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Tiny Houses

Shipping container-based tiny house doubles up to provide more space

By Adam Williams
June 13, 2025
Shipping container-based tiny house doubles up to provide more space
The Luke tiny house has been built from two shipping containers and offers a surprisingly spacious interior for up to two people
The Luke tiny house has been built from two shipping containers and offers a surprisingly spacious interior for up to two people
View 8 Images
The Luke tiny house has been built from two shipping containers and offers a surprisingly spacious interior for up to two people
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The Luke tiny house has been built from two shipping containers and offers a surprisingly spacious interior for up to two people
The Luke includes two entrances, one at the front of the home and one at the rear
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The Luke includes two entrances, one at the front of the home and one at the rear
The Luke's interior looks very open and has more space than you'd expect from a shipping container-based tiny house
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The Luke's interior looks very open and has more space than you'd expect from a shipping container-based tiny house
The Luke measures 480 sq ft (45 sq m), and its interior is arranged on one floor
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The Luke measures 480 sq ft (45 sq m), and its interior is arranged on one floor
The Luke's bathroom includes a shower, vanity sink, flushing toilet, and a washer/dryer
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The Luke's bathroom includes a shower, vanity sink, flushing toilet, and a washer/dryer
The Luke has many options, including flooring, wall finishes and even tap color
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The Luke has many options, including flooring, wall finishes and even tap color
The Luke's kitchen includes a sink and cabinetry, as well as space for more appliances
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The Luke's kitchen includes a sink and cabinetry, as well as space for more appliances
The Luke's bedroom includes a double bed and has ample headroom to move around thanks to its single floor layout
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The Luke's bedroom includes a double bed and has ample headroom to move around thanks to its single floor layout
View gallery - 8 images

Backcountry Containers has designed lots of different types of shipping container homes, from large residential units to smaller rural retreats. For its Luke tiny house, the firm connects a large and a small shipping container together, offering a surprisingly spacious interior layout that sleeps up to two people in comfort.

The Luke is based on a 40-ft (12.2-m) high-cube shipping container and a 20-ft (6.1-m) model, which have been welded together, modified with doors and windows, and painted a uniform blueish color. It measures 480 sq ft (45 sq m), which is arranged on one floor.

Thanks to the additional width provided by using two containers, the interior has a spacious open-plan layout, avoiding the usual issue of container-based houses seeming very cramped. Another major concern with living in what's essentially a big metal box is the terrible thermal performance, so to mitigate this the firm has added spray foam insulation in the walls and ceiling. A wall-mounted mini-split air-conditioning unit is installed too.

The Luke measures 480 sq ft (45 sq m), and its interior is arranged on one floor
The Luke measures 480 sq ft (45 sq m), and its interior is arranged on one floor

The front door (there's also a door installed at the rear of the home) opens onto the living room, which occupies the center of the home. It has enough space for a sofa and a coffee table and TV. The kitchen is nearby. This includes butcher block countertops, cabinetry, some shelving, a sink, and space for a fridge/freezer and other appliances.

Situated to one side of the living room is the bathroom. This actually looks relatively well-proportioned for a container-based tiny house and has a shower, flushing toilet, a vanity sink, and a washer/dryer.

The Luke's kitchen includes a sink and cabinetry, as well as space for more appliances
The Luke's kitchen includes a sink and cabinetry, as well as space for more appliances

The other side of the living room, meanwhile, is occupied by the bedroom. It's accessed by a barn-style sliding door and, thanks to the home's single floor layout, has ample headroom to stand up and move around. It contains a double bed.

The Luke has a lot of optional extras available, including the choice of materials used inside, the exterior cladding, a rooftop deck, wood-burning stove, appliances, and more.

This model starts at US$125,000.

Source: Backcountry Containers

View gallery - 8 images

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Tiny HousesBuilding and ConstructionTiny FootprintMicro-HouseHomeHouseshipping containers
1 comment
Adam Williams
Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.

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BarronScout
$125K for that? There needs to be some discussions over design for that kind of money.
First, why weld it together? Now it is MUCH harder to move. The units could be build off sight and bolted together vs welding that has to be done BEFORE the inside is installed. Otherwise inside would catch fire during welding. A detachable roof would keep weather off the seem for additional protection and also aid in heat rejection/retention of the metal container in the weather.
Next is AC placement. Why is the handler between the door and window? Doors and windows usually "leak" thermal energy and seems it would just be lost straight out them. And what about the bedroom when the door is closed? Also why is compressor unit (and other utilities) blocking the door? Or, if OE door is not used why leave the latch mechanism in place instead of sealing them (IE permanently welding shut). I can see someone playing with those latches and causing issues. Also why is compressor unit way around the end from the handler? Feels like a couple of cassette units in the ceiling and shaded location for the compressor unit would help greatly.
Next what is up with the power strip with a bunch of power bricks going into the kitchen? Did they not put any outlets in there? No room for them? Or maybe for code reasons?
Also curious about the on demand water heater next to shelf above washer in the bathroom. Open drier vent in the wall - did they not get a combo washer/drier or did they install a shelf blocking the drier from being installed? Also there doesn't seem like much of anything keeping items on shelf from blocking the air space for the water heater. And its all installed in a wet environment (bathroom). Where is the mirror and/or cabinet? Looks like the wall between washer and show is utility space - why in the middle of the room?
I would combine a couple of the concerns together with a fix - unblock the OE shipping door, instead have it open to a utility closet and place the above mentioned items inside (water heater, electrical boxes, AC unit). Closet would only need to be a foot or two deep and could be vented while still securing the items behind lock and key (and behind a bear "proof" door)