What is a shipping container house?

A shipping container house is any dwelling made from a shipping container, but the resulting structures can be quite diverse. Shipping containers usually come in two sizes, either 20 feet by 8 feet or 40 feet by 8 feet. The smaller of the two equals about 160 square feet of living space, while the larger container gets you 320 square feet. There are also two height types, regular (8.5 feet high) or a high cube container that provides about a foot of extra vertical living space. Some shipping container homes stop here, using these compact spaces as standalone tiny homes or offices.

But many builders or owners combine containers to create larger homes, like this version in Missouri. In homes with multiple containers, walls are often removed to create more spacious interiors, and traditional construction methods add exterior materials and additional rooms.

Some containers are stacked in a row to create multi-level residences, while others can be twisted and turned Jenga-style to deliver striking architectural masterpieces.