Red River Gorge Container Cabins

The Red River Gorge Container Cabins are the perfect example of great design in a beautiful place. On a tranquil property outside of Lexington, Kentucky, these two shipping container homes are incredibly inviting.

Kentucky’s Red River Gorge is an incredibly beautiful area of cliffs, waterfalls, and rock arches set inside the Daniel Boone National Forest. It is simultaneously a National Geological Area, National Natural Landmark, National Archaeological District, and a part of the National Register of Historic Places. In short, if you want to hike, camp, canoe, hunt, or do almost anything outdoors, this is an incredible spot.

It’s no surprise that with such a wonderful resource for outdoor adventure, there are plenty of cabins and short-term rentals in the area. However, Chad and Amanda Jones had an idea for how to bring something new to the area: shipping container cabins.

While their two cabins are unique, both are just a few steps away from each other so we’re including them together here in the same listing. We’ll start with the larger cabin.

Container Cabin One

The first container cabin is built with two parallel 40-foot shipping containers separated by approximately 12 feet. The area in between the two containers is enclosed and part of the house, giving a total floor area of a little over 1000 square feet. A continuous, sloping roof covers the entire structure.

The home is built into the side of a slight hill so that your view from the wall of windows in the living areas is slightly above ground level. The builders really wanted this cabin to be able to see the natural beauty of the area and take advantage of as much natural light as possible.

When you look inside, there’s a clear design theme that permeates throughout the house. Darker laminate wood floors are contrasted with lighted horizontal wooden wall sections. The ceiling is made from corrugated, galvanized metal sheathing. It’s a look you’ve probably seen before that seamlessly blends modern with rustic. You’ll also find a few interior walls that include the original container corrugated metal, lest you forget you’re inside a shipping container.

The design is all about open spaces, with the kitchen, living, and dining areas all part of one large room. And it feels even larger thanks to the raised ceiling in the middle section between the two containers that isn’t constrained by the lower ceiling height of the containers.

As far as accommodations are concerned, this container cabin has two bedrooms to offer guests, one with a king bed and one with a queen bed. There’s also a full-size bathroom that includes a walk-in shower, plus a separate utility room with a washer and dryer.

While the point of this container cabin is to provide a jumping-off point for the majestic nature out the front door, no one would fault you for wanting to spend a little extra time inside. With all the comfort of home tucked into a small but perfectly liveable space, this container house is definitely worth a visit. But if you’re looking for something a little bit smaller, you can consider the second cabin nearby.

Container Cabin Two

A few meters up the hill as the crow flies, but accessed with a separate entrance and feeling much more secluded is the second cabin on the property. This cabin is also built from two 40-foot shipping containers that are set parallel to each other. But in this case, the containers are set side by side without any gap in between.

The resulting cabin is smaller at about 640 square feet, but it makes up for that with a front porch that is nearly 400 square feet. Once again, a large, sloping roof is used to cover the entire structure including the porch. So while the roofs on the two cabins are similarly sized, the difference is that the second cabin has a huge porch instead of the additional interior space.

The second cabin also feels more secluded, with large trees on every side that provide shade and seclusion from the road and the other cabin. There’s also a gravel fire pit on the far side of the cabin with a covered firewood storage area, once again encouraging you to take advantage of the outdoors.

Inside this cabin, the design is similar to the previous cabin. Dark laminate wood flooring, abundant windows, and wooden tongue and groove boards are set horizontally on many of the walls. You see the same galvanized, corrugated metal paneling on the ceiling, and in some cases, an aged corrugated metal is used on accent walls as well.

In this cabin, there are two bedrooms with queen beds in each, plus a full bathroom that includes a walk-in shower. There’s also a washer and dryer for guests to use, plus a slightly smaller though still functional kitchen if you want to prepare a quick meal or snack.

The living room and kitchen area in the second cabin are once again accented by a wall of windows that let in tons of light, though the space is a bit smaller than in the other cabin. Still, it has plenty of room for a large L-shaped couch and wooden bar with stools to eat from.

Summary

You have to hand it to the builders of these two Kentucky container homes. Both are comparatively small, but thanks to open floorplans and thoughtful use of natural light, they feel airy and spacious for forest cabins. The point here is to have comfort, security, and even a hint of luxury when you aren’t out exploring the Red River Gorge.

Both cabins offer large TVs, air conditioning, WiFi, air conditioning, and everything else you’d need for a few days of adventure or retreat. And we think there is a lot for potential container home owners to study here for inspiration. 

If you wanted one of these container cabins to be a full-time home for your family, you’d likely make a few changes, like some additional storage in the bedrooms and ovens in the kitchen. But overall, either home wouldn’t require drastic changes to transform from a short-term rental to a permanent house for a family.

We hope the thoughtful way that wood and metal are combined throughout these homes gives you some ideas for your own container project. And if you want to see the design details in person, you can always visit these cabins yourself!