Tour Video
Construction Process
Early Build Concept and Construction Video
Plans
Location
About Bill Seeber - Structural Engineer
| Project | River Forest Lookout |
| Designer and Owner | Mark Derenthal |
| Structural Engineer | Bill Seeber |
| Containers | Two 20 ft |
| Location | Epworth (Blue Ridge), Georgia, United States |
| Year | 2023 |
The River Forest Lookout is an interesting project that puts shipping container-based architecture on a pedestal – literally. The tiny retreat takes the form of a fire lookout tower-style design that consists of two containers raised 60 ft (18 m) above the forest floor in Whitfield County, Georgia.
The River Forest Lookout is situated on 14 acres (5.6 hectares) of rural land and was constructed by owner Mark Derenthal and his family. It was a painstaking job that involved transporting everything to the rural site and assembling the base and stairs, then craning the heavily modified shipping containers into position.
Visitors access the dwelling by staircase. One of the shipping containers serves as an open plan living area. This hosts a some chairs and a dining table, plus a basic kitchen with a mini-fridge, a two-burner propane-powered stove and a microwave. The bedroom area is adjacent and has a double bed. There's plenty of shelving and some storage nooks, and the container has floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight to maximize natural light inside. The second container, meanwhile, is totally taken up by a spacious bathroom which features a walk-in shower, a flushing toilet, and a sink.
Elsewhere lies a small balcony area with a table and seating for two, plus a BBQ. There's also a rooftop terrace, which is reached by a spiral staircase and contains a fire pit and some more seating.
Naturally there isn't a power grid in such a remote location so the River Forest Lookout runs fully off-the-grid with a rooftop solar panel array. Water comes from a nearby well and it has propane-powered heating, plus a small wood-burning stove, to keep the chill at bay.