We can hardly contain ourselves!
Things seem to be moving so fast for our family. From closing on our Granbury lake house one week before Christmas, to running the boys around to soccer, football and School of Rock, my PTA obligations and our energy business, we’re busy. I can’t believe we’re now building a shipping container home, but we are, and we’re excited to share the process with you!
What exactly is a shipping container home?
Shipping containers are large, reusable steel boxes that are primarily used for the transport of goods, but also storage units for large corporations to small farming operations. More recently, containers are being transformed into hunting cabins, lake homes, vacation rentals, small shops, food trucks and more.
These durable freight containers can last up to 25 years or more when properly maintained. Afterall, they are made to travel by sea. We opted for a new, unused container to get more life out of our home. These days, it’s easy to purchase both used and new shipping containers in Texas. In fact, you can have it delivered within a few days. The two most common sizes are 20″ and 40″, but there are variations.
Why We’re Building a Shipping Container Home
Our weekend home is situated right on the Brazos River at Lake Granbury, Texas, about 1 hour away from where we live in the DFW metroplex. It’s a small house at just under 800 square feet, but has a large circle drive in the back which is an ideal spot for a container house.
When we saw the opportunity to add square footage to our lake house in an affordable way, we knew we wanted to explore container homes. The tiny home concept presented on DIY tv networks have many of us dreaming of living off the grid. The idea of buying a small plot of land and owning a small home is appealing for a lot of people, especially in Texas.
Finding Our Container
Through some internet searches, I was fortunate to find Dean Coker in Waco. Not only does Dean have extensive experience in the fabrication of container homes, but he just happened to have a build in progress that had not yet sold. JACKPOT!
After some thoughtful discussions of logistics and planning, we were happy to purchase the box, as is. The container has interior framing in place, plumbing, electric wiring, quartz countertops, doors, and two air conditioning units and more.
Once the container is in position, we will spray closed-cell foam insulation, install the walls, flooring and ceiling, and finish up with fixtures. Eventually, we plan to add decking to the front of the home.
Here’s some pictures and videos of our shipping container as it is now.
More to Come…
Next up, we’ll show you the process of creating the best foundation for our shipping container home. Make sure you sign up for email updates!
Stay tuned.