While I doubt shipping container houses will be seen on every block, they’ve grown a little in popularity in recent years.
I love the idea of a container home (with requisite open-top container swimming pool). I like the geometric look and idea behind using existing materials to create a strong, durable home.
If you’re interested in the idea, check out the many featured design ideas below.
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Trend chart
Below is a trend chart for “shipping container homes“. I thought there would be an upward trajectory, but it’s fairly flat.
Container Sizes
There are 2 standard container sizes:
- 40′ long: 320 sq. ft.
- 20′ long: 160 sq. ft.
You can also buy 10′ long containers, but they’re seldom used for container homes.
How much do used shipping containers cost?
They range in price from $1,400 to $,5000.
Interestingly, you can buy them on sites like Kijiji. I found two 20′ containers for sale priced from $2,000 to $3,000 CAD. On this site, there’s a used 40′ container for sale for $3,475 (at the time this article was published).
However, keep in mind that those prices are for the raw container. It is not yet a home. How much you spend on converting a raw container into a home depends on your budget and how high-end you want it.
Yes, you can actually build a luxury container house. We feature on in particular below that used 31 containers creating over 6,000 sq. ft. of living space.
How much does a finished shipping container home cost?
Generally, they cost about half per square foot compared to other houses. However, that’s very rough. You can build very inexpensive traditional houses. Likewise, you can spend a fortune per square foot for a container home.
On the low end, going with a one container home that’s fairly bare-bones, you can spend $36,000 or so (includes the cost of the raw container). In fact, you can order this one for around that price.
Featured Shipping Container Houses
Below you can check out our featured houses built from used or new shipping containers.
1. Modern Red and White Container House by José Schreiber Arquitecto
Container House was designed and built by José Schreiber Arquitecto in 2014.
The home is located in Cordoba, Argentina. It’s 2,100 sq. ft. Who says you must sacrifice space with a container home.
See this 2,100 sq. ft. container house here.
2. Caterpillar House by Sebastián Irarrázaval
Designed by Sebastián Irarrázaval, Caterpillar House is a high-end home located in Lo Barnechea, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
This shipping container home was built with five 40′ containers, six 20′ containers and one 40′ open top for the swimming pool.
3. Shipping Container House with Garage by Studio H:T
Only 2 containers went into the construction of this container house. The containers are used on the sides as walls. In between is a garage on the lower floor, which is really cool and then living space above.
The interior of this home is just as cool as the exterior.
Designed by Studio H:T.
See this fantastic house here.
4. RDP House by Daniel Moreno Flores & Sebastian Calero
This shipping container house was designed by Daniel Moreno Flores & Sebastian Calero. It’s referred to as RDP House made of eight containers.
It is located in Pichincha, Ecuador.
5. Yellow and Gray Shipping Container House in Mexico by S+ Diseño
Here’s a 2 story shipping container house called Huiini House located in La Primavera, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
It’s built with 4 shipping containers and designed by S+ Diseño.
6. Luxury Shipping Container Home with 6,000 sq. ft. by ZieglerBuild
Get this – here’s a 3-story container house was designed by builder Todd Miller of Zeigler Build.
31 brand new 20-foot shipping containers went into building this 6,000 sq. ft. home. It includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms. It’s located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
7. Single Story L-Shape Simple Container Home by LHVH Architekten
This simple, inexpensive single story shipping container house was designed by LHVH Architekten. Called, Containerlove, it is located in Kall, Eifel, Germany.
8. WFH Container House by Arcgency
Here’s a cool container house with wood exterior. It also doesn’t look like it’s built with containers, but when you see the interior, you’ll notice that the spaces match shape and size of containers. You’ll also notice the polished interior design instead of the often industrial look that comes with container houses.
Basically this home uses containers on each side and the space is filled in to create more room on both floors. The first 2 photos below depict how exactly this container house was constructed.
This home was built in China and designed by Arcgency.
9. Inexpensive Shipping Container House by Benjamin Garcia Saxe
This is incredible – a decent-sized house built with two large containers on pilings in Costa Rica for $40,000. And it’s nice… really nice. Check out the interiors below.
I love the red exterior and all the windows. The team built the house on site as you’ll see below – they trucked in containers and then completed the house.
Designed and built by Benjamin Garcia Saxe.
10. Container Guest House with Garden Roof by Jim Poteet
A container guest house is a brilliant idea. One 40′ container is the perfect size to squeeze in a living area, small kitchen and small bathroom.
Jim Poteet of Poteet Architects did it right. The one he designed and built offers plenty of windows, colorful color scheme, rooftop garden and it really looks great on the property. The attached deck is a nice touch as well.
See this container guest house here.
11. Bare Bones Container House
Check this out – you can order this turn-key container house from Amazon. It’s not expensive at all and it’s ready to go.
12. Tiny Container House
See this entire house here. Designed by Minimalist Homes and listed for sale here.
When you check out this “tiny” house built from a single container, it doesn’t look all that small, but that’s because of the very efficient use of space. You also don’t give up aesthetics since the interior design looks fabulous.
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