The 2,500-square-foot McGowen Container House in Houston, Texas, showcases how shipping containers can be transformed into a distinctive, modern residence. Designed and built by owner Will Breaux, the three-story home uses 11 shipping containers arranged to create a spacious living environment with a rooftop deck. After struggling to find a designer who could bring his vision to life, Breaux taught himself the necessary design skills and developed his own plans. The home combines industrial character with contemporary interiors, demonstrating how creative thinking and careful planning can turn unconventional building materials into a personalized living space.
| Project | McGowen Container House |
| Builder and Owner | Will Breaux |
| Containers | 11 |
| Area | 2500 sqft |
| Location | McGowen street, Houston, Texas |
| Photography | Will Breaux |
| Year | 2018 |
When it comes to building their dream home, people have a lot of different ideas. Some choose comfortable and small bungalows, others opt for luxurious mansions. However, there a handful of those to decide to ditch the traditional architecture and build something completely different, for instance, a container house. That’s exactly what designer Will Breaux did and now he’s a proud owner of a house built solely out of shipping containers.
His new home is located on McGowen street in Houston. According to the owner, his 11 container house is the most extensive structure of its kind. The shipping containers are piled on top of each other to create a three-story house, complete with a rooftop deck.
Breaux wanted to build his own shipping container house since the early 2000s, however, for a long time he struggled to find someone who would design the kind of house he wanted, so Breaux decided to do it himself.
“I began looking at projects that were being built that I liked. Ultimately, a designer with a home builder family was hired to design a 3 story townhouse to be built on the lot. After going round and round for months, I eventually had to fire that group because they weren’t willing to give me what I wanted. Thus, the journey to design my own house began around 2011,” the man wrote in his blog.
Breaux got the idea of a shipping container house in Texas many years ago before it was even a thing. Why containers? Well, the idea behind it is quite simple. “Shipping containers are strong, fireproof, long-lasting, hurricane resistant, and have common characteristics,” Breaux explains.
However, the man, who is not a professional builder, had no knowledge of what it would take to build his dream shipping container house. But he was determined to do whatever it takes. The first thing he did was to create a 3D sketch of the house. After long hours spent learning everything about constructing a house out of shipping containers, Breaux is now a proud owner of an impressive 2,500 square foot shipping container house. Now the house is almost completely furnished and looks just like Breaux had imagined it.
