Best Shipping Container Homes for Sale in North Carolina [2024] | Container Addict (2024)

Imagine living in a stylish, sustainable and futuristic home that you do not have to sign over decades of your life in a mortgage just to afford. Wouldn’t that be the dream?

You can achieve all that and more with a well-built container home. Yes, shipping container homes in North Carolina are pretty much exactly what they sound like.

A house built with shipping containers. The global container house market is thriving and growing by the day. According to Allied Market Research, it is expected to reach close to $75 million in less than 3 years.

With a little bit of creativity and a reputable builder, there is really no limit to the amazing container home designs that can be created. In fact, there are many stunning container homes right here in the Tar Heel state.

In this article, we will take you through some of the best container homes in NC that you can draw inspiration from when you build your own container house.

Moreover, we did quite a bit of research and found a few highly recommended shipping container home builders in North Carolina, so you don’t have to!

3 Best Builders Offering Container Homes for Sale in North Carolina

Giant Containers

With a commitment to high quality construction and craftsmanship, Giant Containers is one of the best container home builders in North Carolina.

They undertake all kinds of projects including residential, commercial and industrial cargotecture.

Turning new, used, and modified shipping containers into sustainable living spaces, Giant Containers provides affordable housing solutions to the interested parties in North Carolina as well as around the globe.

You can email them or call them with your requirement for a custom quote.

Remember to include your budget, how far along you are in the process of building a container home and whether you require financing to complete the project.

The following project is a prefabricated container home by Giant Containers, set in the Colorado Rockies. The project has used 3 40’ Purpose Built HC containers.

Mangum Design-Build

With over 4 generations of builders constructing timeless living and commercial spaces, Mangum Design-Build is another good option for you to consider when building your container home in North Carolina.

They start all their projects with a detailed 3D design that you can work with them to create, eventually bringing it to life with the best quality materials and craftsmanship.

Container homes built by this developer are designed by them, prefabricated overseas and shipped for final assembly in your location.

According to them, the steel frame of a shipping container gives a higher quality structure than traditional materials, and allows them to expand their creativity due to the customizability of the material.

The image below is from a Mangum Design-Build container home project in Chapel Hill, NC. It is a complex and intricate design sustainably constructed with the use of shipping containers.

Doron Builders

Bringing your dream container home to life, Doron Builders is a versatile container home builder in North Carolina.

They have a range of pre-designed layouts that you can select from, or you can choose to work with them to develop a fully customized design according to your location and preferences.

According to their website, a fully functional 20’ container home with wood interior panel walls, kitchen, vanity, bath and more is priced at $52,200 (January 2022).

You can add additional upgrades such as floor heating and quartz countertops for an extra fee. They also offer financing of container homes with monthly payments.

They bring their 20+ years of experience in building custom residential construction projects to build your dream container home. The following is a container cabin done by them, a custom design to get the best out of the scenic location.

5 Container Homes in NC to Draw Inspiration From

1. Two-Story Container Home in Wilmington, North Carolina

• Year built: 2018
• # of containers: two 40’ shipping containers
• Size: 620 square feet
• # of bedrooms: 1
• # of bathrooms: 1
• Features: living room, patio, walk-in closet, and private balcony

(Source: Trulia)

This lovely one-bedroom home is located in the Cargo District of Wilmington, North Carolina. The 620 sq. ft home is made of two shipping containers that are stacked together to create a two-story apartment.

The interior of this cozy home boasts of a rather spacious living area, a full bathroom, a kitchen, a patio, and a private balcony. The interior features a reverse osmosis filtration system that keeps the water tastefully clean all year ’round.

The home was built in 2018 and is part of the larger urban living area known as the Cargo District. With a vibrant community and green living, the owners are walking distance away from downtown Wilmington.

Every inch of the lovely home is thoughtfully designed and executed, making it a perfect example of why container homes are a great cost-effective option in NC.

2. Cozy Container Cabin Overlooking the Appalachian Trail – Otto, North Carolina

• Year built: n/a
• # of containers: three containers (one 40′ and two 20′)
• Size: n/a
• # of bedrooms: 1
• # of bathrooms: 1
• Features: featured on the HGTV/DIY show “Containables”

This uniquely modern container home is a popular rental located amidst the Smoky Mountains overlooking the Appalachian Trail.

The house is made of two 20’ contains that create the bottom of the house and a 40’ container on top which creates the larger living space.

It has one bedroom, a cozy living area, a kitchen, a bath and a lounge area outside where you get to enjoy a spectacular view. The kitchen is fully-functional with all the needed amenities including a 2-burner electric stove.

The natural geographical elevation of the location has been used to create two levels of the home, which further extends the occupant’s ability to have direct access to the view.

The design of this lovely rental exemplifies the lego-like nature of containers which allows the constructors to successfully execute even the most complex designs.

3. Oceanfront Container House – Carolina Beach, North Carolina

• Year built: 2015
• # of containers: one 40′ container
• Size: 320 sq. ft.
• # of bedrooms: 1
• # of bathrooms: 1
• Features: minimalistic and cozy

This 320 sq.ft one-container creation in Carolina Beach has 1 bedroom, 1 bath and a cozy sitting space.

Eco-friendliness and sustainability have been a significant consideration when constructing this container home. The owners designed it to be unique, minimalistic and cozy.

It is architecturally engineered to create a spacious room while giving you the best view and the experience of being located on the beach.

They have used the textures and the colors of the original container to give an industrial/contemporary feel to the home.

The light colored wooden deck and the white trimmings softens geometric aspects of the container home, making it welcoming and fun.

4. Container Cabin Escape in the Highlands – Upper Hominy, NC

• Year built: 2015
• # of containers: one 40′ container
• Size: 320 sq. ft.
• # of bedrooms: 1
• # of bathrooms: 1
• Features: wrap around deck area on 125 acres of private land

(Images Airbnb)

Located in the highlands of North Carolina, this container home is yet another example as to how versatile container homes can be.

It blends in well with the serenity of nature. It provides cozy warmth even in sub zero temperatures, and cool relaxing air during the summers due to the luxury of perfect heat and air conditioning set up at the container home.

There are two levels to this container home and the way the balcony is placed to give more access to the wilderness at the comfort of the home is quite creative.

This home further proves how building a container home does not mean you have to give up any worldly luxuries and comforts.

It is simply a more affordable and infinitely more sustainable way of living.

3 Container Rentals – Graham, North Carolina

• Year built: n/a
• # of containers: three 40′ containers
• Size: n/a
• # of bedrooms: 1 per unit
• # of bathrooms: 1 per unit
• Features: three separate container units on one lot that you can rent individually or all together

This simple and spacious rental home is made of two large containers, and the interior is creatively furnished to create 3 separate rooms.

It is fully air conditioned and has a small yet functional kitchen as well. The outdoor shared deck space brings all three units together, and it beautifully blends in the container home with the surroundings.

When you opt for a container home like this over a regular home, you are upcycling a large steel structure while avoiding the use of many building materials that would drastically increase your carbon footprint.

It is the unabashed simplicity of this container home that makes it unique and special, showing how less is, in fact, more when it comes to a relaxing living space.

Conclusion

A shipping container house is a more affordable, sustainable and eco-friendly way of living. They are also modern, durable and highly customizable.

What’s not to love? With high quality steel structures as the base of your home, you are substantially lowering the environmental impact of building a house as well.

All that said, it is important that you speak with the best shipping container home builders in North Carolina to build the eco-friendly home you always wanted.

Make sure you fill out the form if you are looking to build your dream futuristic container home in North Carolina.