Containers on their own aren’t exactly the most aesthetically pleasing housing structures. In fact, given a choice, most people would rather live in a place that’s properly built with conventional walls. But with just a little bit of creativity and diligence, building the container home of your dreams isn’t all that impossible.
There are plenty of benefits that come with having a container home. Some of these benefits can be in terms of its:
- Durability
- Environmentally friendliness
- Price
But of course, everything that’s relatively inexpensive has certain shortcomings. For the case of container homes, it’s a known fact that they need to be maintained properly, especially when it comes to insulation and sealing. After all, steel structures are known to rust over time and conduct heat extraordinarily well.
All that being said, the debate of living in a container home continues. If you’re already leaning towards avoiding a container home, here are a few shipping container home design ideas that might just change your mind.
#1 Containers of hope
This particular shipping container home design idea first originated from Benjamin Garcia Saxe, an award-winning container home designer. With a mere budget of $40,000, the architect was able to complete this structure with complete finesse. It’s arguably one of the more minimalistic designs, which is what makes it so much more charming. The structure was built using two shipping containers that measured up to approximately 40 feet long. The transparent glass doors make it seem a bit more modernized, which really adds on to container home’s level of class.
It might not look the greatest, and you can instantly tell that the little house is an actual shipping container. But on the other hand, it resonates with pride, simplicity, and creativity. All of that accompanied with a stunning natural environment makes for the one of our top shipping container home design ideas.
#2 Shipping container wooden house
Studio:HT is the company behind the design of this stunning creation. Once again, just two 40 feet shipping containers were used to construct this entire home. It includes several other impressive features on top of its somewhat futuristic yet cosy design:
- Green roofs
- Natural cooling
- Solar power
- Pellet heating
If you’re someone who’s constantly conscious about the environment, it’s always nice to take the mentioned elements into consideration. Incorporating them into the design of your shipping container home might take a little bit more work, but then again, you can’t really put a price on saving the environment and resorting to less harmful sources of energy.
Lining up the containers with this specific design isn’t all that difficult; it just consists of more manual labour, which is something that practically anyone can achieve. This is just one of the shipping container home design ideas that really take disguising the containers to a completely different level. You can barely even recognize that it was made out of containers!
#3 The beach hut
The beach hut was originally designed by SG Blocks. Evidently, it looks just like any other modernised home. It might have the conventional planed roofs that other traditional houses have, but that’s precisely what makes it look so much more appealing. It’s sturdy enough to have its own balcony, and large enough to fit four bedrooms and two bathrooms in a large enough space of 2,000 feet.
#4 3-story shipping container home
The above image depicts one of the most impressive feats in history of shipping container design home ideas. It really shows that anything is possible, so long as you put your heart and soul into it. The 3-story shipping container home was designed using 31 shipping containers that were 40 feet long.
You can most definitely see the grooves that shipping containers have, but that should matter taking the intricacy of its design into consideration. Even the garage itself looks like something you would want in any conventional house. Coupled with several other elements of wood and clear windows and you have yourself the prime example of how revolutionary shipping container homes can be.
#5 Caterpillar container home
It doesn’t take much to see what the designer of this magnificent shipping container home, Sebastian Irarrazaval, wanted to achieve with this design. He took the expectations and standards of living areas and simply tossed it all out the window.
It might not look all that spectacular from the back, but the concept behind this particular shipping container home design idea is certainly unique. It’s inspiring and reminds us not to be undermined or limited by others’ expectations, and encourages us to always think from our own perspective.
#6 Shipping container home in a desert
You don’t have to live in a residential area that’s already using shipping container homes; you can always be the first, just as what Ecotech Design did in the Mojave Desert. Don’t hide behind the excuse of living in an area that’s difficult to have container homes, because Ecotech Design practically built one in a desert. Not to mention that the piece they crafted came out looking somewhat futuristic. It does resemble a warehouse, but if certain elements were replaced, it would look futuristic and completely sci-fi.
#7 Environmentally friendly cross shipping container home
This shipping container home design idea takes environmental issues and cost into consideration. If these two factors are preventing you from diving into the realm of container homes, then you should definitely pay more attention to CG Architect’s idea. It also shows the amount of confidence that designers have in how robust that these shipping containers actually are. This daring design clearly shows that they can be balanced in the quirkiest ways without compromising on its level of appeal.
#8 Shipping container beach house
Shipping container homes don’t necessarily need to be taken as a permanent housing solution. In fact, you can always use it as a beach house, just like what this Pinterest user has done! The workmanship isn’t complex at all. In fact, the process is actually pretty simple. Shipping container home design ideas don’t always have to be complicated, they can be kept as simple as the beach house above!
#9 Hybrid shipping container home
The image above was contributed by yet another Pinterest user, who cleverly incorporated several other steel structures into the design of his shipping container home. The space doesn’t seem particularly large, but it should be enough for a family of four or even five. The containers are enclosed, which acts as a pretty good insulator. There’s definitely more than one way to build the container home of your dreams!
#10 Black home of the future
Andrea Shapiro and Maziar Behrooz were the designers behind this simple beauty. The ‘Black home of the future’ gets its name from the functionalities that it has to offer, including energy saving features as well as environmentally-friendly materials. This shipping home container design idea is another simplistic marvel. The mixture of black and brown elements gives it a warm and welcoming feel, not to mention the adorable front porch that it has at the front door! Everything falls perfectly into place for this particular design.
#11 Modular shipping container home
This shipping container home looks much larger than the standard 40 feet shipping containers that are commonly used. You’ll be surprised to know that it didn’t take that much to construct the entire home. The effective use of space and inclusion of a smart roofing system is very credible in this instance. The designers of this home were able to create a front porch and a small outdoor sheltered area at the back, making it look like the perfect holiday hideout.
#12 Old lady shipping container home
If exterior appearances are the least of your concerns, then you can follow the footsteps of this gentleman and go as basic as basic gets. Even if you put little thought into the design of your shipping container home, it can still look as alluring as this. With a few simple glass door and window installations, you’ll be good to go!
#13 Urbanised shipping container home
Shipping container homes are something of the 21st century. The very idea of using shipping containers as living spaces is modern as it is, so why not go all out? This shipping container home design idea justifies that exact logic. It’s clearly decked out from top to bottom in terms of urbanisation!
#14 Shipping container home for the lone wolf
People tend to think that shipping container homes are designed specifically for families. Contrary to popular belief, it’s quite the opposite. Even singles can design a shipping container home for themselves, just like this adorable little hut! It’s small, simple, sweet, and enough for any single person to reside in.
#15 20 feet of love
There’s plenty going on in this picture, especially when you realize that it’s only made out of two 20 feet shipping containers. The thought process behind this shipping container home design idea is beyond comprehension. Complete with a small swimming pool, a deck, and even solar panels, this shipping container home is every retirees dream!
Now it’s your turn
It’s always nice to look at the success of shipping container home design ideas, but it would be so much better to turn your own dreams into reality. If you want something, go out and get it. Shipping container homes are a lot more implementable than you think. So go ahead and let your creativity flow, perhaps your idea could be the next one to be featured on our website!
