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When you have a breathtakingly beautiful piece of land, the design of your container home has an opportunity to reflect the place it is in. The Crazy Mountain Container Casa is such a home in such a place.
The history of this container home is actually quite interesting. Back in 2013, architect Ty Kelly designed this home for himself as a way to get back to his Montana roots after spending several years in Seattle. After about a yearlong design and construction timeline due to his travels back and forth to Seattle, Ty had the home completed.
It soon garnered enough attention to be featured on the HGTV series ‘Extreme Homes’. Eventually, he started renting the home on Airbnb, but by 2017 he decided to sell the home to work on other projects.
However, when he sold the home, he didn’t sell the land with it. Even though this container house is made with two containers welded together, the home was listed for sale under the premise that the new owner would relocate it.
After a few weeks on the market in late 2017 at a list price of $125,000, the home was sold to a new owner about 15 miles north. And with the help of a crane (see the picture!) and trucks, the home was moved.
In the new location, the home sits in the valley of the Shields River, less than a quarter mile from the river’s tranquil waters. And behind the river are the towering Crazy Mountains including the 11,214-foot high Crazy Peak, forming an incredible backdrop for the home.
This should also clarify the naming of this container home. There’s nothing crazy about the owners, the design, or the construction, it’s just next to the Crazy Mountains!
Under the new owners, this container home is again available for rent on Airbnb, and the current site of the home is even more beautiful than where it was originally built back in 2013. With that history out of the way, let’s talk details of this container home.
The Crazy Mountain Container Casa is built with two parallel 45-foot shipping containers. The five extra feet of length in each container leads to an additional 80 gross square feet in the home compared to the more common 40-foot containers.
The exterior of the home has a few striking details. First is the massive back deck, which extends the views from inside the home when the weather is nice enough to enjoy it. You’ll also notice substantial cedar plank cladding on three of the containers’ sides, which help it blend into the beautiful grasslands of the valley.
At one end of the container house is an outdoor shower, a nice place to cool off after a mountain hike or clean up after playing in the river. On the other side, you’ll find a unique firewood storage box attached to the end of the container.
Probably most noticeable from the exterior of the home is the wall of windows formed by a series of sliding glass doors. While surely making it a bit harder to heat and cool, it would be almost criminal to not have extensive windows through which to take in the river and mountain views.
Moving to the interior, you see the genius of this container home design through a different lens. The floorplan is essentially a studio given that the bedroom is slightly separated from the other spaces, but doesn’t have an actual door to close it off. Instead, a feeling of openness permeates the space, certainly aided by those sliding glass doors.
One end of the container house is the living room which includes a wood stove, small closet and side window. But your eye races to the back wall which has an ensemble of plywood pieces salvaged from an office building being renovated. The various colors of the wood pieces provide a texture to the wall that stands in contrast to the stark glass across the room.
Salvaged wood is actually a theme that is seen in other elements of the home as well. For instance, there’s a similar wall in the bathroom made from old office shelving that was saved. And the kitchen counters were made with old 2″x2″ wood pieces glued together into a DIY butcher block. In areas where carpet wasn’t used, you’ll find salvaged wood flooring as well.
The cabinetry, appliances, accessories, and furnishings are all modern with an air of Scandinavian style. Even the ceiling feels sleek with smooth panels and recessed lights.
Behind the kitchen on the other end of the container house are the bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom has undisturbed views through the same sliding glass doors as the living room and is a tidy space with a queen bed, small closet, and desk. The bathroom is relatively unremarkable with its sink and walk-in shower, other than the wooden walls previously mentioned.
Despite the large windows, guests report that the home is always comfortable to stay in. Plenty of polyurethane spray foam insulation was used, ensuring most of the heat from electric in-wall heaters isn’t lost to the environment.
We love this container home because while it is small and technically simple, the execution is wonderful. Small touches of thoughtful design and interesting materials abound. The container home also makes great use of it’s space, and especially thanks to the huge deck, it feels much larger than it actually is.
The stellar reviews and requirement to book sometime months in advance tell you everything you need to know about the general opinion of this container home from the people who have actually seen it. If you have a piece of property with a nice view, maybe a container home like this could be a great way to monetize it.
And for those who have interest in being a short-term rental host, this home is still very inspiring in its design. Perhaps there are elements you can modify for your own container home.
It’s certainly worth seeing in person if you ever have the chance and are in the area. Whether you want to explore Yellowstone National Park, hike the Bridger Range and Crazy Mountains, or hang out in Livingston, this container house would be a great jumping off point. And, it’s also a great option you just want to completely get away from everything, enjoy the views, the firepit, and the tranquility.
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