container home 4×40 H-shaped: 3 bedrooms, 118.9 m²H-shaped 3 bedrooms with two patios · £147,412–£199,440
- Container home 3×40 duplex: 2 bedrooms, 89.2 m²2-bedroom duplex, one 40 on top · £113,847–£154,027
- 1×40 + 1×20 with decking container as an annexe: 44.5 m²40 + 20 ft with decking · £59,228–£80,131
- 2×20 L-shaped container as an annexe: 29.5 m²Two 20 ft in an L · £50,709–£68,607
- 2×40 cantilevered container as an annexe: 59.4 m²Stacked cantilever with a terrace · £85,014–£115,019