Homes made of shipping containers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. One thing many off-grid shipping container homes tend to have in common is their creative design. Builders and architects love to take these geometric containers and spruce them up in imaginative ways. Besides providing a small, secure home, it allows innovative artists and homemakers to repurpose containers that would often go unused.
So are you looking for an affordable yet unique way to change up your next vacation, or maybe downsize your home to the bare minimum? Here are 10 of the best shipping-container homes around, from unique residences to prefab homes you can purchase (or replicate) by buying storage containers for the design you like most.
1. Container Guest House
Poteet Architects built a simple but handsome guesthouse for a client in San Antonio, Texas. The firm stuck with the original blue container color but added a steel-frame rooftop garden to fit in with green landscaping surrounding the guesthouse. In addition, you can also expect bamboo plywood, glass sliding windows, a deck with a shade-giving overhang and many other touches that give this container home a breezy, architectural aesthetic.
2. Flagstaff Container House
This lovely home in Flagstaff, Arizona was put together with six salvaged shipping containers. The two-story dwelling boasts multiple bedrooms and offices, a plant solarium, and it even has the capacity to store electric solar power. It also features equipment for collecting rainwater on the second level for use on the grounds. This charming container dwelling fits the very definition of sustainable and inventive engineering.
3. Backcountry Containers
Backcountry Containers, based out of Needville, Texas, focuses on custom container-home builds. The company works with 20- and 40-foot containers to construct single-container or multiple-container homes. They start with a core build, then customize from there based on the client’s wishes. From container homes with mountain views to gorgeous modern farmhouses, if you’re looking for an affordable home-building option, these are the folks to call.
4. Redondo Beach Container House
DeMaria Design Associates’ Redondo Beach Shipping Container House demonstrates how shipping container construction doesn’t have to limit living space. This chic, two-story beachside residence is built out of eight recycled shipping containers and features a spacious living area with 20-foot-high ceilings that open onto the property via folding airplane hangar doors. Even the long swimming pool was built out of a recycled shipping container, making it a true container home property from top to bottom.
5. HO4+ Shipping Container Homes
If you’re in the market for a larger off-grid shipping container home, the HO4+ prefab design by Honomobo might be the answer to your single-level casa dreams. These stylish homes, made from four containers, offer 1,224 square feet of space. Potential customers living in the U.S. or Canada can choose from either a three-bedroom, one-bathroom layout or a two-bedroom, two-bathroom layout. Both layouts come with a stylish dining room and a large, open kitchen.
6. The Beach Box
The Beach Box in the Hamptons was built out of four containers. This house is definitely on the high end when it comes to homes made of shipping containers. It’s been listed in the past for around a million dollars. With almost 2,000 square feet of living space and 1,300 of deck space, The Beach Box is one of the most ambitious container dwellings ever built.
7. The Helm
The Helm container home is a two-story house than you can own for less than a grand. It’s built by combining a 40-foot container with a 20-foot container. The design features an upstairs “master suite with a full-size bathroom,” as well as “giant, full-glass doors that open onto the private upper deck.” The Helm could be pure shipping-container heaven for anyone looking for a new place to live.
8. Devil’s Corner
Cumulus Studio built the timber-clad Devil’s Corner as a visitor’s center for the Brown Brothers winery in Apslawn, Tasmania. It’s a unique-looking structure with an observation deck overlooking the vineyard. Add a tall vertical shipping container tower, and visitors will experience incredible views that let them take in the stunning Tasmanian landscape.
9. Joshua Tree Residence
The Joshua Tree Residence by Whitaker Studio is one of the most artistically designed shipping container homes you’ll ever see. This California home created by James Whitaker looks like a white desert flower coming into bloom thanks to the off-set elevated angles of the containers used to build this architectural marvel. It’s truly one of a kind, and one all storage container home enthusiasts will want to take inspiration from.
10. The Smithey Container Home
Zach and Brie Smithey built what is essentially a container home mansion in St. Charles, Missouri. This skillfully designed, 3,100-square-foot recycled shipping container only cost the couple $135,000 to build — plus sweat equity, of course. This spacious abode took just over a year to assemble and should serve as inspiration for anyone thinking about building a massive shipping container home of their own.
Check out storage containers from Eagle Leasing
Whether you need to buy a shipping container to create your own vacation rental property or want to rent some additional storage space, check out our wide range of shipping containers available at Eagle Leasing. Founded in the 1960s, we have since grown to become the largest storage container leasing company in the Northeast of the United States.
Eagle Leasing has over 20,000 units of storage available to rent, including trailer, office, and other storage containers. If you like our secure containers, you can find new and used containers on sale. We can even build a custom storage container for you to meet your personal storage needs.
Contact us today if you have any questions, and we look forward to helping you at The Eagle Leasing Company.
