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Stunning Off Grid Shipping Container Home on Mountain Top (VIDEO)


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Adam from HoneyBox INC. built this stunning off-grid shipping container cabin on top of a mountain in British Columbia, Canada.

The cabin is built with three 20 foot shipping containers. The middle container is bolted to a cement block foundation using twist locks, and the two outer containers are cantilevered using lashing rods.

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Man Builds Stunning Off Grid Shipping Container Home on Mountain Top

Image © Exploring Alternatives

He designed the cabin to take full advantage of the panoramic mountain view by covering the entire front-facing wall with windows, although he admits this is not the most energy-efficient design.

Image © Exploring Alternatives

He’s got 800 Watts of solar panels to power his 12-volt system for lights, outlets, and a water pump. He has a wood stove for heat, propane for the fridge, hot water, and cooktop, and he has a composting toilet from Sun-Mar.

HoneyBox Shipping Container Cabin - Exploring Alternatives

Image © Exploring Alternatives

For water, he has a well and a rainwater catchment system, and he uses both to fill 2 large water tanks for showering and washing dishes but he brings in drinking water for now because he doesn’t have a filter for the rainwater, and the well water is ferrous.

The cabin is insulated with spray foam insulation, which adheres to the steel walls and helps avoid condensation problems that might arise with fiberglass batt insulation.

Adam built this structure as a studio to demonstrate one of the many ways that shipping containers can be used to create unique living spaces. He doesn’t live in it full-time.

VIDEO: Man Builds Stunning Off Grid Shipping Container Home on Mountain Top

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Danielle is a digital nomad who is passionate about tiny spaces, living with less, reducing waste and eating plant-based food. Danielle is half of the Exploring Alternatives blog & video project. You can find more of her at www.ExploringAlternatives.ca and her Exploring Alternatives YouTube Channel.
{ 10 comments… add one }
  • john
    July 18, 2017, 1:47 pm

    nice; but has 0 curb appeal. Like the interior though.

    • James D.
      July 18, 2017, 3:51 pm

      john, the view is the curb appeal… There’s not too many structures you could put on top of a rocky hill like this, let alone do it affordably…

      So depends on how much you like the view rather than what the house looks like… But, if you don’t mind spending more you could always trick it out to look like a regular house… That just doesn’t come with the base price…

    • Barnie
      July 19, 2017, 1:01 pm

      Couldn’t disagree with you more, john… I think this is beautiful!
      To each their own I guess, eh.

  • Ralf
    July 18, 2017, 5:44 pm

    I want to do something similar. I have an idea for three 20 ft containers with a steel deck structure for a view of the inlet where my property is in the Kenai . I like how you did the insulation and the interior. Do you have any condensation problems at all??

  • Michael
    July 18, 2017, 7:13 pm

    Another way to transform a shipping container into a livable space.
    I like the connection elements using proven equipment from container ships. They are a sturdy as containers itself.
    An interesting feature is the central ladder frame and hanging containers on both sides of the central unit. This saves additional foundation and makes it easier to move the structure if needed.
    The open floor plan is nicely thought although I would put the toilet into the bathroom and separate it by a wall for privacy.
    Their website shows a lot of options.
    Great job.

  • Joe
    July 19, 2017, 11:40 am

    Nice place with a super view. Wondering about shipping containers and rust. Doesn’t the rusting at some point make them unstable? It seems they would be hard to insulate too.

    • June 10, 2021, 3:14 am

      Not so much a reply to the comment as this is a reply for future readers…I’m sure there are primers and paint that can mitigate the rust issue.

  • Willis Ayres
    December 10, 2017, 12:46 pm

    I don’t know about living on a cliff. It’s a beautiful place and such but aren’t you worried about landslides, earth settling, avalanches. Little bit scary to me.

    • earl colby pottinger
      February 5, 2018, 11:18 pm

      That cliff looks very rocky, I would not be surprise that it is like where my old cabin was. It was sloping down to the lake, but under a foot of soil was nothing but solid rock. In which case it is very stable indeed.

  • June 10, 2021, 3:12 am

    I think the way the container was mounted to overcome the rocky terrain is ingenious.

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