We know you love tiny homes just as much as we do, but have you ever thought about taking it to the next level and repurposing an old shipping container to become a whole home?
In Hong Kong, it’s not uncommon to find homes that are the size of a car parking space, and they’re sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is because around 70% of the island is made up of protected landscapes, country parks and nature reserves.
That means that residential space comes at a serious premium. Most of these micro-flats don’t have a cooker or much of a kitchen to speak of, and some don’t even have a single window.Tiny living does not have to be like that, though!
If you want to live a compact lifestyle that’s semi-mobile, you could do worse than to buy a fully-fitted shipping container or repurpose one yourself. Compared to the Hong Kong coffin homes, they are practically palatial.
What’s more is that you know they are mobile, because that’s literally what they were originally designed for.
They were built for transit, so have no fear about moving it from one place to another. It can be done.
To help your imagination appreciate the potential of a tiny shipping container home, we have sourced pictures and plans of 15 awesome tiny container homes.
You have to admit, they are simply charming, even if a space-saving lifestyle is not for you.
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Single 20ft Container
This home was transformed from a simple 20ft container into a neat and tidy, compact home. With a clear living space set apart from the kitchen nook, it’s quite classic-looking, really.
It even has room for a double bed, which is a bonus if you’re not used to sleeping in a single. (source)
Rustic Retreat The Single 20 Foot Shipping Container Tiny Home
We can’t help but love this sky-blue dream under a blue sky too, no less. The roof deck is an inspired use of vertical space, and it’s plenty big enough for a little barbecue and a small bistro set.
The double sliding doors are a great choice to let some much-needed light in. Shipping containers are strong and surprisingly well insulated, but they’re not renowned for being light-abundant.
That means you need to let as much light in, as possible. Otherwise, it really will look small. (source)
Farmhouse Container Home
This shows just how ultramodern tiny living can be. Who wouldn’t be proud to show off this house to their friends and family?
It’s just so swanky and monochrome. Whoever imagined this home, made sure that getting enough natural light inside, wasn’t going to be a problem. (source)
Instant Shipping Container Office 40 Ft Tiny Home Office Design And Floor Plan The Professional Container Office Tiny Home Floor Plan
This shipping container studio house or home office is available to buy on Etsy! Well, the plan is, but you see where we’re going with this.
Shipping container homes are becoming more and more popular. You can bet that more people will be working from home part-time or exclusively in the future and, so they need something small, cheap and tidy to slot between the shrubs in the garden.
Then again, you don’t want to miss out on garden space. They’ve thought about that, too. What an adorable roof garden.
Roof decks can be great sunbathing areas as they are higher up. You may have to resist the urge to peep over the neighbor’s fence from up there, though. (source)
Shipping Container Studio Apartment DIY Project Tiny Home Design And Floor Plan Studio Container Home Tiny Home Floor Plans Full Plans
This cabin-style shipping container plan is an Etsy creation too. What is the difference between a log cabin and a tiny shipping container home, anyway?
The cladding? This tiny home, gets our vote with the classic French doors and roof terrace.
The wood effect outside, is a very good call too, if you want something understated and aren’t a particular fan of the look of corrugated metal. (source)
THE DOGWOOD” MODEL
This wood clad 40ft container home can actually fit on a towing trailer! It’s a basic design, but very functional and absolutely mobile for if you’re of a nomadic disposition.
The separate bathroom on the inside plan is a bonus too. A lot of tiny homes are a bit minimalist where bathrooms are concerned. (source)
“THE MARBLE FALLS” MODEL
A two-story stacked container home. The ground level is a 40ft container, while the top deck is a 20ft one.
This well-designed space-efficient home incredibly, has three separate bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
The only downside, is that whoever is in the bedroom on the top level, might get wet on their way down to the kitchen or living area as there are no internal stairs.
But, it’s a small price to pay for such an example of innovative economy. (source)
“THE JOSHUA” MODEL
This looks more like a retirement home in Florida. Throw in a pool and we’re in. This is a well-designed model with an efficient floor plan.
