35 Best Container Homes: From Tiny to Gigantic

best container homes worldwide

Updated On: July 25, 2023

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With shipping container homes, seeing is often believing. By showcasing a wide variety of custom container home designs, we hope you will better understand what’s possible with container homes across sizes and price levels.

This article is our chance to highlight the creativity and craftsmanship you’ll find in the best shipping container houses around the world. Each container home below includes a picture and a link to its entry in our Container Project Database where you’ll find its location, size, and many more pictures.

Casa Incubo

casa incubo exterior

This Costa Rica shipping container home uses eight 40-foot boxes in a design that blends industrial architecture, abundant solar panels, and the natural environment. Click Here to Learn More

Old Lady House

old-lady-house-containers-adam-kalkin

A New Jersey container home built from nine 40-foot containers built into two glass-filled wings that flank a central courtyard. Click Here to Learn More

PV14 House

PV14 Shipping Container House

With 14 storage boxes placed on top of a concrete ground floor, this Texas container home in Dallas is a luxurious example of cargotecture. Click Here to Learn More

Graceville Container House

graceville container home front dusk

This Australian container house was built with 31 cargo boxes in the suburbs of Brisbane. Creative ideas are overflowing in every corner of this dream home and it certainly deserves your attention. Click Here to Learn More

Foster Container Home

foster container home apartment street

Nine ISO boxes were combined to build this stunning Colorado container home, plus another two containers for the guest apartment above the garage. Click Here to Learn More

Carroll House

carroll house front facade

With a total of 21 boxes, this angular Brooklyn, New York box house has one of the coolest container home designs in the world. Click Here to Learn More

Sheridan Container House

Sheridan Container House front angled

By offsetting three of the nine containers of this St. Louis, Missouri container home, the builders created a simple design that still has texture and personality. Click Here to Learn More

Kangarilla Shipping Container Home

Modern Container Home with Deck

The outside deck is inviting, but it’s the modern plywood walls that make this Australian cargo dwelling one of the best affordable shipping container homes we’ve seen. Click Here to Learn More

Twin Atlanta Shipping Container Homes

Atlanta Backyard Container Homes

These two adjacent suburban Georgia container homes with a shared patio put an otherwise empty backyard to good use. Bright colors and thoughtful design combine to create spaces that are efficient, desirable, and cost effective. Click Here to Learn More

San Antonio Container Guest House 

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A green roof and bold colors help this Texas container guesthouse really stand out. And with single container designs like this one, you can take delivery and have a useable backyard office or extra bedroom the next day. Click Here to Learn More

Hinckle Container Home

hinckle container home exterior front corner

Two shipping containers stacked on top of one another give this Washington container home extra space plus an elevated patio to view the surrounding forest. Click Here to Learn More

McConkey Container Home

California Canyon Container Casa

A labor of love for Mike and his wife, this California container home perches gracefully on the side of a San Diego canyon. Click Here to Learn More

Shipping Containers of Hope

Containers of Hope

This Costa Rican container house uses clerestory windows to add light and air, becoming a classic example of shipping container architecture that also provided tremendous value to its owners. Click Here to Learn More

KAN House

kan house new orleans back overhead

After facing a New Orleans hurricane as a child, the owner of this Louisiana container house built something that was extremely durable to resist anything nature might send. Click Here to Learn More

Envase Casa

Utah Cantilevered Container Home exterior angle

This Utah container house blends into the desert landscape and provides easy access to numerous outdoor adventures in nearby national parks. And by taking advantage of sweat equity and the contributions of friends and family, the container home cost was kept comparatively low. Click Here to Learn More

Prince Road Container Home

Prince Road Container House exterior perspective

An angled box and a crazy mural completely transform this Florida container home into an artistic showcase. The homeowner’s use of positive and negative space resulted in one of our favorite container builds. Click Here to Learn More

Red River Gorge Container Cabins

Red River Gorge Container Cabins one sorrounding view

Wood paneling on the walls, galvanized steel ceilings, and dark floors combine to make these Kentucky container homes into rustic modern delights. Click Here to Learn More

Wattle Bank Container Home

wattle bank container home exterior angle

Built-in furniture meets modern plywood relief wall coverings in this container home in Australia that is completely disguised! Click Here to Learn More

