Rustic Retreat XL

Just outside of the metro Houston area near the town of Needville is the small farm of the Flowers family. It’s here that Backcountry Containers is based, and where they built one of their first container homes. The Rustic Retreat XL is one of their standard floorplans available for sale, but this particular example is interesting because it’s built right beside their company headquarters.

The origin of the Rustic Retreat XL floorplan is interesting and starts with a family connection. This container home was built for the sister-in-law, Emily, of Backcountry Containers’ owner, Jon Meier. Oh, and did we mention the construction of the home was featured on the Tiny House, Big Living TV Show?

The home is based on a 40-foot container which gives it 320 gross square feet of space. Containers homes of this size often end up having similar floor plans given the tight quarters, but they did make a few unique modifications to personalize this home to Emily.

From the outside, the most obvious customizations are the two decks. The lower deck doubles as the landing for the entrance into the home. It’s not especially big, but the space adjacent to the deck is covered in decomposed granite and is a great location for a firepit.

The upper deck is built on the roof of the shipping container and stretches from end to end, giving 320 SF of lofted space. Sitting almost 10 feet off the ground gives you a great view and perspective. Connecting the two decks is a wooden staircase that is almost steep enough to be a ship’s ladder.

Elsewhere on the exterior, your eye immediately catches the bold red paint (added after the container was purchased), the non-functional wood shutters that give a touch of country flair, and the livestock trough planters. All these elements work in harmony to soften the industrial appearance of this container home so it looks in place on the farm.

As you walk inside through the sliding glass door, the design theme changes slightly into what you might call boho-chic. There’s the L-shaped kitchen with wooden counters, a farmhouse sink, and exposed shelving for dishware. Stainless steel appliances, bold cabinet colors, and luxurious fixtures and pull handles give a high-end feel. 

Past the kitchen is a wooden barn door that slides on rails to reveal the bathroom. When the door of the bathroom is closed, you notice a somewhat hidden shelf built into the wall. But open the door and you see a comfortably-sized bathroom.

You take a single step up into the bathroom, which helped with underfloor plumbing. On your left is a long cabinet full of storage boxes underneath, and a bowl sink on top. The other side of the room holds the step-in shower made with white subway tile.

Back into the main area of the house past the kitchen barstools is the joint living room and bedroom. There’s room for a couch, a full-size bed, and a small coffee table. A wall-mounted TV gives a tiny bit more floor space.

Most container homes built with a single shipping container have a bit more space and separation between the bedroom and living area. This design went in a different direction. By compromising a bit and compressing the size of this central space, they got a bit more area at the far end of the container.

Here you’ll find the joint closet and laundry area. Due to Emily’s love of fashion, she needed a place to store her clothes and over 200 pairs of shoes! Built-in shelves off the storage she needed, with additional shelves and rods to hold clothes and other accessories. There’s also room for a combination washer-dryer that fits neatly below a countertop workspace.

The custom floor plan of this is tailored to Emily’s desires. She wanted a large bathroom and closet and was ok sacrificing the kitchen size (she doesn’t often cook) and indoor living area (she’s got two decks to use!) Design is all about give-and-take, and in this case, the tradeoffs gave Emily exactly what she wanted.

And if you’re wondering what the cost was for all of this? Only $50,000! We’re assuming Emily got the family discount on her container home, but still, it’s a lot of home for the money. And since it is built with a single container, it can easily be moved off the family farm and onto another piece of land if and when she’s ready.

A design like this one isn’t for everyone. But if you take a careful inventory of your needs and recognize what’s most important, you may find that you too can find value in squeezing the size of some rooms to expand others. Maybe instead of a large closet, you could make a bunk room for guests, or a work-from-home office? The possibilities are endless with containers!