The wow factor for us, though, is in the finishing touches. They say that the devil is in the detail, and it can be the difference between your tiny home looking like a trailer and looking like a chic, yet cozy cabin. (source)
Australian Shipping Container Home
This 40ft container home plan has the bathroom and the bedroom at opposite ends of the house. It’s quite usual in container homes to have to walk through the bathroom to get to the bedroom.
This design ensures that if more than one person were living here, that the floor plan needn’t impede any sense of romance in the love shack. (source)
Lake Martin Contemporary Shipping Container Home Catalog L40′
This next one is quite something, alright. We’re not sure if it qualifies as tiny living, but we’re all for luxurious living, too.
It’s not exactly inconspicuous in any landscape, but it sure does make a statement. We like the contemporary clay gray of the exterior, but…well, there’s just a lot of it. It’s a whole lot of gray. (source)
Retro Box Hotel Chumphon
It’s not exactly a home, but it’s a fabulous home away from home. The Retro Box Hotel is made from upcycled shipping containers.
The colors are bright and cheerful, and who wouldn’t want to look out of their big glass doors in the morning to see that blue swimming pool. What a great place to spend vacation. (source)
Cargo Container Office Space
We’ve found the perfect cargo container home office for the garden. We’re not sure the bright orange is quite on trend, but it depends on what you like in your own garden or on the side of your house.
There’s been a substantial rise in the demand for cost-effective home offices in recent years, so we quite see why this would appeal.
You could even use it as a part of an actual office, as an extra break room, meeting room or office to help give people more space to spread out. (source)
40 Feet Prefab Container House
Garden room anyone? Plenty of people have wondered if there is an inexpensive way to get some lounge space in their home?
At least as often as families live in blissful harmony, they sometimes don’t. Sometimes they need their space from one another.
What could be better when this happens than to be able to find your own peaceful retreat in a sunny corner of the garden?
Watch the birds, sip a cup of coffee or enjoy a nice book. It’s kind of a genius idea for summer barbecues, too, when the weather is anything but predictable.
This way the barbecue is undercover and your guests are protected from the elements too. (source)
Santa Monica House
Shipping container homes don’t have to just be for people who like to live in small spaces, they make excellent, inexpensive guest houses.
Just think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any big occasion when you have so many people over. You start to feel like the house from the first Home Alone movie.
Wouldn’t it be fine to be able to provide visiting relatives with their own living space. That way, you’re still spending the holidays together with the people who matter to you most, but they’re not constantly treading on your toes or getting under your feet in the kitchen.
We think this container home, would make the best guest house. (source)
Prefab Houses Prefabricated Modern Shipping Container Homes 2 Bedroom USA Luxury Villa
Cargo container homes are so popular now, that there’s no need to do one up yourself unless you want to. You can order premade ones that even have custom options, so you can order what you want.
They sure do look smart and professionally made. (source)
Harga Office Dari Kontainer Ukuran 20 Feet
This tiny home is made from a 20ft container and features one of the most tidy foldaway double beds we have ever seen. See it? It’s not the easiest to spot. Whoever designed this container home, knew a thing or two about letting light in.
Those huge sliding doors would have been enough on their own to ensure plentiful light, but there are even more windows, just in case you were worried, that wouldn’t be enough.
With a little deck outside the patio doors, this would be one ultramodern, light and bright tiny home. (source)
Well, now you’ve seen what’s possible to create out of old, disused shipping containers, you might be left wondering if a shipping container home is right for you.
We’ll only say, that unless you’re going for a uniquely spacious one like number nine on our list, then it would take a commitment to a simpler life to make it work.
For many, we could stand to have less clutter around us and tiny living does force you to think seriously about purchases, which can only be a good thing.
If you want to live less wastefully, this is absolutely an option. We’ll just offer you one more word of advice and if you’ve ever been on a family camping trip, you’ll understand what we mean
If you choose to live in a tiny home, make sure you really, really like whoever you’re living with.