10 Shipping Container Apartments That’ll Have You Booking Your Next Travel Destination
Creative children playing with blocks see unlimited possibility in what they can build. Squares become cozy houses. Rectangles become towering castles. Shapes become cities.
That’s exactly the kind of endless possibility shipping containers have opened up in the world of apartment construction. These sturdy steel boxes that once traveled the seas on ocean freighters are now finding second lives as apartments all over the world. And the results are pretty cool.
Because of the low cost, ease of construction and wide availability, shipping container apartments have made their way into short-term rental listings.
In this post, we will discuss the benefits of shipping container apartments and have a look at 10 incredible examples you can rent right now.
Storage Container Homes: Apartment-Style
Shipping container apartments for rent across the United States and around the world offer a wide range of living experiences.
From tiny home containers to stately multi-level lodgings, shipping container floor plans run the gamut of home design.
And there’s a good reason for that: storage containers are affordable and infinitely customizable.
Inexpensive Shipping Container Apartments: A True Cost-Saver
Cheap shipping container apartments facilitate the dream of low-cost living.
The cost of building a container apartment or home is much lower than the cost of traditional home construction.
Some simple math can bring this benefit of shipping container apartments and how much they can hold into focus.
In 2015, the average cost per square foot for home construction was $103, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Meanwhile, a 40-foot shipping container — which yields 320 square feet — can cost around $3,500. That’s around $11 per square foot.
While that much lower figure doesn’t account for some of the other costs of building a shipping container home—such as transportation, painting, electrical, etc.—it’s easy to see how the cost per square foot of a shipping container apartment will be much cheaper than the cost per square foot of a traditional apartment building.
Shipping Container Floor Plans
Shipping container designs are limitless.
If the low cost of a shipping container apartment doesn’t convince you, designed shipping containers might. These aren’t drab, four-cornered box apartments.
To start, while shipping containers all have four sides, they come in various sizes.
Here are some of the standard shipping container sizes:
- 10-foot storage containers
- 20-foot storage containers
- 40-foot storage containers
- 45-foot storage containers
That’s a lot of different sizes of containers to mix and match. And for each of those lengths, you can choose a standard height of 8 feet and 6 inches or a “high cube” height of 9 feet 6 inches (that’s akin to a high shipping container apartment ceiling).
Because of ISO containers’ standardized construction and materials, you can easily join two or more shipping containers together and build impressive shipping container apartment buildings.
And as you will see in the list below, adding doors, windows, porches, interior walls and more to shipping containers is common practice in shipping container apartment design.
10 Amazing Shipping Container Apartments for Rent
Now that we have learned about the cost and customization benefits of shipping container apartments, let’s take a look at some incredible shipping container apartments for rent in the U.S. and beyond!
(If you’ve been searching, “find a shipping container apartment building near me,” this next part is for you.)
Tiny Eco Friendly Modern Shipping Container/Atlanta, GA
1. The Shipping Container Modular Home Experience in ATL
Prefab shipping container homes are perfect for those who want the modular home experience. But the thing about modular apartments is that they can be right in the heart of big cities without the major cost of traditional metro apartments.
This shipping container apartment for rent in Atlanta offers an eco-friendly vacation stay just a short walk from the Atlanta Zoo and the Beltline. Check out this eco-friendly, modern shipping container unit in good ole “hotlanta.”
NYC 1st Shipping Container Home/Brooklyn, NY
2. A Stylish Container Apartment With All the Amenities
The container units at a Brooklyn shipping container apartment have a unique claim to fame: they were the first legally constructed apartments made entirely from recycled shipping containers in NYC. That bit of trivia isn’t all this container apartment offers, though. The L train and Williamsburg are a five-minute walk away from one-bedroom shipping container apartments in NYC.
Shipping Container Tiny house/Pleasant Hope, MO
3. A Country Container Home Getaway
Around 25 minutes from Springfield, Missouri, you will find the town of Pleasant Hope. Situated on a quiet farm just outside of that town is a cozy country getaway made entirely from storage containers.
Country storage container homes are an affordable way to live the simple life. Check out this country storage container apartment at The Stewart Settlement.
Blended perfectly with the outdoors, this shipping container floor plan offers space enough for a queen-size bed but opens up even further if you open the doors and enjoy the fresh air, outdoor grilling space and covered patio.
Modern Beach Container Home/Carolina Beach, NC
4. Container Apartment at the Beach
Most shipping container apartments for rent today were once filled with cargo and traveling the oceans aboard massive ships.
Not all container units get to retire from their ocean-faring life to live on the beach, but the Conchs shipping container rental in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, does.
Pack your towels, surfboards and sunscreen if you plan to visit this beachside one-bedroom container apartment by the ocean.
Lake Vacation Rental/Claremore, OK
5. Shipping Container Apartment For Rent by the Lake
The ocean is great, but a lake getaway can provide all the fun of the water without the crowds. And in the case of this shipping container home for rent in Claremore, Oklahoma, it can also provide a lot more space. This three-bedroom, two-story short-term shipping container rental sleeps eight and provides a balcony with a stunning lake view.
Container Cabin in the Catskills/Saugerties, NY
6. Catskills Shipping Container Cabin: Adventurers Only
The Kaaterskill Wild Forest and Overlook Mountain are two of the most beautiful features of the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York.
Just at the edge of the forest is an equally beautiful solar-powered container cabin.
Book a shipping container cabin for rent and get a nature getaway that unleashes your adventurous spirit.
Shipping Container Modern Studio/Portland, OR
7. A Shipping Container Pad in Portland
Portland is hip. And this converted 20-foot shipping container studio fits right in.
A shipping container studio apartment can come with all of the sweet finishes and amenities.
This one has a modern interior, luxurious rain shower and 400-square-foot covered patio. Rent a short-term container unit and discover the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
Shipping Container Farmhouse/Memphis, TN
8. A Charming Memphis Shipping Container Farmhouse
Two reclaimed 40-foot units come together to offer country farmhouse shipping container apartments on 500 acres near Memphis, Tennessee.
According to the owner, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited this site in the 1500s. The rustic interior matches the historic surroundings, but this two-bedroom container rental suffers from no shortage of modern amenities, complete with internet, air conditioning and cable TV.
Riverstone House/Western Cape, South Africa
9. Container Home for Rent in South Africa
If renting a shipping container apartment isn’t unique enough for you, check out this trendy container home getaway in Western Cape, South Africa. A private container home for rent may be just the ticket to a fun-filled escape.
A gas stove, brass fixtures and Victorian clawfoot tub cozy up the interior, but the exterior is where you’ll want to be if you enjoy freshwater swimming and incredible sunset views over a dam with mountains on the horizon.
The Helm/Waco, TX
10. A Two-Story Container Home in Texas
This marriage of a 20-foot container and 40-foot container comes together to provide a roomy, two-bedroom interior, but a short journey up the spiral staircase reveals a gorgeous rooftop patio perfect for outdoor dining.
This is an example of a large shipping container home. Near Waco, Texas, this not-so-tiny shipping container home blends rural environs with access to cafes and shopping in the nearby town.
Love Shipping Container Apartments? You Can Build Your Own
If you can’t get enough of these amazing shipping container apartments, it may be time to consider building one of your own.
Rent-A-Container offers specialty containers and standard shipping containers for sale that could become the building blocks of your shipping container dream home.
To speak with the shipping container experts at Rent-A-Container, give our friendly team a call at (800) 880-7061 or contact us online.
Curious to know what else shipping containers can be transformed into? See how restaurants are using containers to create shipping container drive-thrus.