Shipping Container Houses and Homes
86Living in a box - really?
Several years ago I became very interested in alternative housing - and I discovered shipping containers that were being used as homes and houses. Yes, those big containers that you see rolling down the highways on flatbeds, transported on ships and being hauled on trains.
Being an artist, I have gone through several phases of art in my life - and for over 10 years now I have been very interested in the use of recycling materials to create new things. When I found out that people were actually using shipping containers to live and work in, I was amazed - and very very intrigued.
Trend of the future
I'm not going to go into all the pros and cons here of using a shipping container as a house or home, but will provide you with links at the bottom of this hub (article) where you can get more information about how to build your own shipping container home and/or contact some of the builders that specialize in building with shipping containers. I want this to be more of a visual introduction for those that would have never considered using a shipping container as a living space - and to show you just how versatile and what amazing living spaces these can be. Of course the pros are many - you are definitely being "green" by using recycled materials, and the cost of building this way can be a good 80% less money than using traditional building methods. Beyond that though, as an recycle artist, the idea of living in one of these off the grid is extremely appealing to me. As shipping container homes gather more media attention, I think there will be a definite shift in future housing, to not only include shipping containers as homes but other building methods such as strawbale, portable folding homes (habitaflex) and other less expensive alternatives to building big and expensive homes. I for one am definitely considering using a shipping container as an artist retreat in my backyard in the future - and when and if I move I can simply load up my retreat and ship it to my next home or property. I love that idea!
Enjoy the tour!
Port-a-Bach by Atelier Shipping Container | Bring Your Home With You Anywhere
- atelierworkshop
We are a young, Wellington based, French/New-Zealand Company looking for innovative and sustainable design solutions in architecture, landscape design and interior design.
Shipping container house in Houston,TX
- Modern, Colorful and Creative Shipping Container Home in Houston | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Sav
Shipping container homes just keep on getting cooler. Developers Katie Nichols and John Walker along with architect Christopher Robertson wanted to create
A health and surgery shipping container building by Container City
- Container Cityâ„¢ | Home
Container City™ provides versatile, stylish prefabricated accommodation for a range of uses
Eco-Pods: Custom shipping container homes
- Ecopods ::: Home
Finally, an affordable recreational building that is also eco friendly, transportable and functions off the grid
Home built from 2 shipping containers (134 pics)
- Home Built from Two Shipping Containers (134 pics)
Student Dorm Rooms Made From Shipping Containers (15 pics) Recycled House (15 pics) Container House (10 pics) Student Dorm Rooms Made From Shipping Containers (15 pics) Recycled House (15 p
More of my favorite container homes
Living small: Lulu’s shipping container home
$1800 used shipping container as architects' backyard office
Information about how to build and design your own container home
- Shipping Container Homes - How to Plan, Design and Build your own House out of Cargo Containers &
Home Design Software for Shipping Container Home Design
Community and access to tools on sustainable culture
- *faircompanies - sustainable community, green videos and eco-news center
*faircompanies is a free resource to help you act responsibly, an independent website with information and tools on sustainability.
RSS feed on container home projects
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The Live Screen will make its debut at Wanted Design in New York City this weekend. It was designed by Danielle Trofe and relies on a hydropic, self-watering configuration to create a stylish and... - 2 days ago
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This is BeachHaus I in the White Rock area of British Columbia. The home (like the neighbor, BeachHaus II) is on the market, should you have an interest in a luxe, modern, prefabricated home with... - 2 days ago
- Debate: Mechanical vs Passive Strategies
The stage was set for rowdy debate of the tensions between mechanical and passive green building techniques at the recent Congress of the New Urbansim. Steve Mouzon, designer and author of The... - 3 days ago
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@Livelonger) Thanks and I'll be looking forward to your hub on pre-fab homes. I've seen some great designs. Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing Livelonger. I have been intrigued by these, and other forms of alternative housing. My retirement plan is based around living in a home like this on a ranch, with solar power and wind turbines. Thanks for showing that these can be functional and look great.
What a great use of resources. Voting this Up and Interesting.
@married) It's me, Dorsi, that wrote the hub lol but livelonger has one coming up on pre-fab homes. Thanks for coming by and reading!
@alocsin) I agree - I love recycling functional objects!
I always find these innovative homes intriguing. I’m afraid I’d have a long way to go to part with stuff to fit in such a small space though. Maybe as a vacation home. MSN featured innovative unique primary residences today, all under 500 sq feet, and some under 100. Some without electricity and running water.
Very interesting! I voted up! This is a great concept! I do have a question, can the container still be shipped after it is altered with windows?
Dorsi, this is a great hub! I've been interested in the Tiny Home movement that has taken hold in recent years. Living in a shipping container is another example of making do with less to enjoy life more. Love all the photographs and links. Rated up!
@rm) That's interesting. I could make do with 500-600 sq. ft but not under 100. My dogs would take up that much space lol. Thanks for reading.
@calico) Thanks for reading and yes, I believe it can. That's the beauty of using a container!
@steph) Isn't it awesome? I've been following this too and never cease to be amazed at the creativity that people are using. Love it!
Great recycling idea, this would work well in underdeveloped countries and devastated areas such as Haiti or anywhere with a housing shortage. They look similar to mobile homes.
@FGual) Thanks for reading and I was actually reading about a guy that is doing that very thing for families in Mexico. The prototypes look wonderful and I wish him well with this.
This is really cool! I am so glad I ran across this one! Thanks so much for SHARING!
Thank you homesteadbound!
Hello, Dorsi! I so enjoyed this hub, and so I decided to share it with all in my latest hub luv hub. This was great. It is amazing what they are able to do with a shipping container!
@homesteadbound) Thank you so much!! It is really amazing and these shipping containers are practically indestructible.
This concept intrigues me, also, although I don't know that I could ever live in a small space full-time. Maybe as a writing retreat. Great article.
An interesting hub on alternative housing and well received here. Thank you for sharing with us. We have a firm here on the west coast of Canada who are actually taking decommissioned containers and revamping them and sending them into impoverished areas as housing.
Hugs for this
This is very interesting Dorsi, thank you for sharing this. We need more of this type of thinking world wide!
Voted Up!
@DeborahNeyens) Thanks for coming by. Some people are putting several of them together which makes them into pretty big spaces!
@Rolly A Chabot) That is such a great idea. I really like that.
@Curiad) Yes I agree, we need more people that think "out of the box" lol....except I suppose we could call this "thinking inside the box" when it comes to shipping container homes!
There are some great ideas for houses on this hub which I have found AMAZING. I'm following, sharing, voted up, interesting, awesome and useful :).
@Chris) Thank you so much. I love these container homes too)
livelonger Level 6 Commenter 4 months ago
This is great stuff. I'm working on a Hub right now on prefab homes, some of which at least take their design cues (or materials) from shipping containers. I like the idea of portability, too. Mass-production, or retrofitting a bunch at scale, makes the economics work really nicely, too.