Transforming Home Design: 51 Incredible Shipping Container Homes

December 29, 2024December 29, 2024 - by Narong

Shipping container homes have grown in popularity but they do raise questions. Are shipping container homes cheaper? How long do shipping container homes last? Shipping container homes cost less than traditional homes, but customization and permit costs should still be considered.

With proper maintenance, they can last 25 years or more. The most common shipping container sizes for homes are 20 and 40 feet long with a standard height of 8′ 6″.

While there are pros and cons of shipping container homes, such as eco-friendliness vs limited space, they have the potential to transform the way we think about home design.

This list of 51 shipping container homes showcases some of the most creative possibilities.

1. Wolfrom Cottage

Located at the Lake of the Prairies in Manitoba, Canada, this 3-piece container home features a cantilevered volume set atop a perpendicular support volume. The third container stands on its end to form a lookout tower over the lake.

2. Prince Road Container House

An Airbnb with a difference, Prince Road Container House has been featured in Apartment Therapy and news outlets around the world. This art-splashed accommodation features a tipped container that houses a staircase. You’ll find wild mid-century modern style and a Mondrian-inspired kitchen inside.

3. Bergheim Container Lodge

This cargo container ski lodge is set in the IFA resort in Schöneck. Like the rest of the accommodations here, it’s also a smart home.

4. The Starburst House

Constructed to resemble a crystalized formation, this multi-container house revolves around one central point. When standing at the heart, it’s possible to gaze along every spoke of the house and out to the encircling desert of Joshua Tree, California.

One of the disadvantages of metal shipping container homes is that they can overheat, so you’ll need to consider insulation and cooling systems if you intend to build your own shipping container homes for a similar climate.

5. Container Guest House

Shipping container tiny homes are a popular choice. This tiny guest house has a cheerful aesthetic with a bright blue paint job and a wall of sliding windows.

One end of the container is also fully glazed, which gives the guests a wraparound outdoor living experience.

6. Amagansett Modular

Large shipping container homes with high ceilings can be achieved by fusing containers into one tall volume, like in this modular 1800-square-foot, four-bedroom house.

7. The Box House

This contemporary villa is made from five repurposed shipping containers. Most of the metal sides have been replaced with glass, which allows the house to blend lightly into a habitat of Satinwood Trees.

The shipping container homes price range climbs steeply once extra glazing and cantilevered reinforcements are counted.

8. Lavish Shipping Container Retreat

A luxurious container home rental in Utah, at the base of a sandstone mountain. This accommodation features 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a wide deck, and nature right there on the doorstep.

9. C Home

Give two-story shipping container homes an abstract twist, like the C Home with its asymmetrically sliced window reveal, which falls away to a deck below.

10. The Shipping Container at Desert Rose Ranch

Located on 27 private acres on the Texas Wine Trail, this rustic shipping container home is a place to reconnect with nature and yourself. Natural light pours through large glass windows and a glazed garage door that frames the glorious Hill Country landscape.

11. The Shoreline

After starting life as a 40-foot shipping container, this tiny home now houses Airbnb guests in Texas. Cedar siding is spaced so that the original container is still recognizable.

12. The Hanging Villa

The upper floor of this 3-bed shipping container villa is supported by 4 struts that give the patio a sculptural element. It also has a private pool, so you can spend your stay hanging out by the water.

13. Seaway, Villa Joshua District

Featuring recycled driftwood, this Indonesian shipping container project was inspired by a love of the ocean. A fresh gray and white interior color scheme, splashed with blue, turquoise, and orange, creates positive energy.

14. Cozy Cabin Nord-I Harz

Underfloor and infrared heating keep this container cabin cozy in Harz, Germany. Its red steel jacket contrasts with the forest outside, while a raw clay plaster maintains the pleasant indoor climate and appearance.

15. Container Cabin at OOST Kampville

In Nakhon Nayok, Thailand, two containers create the common areas for this upcycled house. The main living space is in one wing, while the dining room and pantry fill the other. 20-foot containers were used to fit with the limitation of the narrow road.

16. Carroll House

Situated on a typical 25×100-foot Brooklyn corner lot, Carroll House is a single-family residence made from 21 shipping containers. The steel cases are evenly stacked and cut into a dramatic slope.

17. Squirrel Park

In Oklahoma City, USA, modified shipping containers were used to create four 400-square-foot single-family homes. The industrial exteriors encase conventional interior layouts to offer traditional neighborhood comforts on a smaller scale.

18. theOSCAR

Unlike anything else in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, this block of shipping container residences make up part of a walkable arts district with award-winning galleries, incredible restaurants, and unique boutiques.

