Santa Barbara Container Home 296

Set in the hills of Santa Barbara just a few miles away from the coast, this magnificent shipping container home is another showcase for how containers can be used for a luxury build. Alternatively known as HO:ME 296 and the Schulte Container Home, this modern build is an impressive combination of container construction and durable concrete elements. 

The container house is the brainchild of owners Bret and Dani Stone, who wanted a home that was beautiful and contemporary but ultimately inspired others towards sustainable construction. This husband and wife work as an environmental lawyer and fashion stylist, respectively, so it’s no surprise that their goals were both green and aesthetic.

Despite it’s luxuriousness, the design of the home is fairly simple. The ground floor is built almost exclusively with poured concrete, and most of the space is open. Besides the garage, you’ll also find the living room, dining area, and kitchen on this floor.

There’s also a single 20 foot container here in a non-structural capacity. This container sits behind the kitchen and serves as a pantry and scullery for washing and storing dishes.

Many of the walls on this level of the home are in fact accordion doors with floor to ceiling windows inside. This permits an indoor/outdoor experience with the backyard oasis. The yard includes drought tolerant landscaping, comfortable lounge furniture, a firepit, and incredible views of the surrounding hills. And we can’t forget the 85 foot long pool that spans across the width of the yard.

Moving onto the second floor is where you’ll find the other four shipping containers, all of which are 40 feet long. The containers were paired together in two parallel banks, separated by a large open space that holds the staircase and a large desk. The entire open space between the containers is lit by skylight, setting the mood of openness and warmth as you come up the stairs.

One bank of two containers holds the master suite, including the bedroom, expansive bathroom, and walk-in closet. The other bank of two containers is sectioned off into two 20 foot long sections, each of which holds a bedroom, bathroom, and closet.

The design provides clear separation between the master suite and the bedrooms of the couple’s two children. But it also reinforces that the entire upper floor is a private space of bedrooms, while the ground floor is exclusively public-facing and oriented towards entertaining guests.

And despite the high-end finishes, the home is actually sized quite reasonably for a American three bedroom home. There’s not a lot of wasted space, and most of the public areas are open to promote circulation and a feeling of togetherness. The interior designer skillfully paired a pallette of 15 shades of gray in the home itself with splashes of color from the furnishings and lighting.

Although the containers in the house had most of their modifications performed offsite, the home still took about 16 months to complete. As the first container home of it’s kind in Santa Barbara County, getting all the proper approvals and meeting relevant code requirements took some time.

But the home also has a lot of custom work that prevented a quick completion. Building all the forms for the poured concrete, dealing with the complicated foundation requirements on a sloping site, and placing and welding all the structural I-beams and other steel reinforcements were just some of the challenges.

The owners’ desire for a green building wasn’t just lip service, either. The home includes photovoltaic solar panels and a conscious effort to promote passive cooling through numerous operable windows.

The north side of the containers’s exterior is completely covered by a plaster coating intended to reduce heat transfer to the interior spaces behind. The roof over the entire home is covered with gravel and has generous overhangs to prevent heat gain through the large windows during the hotter months. Finally, the home was designed with durable, resilient materials that should ensure that it lasts for a long time without extensive maintenance and material replacement.

As a whole, the home is a harmonious combination of concrete and steel. The containers are integral to the design, but they aren’t the exclusive building element, instead sharing the spotlight.

Hopefully no one is confusing this masterfully designed home in coastal Southern California for an example of affordability. From what we know, it cost in excess of $1 million afterall.

Howvever, the owner stated that there were no additional costs attributed to using containers. Rather, the home would have cost as much as did even if they had used more traditional construction methods because of the location and high-end finishes. However, he’s definetely pleased with his container home and believes that they could offer a cost savings for a less exotic home design.