Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 05, 2025

This Texas Company is Turning Shipping Containers into Double-Decker Tiny Homes

This Texas Company is Turning Shipping Containers into Double-Decker Tiny Homes

We asked CargoHome about how they transform a cold, steel shell into a warm, elegant, and efficient space.

What started out as a backyard building experiment is growing into a booming family business for Kenneth Wheeler. His company, CargoHome, hand-builds tiny houses using shipping containers, and customers seem to love them. Each model features a rooftop deck and broad glass doors that spill out onto the landscape, with leftover industrial fittings and the ubiquitous box shape barely hinting at its underlying steel shell.



CargoHome specializes in building tiny homes using single-trip shipping containers arriving in the United States from China. Glimpses of the steel structure remain visible around the facade-including the original container doors, which are carved out and inset with new glass panels.

Founded in 2017, CargoHome has built nearly three dozen units to-date, with several of its models currently available as short-term rentals on Airbnb. Wheeler and his team utilize their backgrounds in residential construction to transform the shells into comfortable and surprisingly airy dwellings. In fact, the company's two-story container house was recently named as the fifth most 'wish-listed' tiny home on Airbnb.



Inside, the team thinly frames the walls for insulation, plumbing and electrical, and finishes the space off with wood paneling, custom cabinetry, and full-sized fittings.

From its construction base near Waco, Texas-the town popularized by Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's reality show Fixer Upper-CargoHome currently builds four different models using two standard shipping container sizes. The finished units range in size from 160 to 480 square feet and take approximately two months to complete.

Prices start in the $40-50K range for the smallest models, with the largest two starting at $75,000 and $95,000, respectively. Customers can price different options on the company's website. Keep scrolling to learn more about each model and how Wheeler describes the fabrication process.

The Anchor



At 160 square feet, The Anchor is truly a tiny home. Yet, the glass front doors, which swing 270 degrees and tuck along the side of the home, allow for more spacious indoor-outdoor living.



The interior is made to feel airy by walls of windows and clever storage solutions. The open space offers a queen-size Murphy bed near the entrance, custom tiled walk-in shower at the back, and a large kitchen and dining area between.

"We typically use what are called 'one-trippers' for our CargoHomes," says Wheeler. "It's basically a new container that was shipped from China with a single initial load in it. We used older, decommissioned containers a couple of times, but they can be difficult to work with since they are often quite beat up. Also, it’s a little difficult to find out what was shipped inside of the older ones, so there is some risk of chemical exposure. That's why we’ve opted to stick with one-trippers."

The Crow's Nest




At the same size as the previous model, The Crow's Nest makes more use of the space with a larger bedroom area. A spiral staircase along the back leads to the rooftop deck.



The interior is more suited for guest accommodations, prioritizing more space for the bed and bathroom and opting to remove the living area.

Wheeler goes on to describe the fabrication process: "First, we cut out sections in the steel for windows and doors, and then weld in steel tube frames to strengthen the openings. We frame the interior walls enough that we can fit all of our electric, plumbing, and spray foam insulation. We try to keep our walls as thin as possible to maximize interior space. Finally, we finish the interior using pine paneling or shiplap and clad the exterior with cedar or old barn wood."

The Mainsail




The larger Mainsail model uses a 40-foot shipping container, allowing room for a private bedroom and separate living area. This model also opts for a separate entrance along the side, where portions of the original shipping container are also visible as part of the facade.



The 320-square-foot interior offers space for a larger kitchen, which can be upgraded with quartz or granite countertops.



A separate bedroom at the back fits a queen-sized bed.

"Container home construction is actually quite different than standard home construction," Wheeler adds. "When framing a standard house, more thought goes in to the structural aspects. Yet, these containers are built to carry up to 40 tons of cargo and be stacked up to nine high, so they are incredibly sturdy already. Inside, you are basically just building a shell inside of a shell, concerned mostly with hiding the utility elements and providing a structure over which to apply the wall finishing."

The Helm




The company's largest model, The Helm, is a two levels, constructed by stacking a 20-foot container on top of a 40-foot one. The extra space accommodates one bedroom and bathroom downstairs, with a master suite upstairs.



The interior features an open living area and kitchen, with custom-made wooden casements windows providing natural light. An interior staircase provides access upstairs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×