[imagesource: Vancouver Real Estate Photography]

Shipping container homes have become increasingly popular in recent times, due in large part to their affordability.

There’s also the appeal of knowing that you’ve repurposed something that may otherwise have ended up on a scrapheap.

In Paso Robles, California, there’s even an eco-friendly shipping container luxury hotel, with the design inspired by the vineyards among which the rooms sit.

Further up the coast, in the state of Washington, a shipping container home has hit the market for $2 million (around R27 million).

The 4 000-square-foot home, built from 11 containers of various colours, offers “a surprise around every corner”.

In realtor terms, that is a good thing, with more below via The Sacramento Bee:

[It] carries many Asian influences throughout it. There’s an outside Japanese garden, a Japanese tea and meditation room, an intricately hand-carved Balinese wood counter top in the bar and a Tibetan prayer wheel…

Image: Vancouver Real Estate Photography

The home was built and designed by owner Edward Merced, according to the listing. He is not in the home-building business, James said, but pulled off an architectural marvel nonetheless.

There’s even a koi pond, with aquarium glass so you can see it from any area of the house.

Construction began way back in 2015, so Merced was definitely ahead of the more recent boom. He even went as far as to chisel the bathroom sinks himself.

Our friends at Berry & Donaldson, South Africa’s premier freight logistics company, would be suitably impressed with the creative use of containers.

All in all, Merced has done one hell of a job:

The house comes with an outside kitchen, and there’s an orchard that grows kiwi, pomegranates, figs, persimmons, bing cherries, plums, Asian pears, and Honeycrisp apples.

It’s still on the market, if you want to chance your arm and throw a lowball offer in there.

[source:sacbee]