19. Shipping Container House

A tall wood-clad volume forms the center support of this off-grid home, while two shipping containers saddlebag the sides. The heart of the structure houses the common living areas and the containers serve as private sleeping and work quarters.

20. La Maison Du Yoga

The bright red, industrial-theme aesthetic of La Maison Du Yoga makes it stand out from its lush green farmland surroundings by the Pawna River bank, India.

21. Nova Cottage

This cozy tiny house is perfectly planted for outdoor fun in the picturesque Hocking Hills and Lake Hope State Parks, Ohio. The black shipping container is trimmed with a border of reclaimed wood, which makes a natural link to the environment.

22. Black Star Kangaroo Valley

Down in Kangaroo Valley, Australia, a black metal barn offers luxury accommodation on a 5-acre residence. 6 meter-high picture frame windows drink in the sweeping views.

23. Village Co Gramado

Located in the countryside of Gramado RS, Brazil, this simple shipping container home is steeped in nature.

24. Tiny Bunker in Todd

Measuring 160 square feet and built using a reclaimed shipping container, the Tiny Bunker was designed to have a small footprint on the planet. Two decks allow its inhabitants to enjoy nature with an outdoor dining nook, lounge area, fire table, and hot tub.

25. Ranch Workspace

Tucked under the trees in a black shipping container, this ranch workspace becomes one with the woodland shadows.

26. Cabana na Serra Gaúcha

Built with thermally insulated double walls, this cabin offers a comfortable stay in the Atlantic Forest, São Francisco de Paula.

27. Casa Conteiner

A little different from the rest, this fresh white modern design has an elegantly ethereal feel.

28. MM01

A 20-square-meter base is just big enough for two people enjoying a weekend of outdoor activities.

29. The Farm House Container at East Zion

A shipping container on the outside, a modern farmhouse on the inside. This cute container is a bolthole for couples on a jaunt to Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, United States.

30. Modern Haven

It may look small but this tiny home hides three queen sleeping areas, a full kitchen, bathroom, comfortable living room, and a rooftop deck.

31. TreeTops

Surrounded by the waterfalls and many birds of the magical forest in San Simón el Alto, Mexico, you might never want to leave this charming vacation home.

32. Nordic Sea-container Cottage

While away the hours on the large south-facing terrace of this container cottage. It has a lovely view of an old farm site and an ancient oak alley in Hiiu County, Estonia.

33. Jakuzili Tiny House

This recycled shipping container home has a two-story configuration with upper and lower decks. Wide windows provide wraparound views.

34. L3nee’s Lay-Up

Simply adorable! This tiny container home resembles a chic country abode in Ohio, USA.

35. //ABODE³

The sleek black aesthetic of this customized container home is matched by a sleek matte black kitchen installation inside. Limewashed plaster walls and wood accents create welcoming texture in the open living space.

36. The Helm

Two shipping containers, measuring 20′ and 40′, were insulated and cedar-paneled to create this inviting holiday home. The roof deck and an upstairs bedroom are accessed by an exterior spiral staircase.

37. Oasis in the Heads

This mini oasis has 2 “Ecospace” tiny homes and a double 40-foot container home.

38. Hermosa Container Home

This basic container house maintains its industrial aesthetic with an aged patina.

39. Container House

A Grand Designs House of the Year finalist, this private family residence uses eight 20′ and 40′ high cube shipping containers. The fused metal framework accommodates the canyon-shaped hillside.

40. House Of Zach and Brie Smithey

Inverted arch windows give this brick-clad design a quirky upside-down appearance.

41. House Of Martha Moseley and Bill Mathesius

Measuring a total of 7,200 sq ft, this 11-piece shipping container home in Pennsylvania proudly displays its industrial origins.

42. Casa Huente

This ultra-small container home extends its living space with a covered terrace. With views like these, you wouldn’t want to spend much time indoors anyway.

43. Container Cabin in the Catskills

Tucked in the Catskill Mountains of New York, this 4-season shipping container cabin goes off-grid with a wood stove and a compost toilet.

44. Container with Private Pool

Tropical vegetation and sun canopies soften the hard, linear outline of this sweet container home in Aguada, Puerto Rico.

45. River’s End Retreat

An L-shaped construction builds privacy around this shipping container holiday chalet, which is located on a working farm in Kalgan, Western Australia. Although pet kangaroos from the paddock do sometimes swing by.

46. Villa Kotak

Recycled materials and decor make up this beach-inspired container home with a private pool and garden.