Chelan Container Home

Chelan Container House exterior side view

Gracefully walking the line between modern and uber-comfortable, this container home in Washington State has an impressive living space from which you can view the tranquil property outside. Click Here to Learn More

Cinco Camp Container Retreat

The Campo Cinco Retreat

The stark scenery and epic blue skies surrounding this west Texas container home look like they were taken from a painting. The metal boxes and desert scenery pair well together in a manner you might not expect without seeing it. Click Here to Learn More

Six Oaks Container Home

The DeWitt and Kasravi Sea Container Home

Built inside a NorCal forest, this California container home has impressive views all around. And with surprising features like a metal bridge and skylights, it’s a fun getaway for children and adults. Click Here to Learn More

Whiskey Bend Ranch

Whiskey Bend Ranch rear view

On a small ranch outside of Austin, you’ll find this scenic Texas container home with an elevated outdoor dining room that doubles as a lookout tower. Click Here to Learn More

Canon City Container Cabin

Canon City Container Cabin exterior design

Set amongst the plains with views of distant mountains, this Colorado container home invites you to explore. Click Here to Learn More

Appalachian Container Cabin

appalachian container cabin legacy featured

This North Carolina container home is built on the side of a mountain with awe-inspiring views for miles in all directions. Although it’s small enough to be a tiny home, with expansive views and multiple porches to enjoy them from, we doubt you’d spend much time inside to notice the smaller space. Click Here to Learn More

Livingston Manor Container Home

Robyn Volker Shipping Container Home

This New York container home uses the strength of cargotecture to literally bridge over a gap. Click Here to Learn More

Huiini Container House

Huiini Shipping Container House side balcony

We’ve seen containers where the levels are stacked and shifted, but this container home in Mexico goes further with a double-height ceiling and expansive windows. Click Here to Learn More

C-Home Hudson Container House

c home hudson deck front

This striking container home in New York proves that what you remove counts just as much as what you add. Click Here to Learn More

Dam Camp Container Home

dam camp container home front wide

A Texas container house built on a riverbank, the Dam Camp seems perfect for a family reunion or party. Click Here to Learn More

Casa Oruga Container Home

Casa Oruga exterior hillside

Growing out of the side of a hill, this creative container house in Chile makes you walk downstairs to enter. Click Here to Learn More

Maison Container Lille

maison container lille front view steel doors

Whether it’s the cherry red paint, the lattice roof, or the staggered configuration, this French container home is unlike any other. Click Here to Learn More

Grillagh Water House

grillagh water house angle tree view

Combing functional cladding with complex structural modifications, this Northern Ireland home seems to almost float above the farm it is built on. Click Here to Learn More

Rochester Road Container House

Rochester Road Container House left profile

A variety of textures and colors welcome you to the front facade of this Michigan home that discretely uses repurposed shipping containers for most of its structure. Click Here to Learn More

Hamptons Container Beach Box

featured-hamptons-beach-container-home

Built adjacent to a Hamptons beach, this container home in New York uses cement board cladding to completely hide the cargo boxes underneath. Click Here to Learn More

Nederland Container Home

 Nederland Colorado Shipping Container Home

Multicolored cement boards were used on the exterior of this container house in Colorado, making it look like a natural extension of the rocky terrain of the building site. Click Here to Learn More

Camden Avenue Container House

Camden Avenue Container House exterior angle view

Not even the second-floor porch of this Michigan container home gives away the storage containers underneath thanks to its thoughtful cladding. Click Here to Learn More

Summary

What a creative selection of houses built from shipping containers found around the world. With such a diverse group of example homes, we hope you’ve been inspired regardless of your budget and design preferences. 

But we have just scratched the surface of ways that storage containers can be used to create unique, sturdy structures that are often more affordable and environmentally friendly than competing buildings. For more examples, consider checking out our articles about container farms, container pools, and container offices.

And if you’re ready to start learning about actually building with containers, a great place to start your research is the Design & Build section of our website. Whether you choose to build with one-trip or recycled shipping containers, we’ve got you covered with the most complete information available online.

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2 Responses

  1. Thanks for your wonderful article on container homes. I visit the house in Brooklyn, DC all the time.Hoped you would have named the builder. Thanks again for your wonderful website.

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