A Washington home built from 11 used shipping containers in eco-friendly Pacific Northwest style has hit the market for $2 million.
Built in 2015 by designer and owner Edward Merced, the 4,074-square-foot home in Vancouver, Washington once appeared on HGTV’s Container Homes” for its unique design. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s way of incorporating architecture into the surrounding environment, Merced drew out his vision on a sketch and put it to life through recycled material and shipping containers that he had access to through his job in the import business.
The containers are stacked and rotated into a main wooden structure to create different rooms and separate wings — the primary bedroom is what the owner calls a “treehouse.” An upper container painted yellow and with round windows has been serving as a kids’ space for at-home schooling. Two containers make up a separate unit that can be used as a guest house. In keeping with Wright’s vision, a sunken living room is built around a koi pond so that aquarium-style windows look into the pond.
“It’s one of those houses that you have to see to appreciate,” Louise James, the RE/MAX Equity Group agent representing the property, told Inman. “When you go in, it’s so luxurious in a way that you would never think at first. You think of containers as people storing stuff and shipping across the world. To actually live in a luxury home [made of ] these is unbelievable.”
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Building the home for his wife and three daughters, Merced also took the unique theme indoors — collected artifacts, fun wallpaper, a wall of wine bottles, hand-chiseled stone sinks and tile roofing in the kitchen give the indoor space an artsy feel as well. While the design has been an extension of his family’s personality, selling the property is a way to downsize and begin a new chapter in their life.
James told Inman that the home represents the kind of push for alternative and more eco-friendly building materials that many homebuyers are looking for. Since listing the home this spring, she has had several clients express interest in having something similar built for them — a possibility that Merced is currently considering pursuing either as a designer or a consultant.
“All the shipping containers are so eco-friendly that, if you look very closely, they still retain their original numbers on them,” James said. “We’ve had so many people that are interested in this unique type of design so there is definitely talk in the future of building more for other people.”