Shiah Lints was tired of life in a 2500 converted farmhouse, so he bought a side door shipping container to convert it into a tiny new home. The “train car” style container is built to open completely on two sides so Shiah didn’t need to make any cuts (and thereby lose structural strength).

Containers are built to handle a 300-pound snow load and in his Northern Washington town (Winthrop is about 50 miles south of the Canadian border) Shiah only had to build for 120 pound loads. Without the need for stick-frame walls, he created his own system for building out the inside/ He attached a C-beam on the ceiling, lined everything with a foil-faced foam insulation (the highest R value available) and covered it with plywood (screwed to the C-channel and the edge of the container). The resulting home is highly-insulated (R34; R40 ceiling and R22 walls) for winters of average lows of 14°F (-10°F).

After a couple of months living in a wall tent on his property, he moved into the converted home and loves living with just what he needs.