Westmont Container Home

This innovative, hybrid container home is set in the West Chicago suburb of Westmont, Illinois. Employing four shipping containers plus large areas of traditional construction, it is a perfect encapsulation of modern design.

From the approach off the street, there’s no double this is a container house. The ends of two containers face you on the left side, and immediately adjacent you see the long wall of another container before seeing the front door and garage. 

That container turned lengthwise hides one of the home’s most innovative features: a front, inner courtyard. What appears to be an entire container is actually just a single wall cut from a container, forming a fence that frames the front side of the courtyard. It’s a place that provides the owner access to the outdoors (plus plenty of sunshine from the adjacent windows) without losing any privacy.

Stepping inside the home, you see a number of great features. The living area and kitchen have huge windows into the backyard, plus 13-foot ceilings. The glazed concretes floors are heated for those cool, winter evenings. And the cabinets, appliances, and finish work definitely look ‘high-end’. 

There is a bonus room off the kitchen that is made from a container that was vertically extended to have a 12-foot ceiling, then outfitted as a gym. When you want more privacy or just to get rid of the sun coming in low over the horizon, you have remote-controlled shades on several of the windows. But don’t worry, the lofted entry area has clerestory windows that still let in tons of light.

Foam insulation is used throughout the house to keep HVAC bills manageable and remove the threat of condensation. And we almost forgot the expansive, unfinished basement which will give plenty of storage to the homeowner so you can use the garage for actually parking your cars instead of holding holiday decorations.

This modern architecture project proves that container homes can be built in compliance with building codes, even in states known for stricter regulations like Illinois. We look forward to hearing about more great examples like this one!