| Designer and Builder | Jorge Salcedo, Braid Contracting |
| Project | Gold Container Home |
| Containers | 4 |
| Area | 3,000 square foot |
| Cost | $610,000 (2018) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona, USA |
Description by realtor, 2018
A home constructed of shipping containers is unlike anything the Phoenix housing market has seen. The structure, consisting of four shipping containers, is a fascinating riff on the region’s shipping container craze, which includes The Churchill, a small-business incubator downtown built from containers.
The homeowner, who’s also an engineer, built this three-bedroom, four-bath passion project at the urging of his two children and lived in it briefly. It’s now listed with Shara Terry of Berkshire Hathaway for $610,000.
“He wants to take this concept and see where it can go, perhaps build more,” says Terry.
For those leery about waking up in what might feel like a steel cage, listen up: “When you’re inside the home, it’s seamless, especially upstairs,” Terry says. “It’s a hybrid. You’ve got two shipping containers on the east and two on the west, with traditional framing in the center.”
Taking a year to build, the 3,000-square-foot property has a dazzling interior that bears little resemblance to the cold metal of a container. Catering to eco-minded buyers, the four-car garage features a car charger and is wired for a workshop. Aluminum radiant barrier material aims to combat Arizona’s harsh sun from heating up the home’s interior.
South Mountain, where the home is located, is a booming area of Phoenix and named for the nearby mountain.
“Every window you look out of captures [a view],” says Terry. “If you’re washing the dishes, for example, you can see the East Valley.”
And the neighborhood is on the rise, and appealing to a savvy investor looking for a different type of dwelling.
“South Mountain has rewoken up,” says Terry. “It was quite the craze back in the day, until everything kind of halted when the market crashed.”
In 2020, the Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway)—a 22-mile extension of the 202 freeway—will be complete, connecting with Interstate 10 and the West Valley. And the new Valley Metro Baseline light-rail line is a mile north.
Because this area is close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Terry thinks a new owner might use it as a “crash pad” for airline pilots and flight attendants. It could also be used for a corporation’s social events, given its eye-catching design. Whatever the use, we’re sure it’s a place that will always remain cool in the desert.
