The 10x40 home includes two separate shipping containers. The spacious 400-square-foot interior consists of a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and full-size bathroom. A lofted sleeping area has 84 inches of built-in open shelves extending from the loft floor to the ceiling on one of the end walls. The loft also has five 36" x24" slider windows that bathe the space in natural light.

The shipping container home's insulation meets local code requirements. The only heat source is a small wood stove, despite living in the snowy Colorado mountains. This customization was something that Yi wanted to include to reduce overall energy demand and reliance on fossil fuel energy from the grid.

Yi shares her home with her pets and a steady stream of visitors. Whereas the Empty Nester model originally only came with one 40-foot container, she decided on a two-container home for the extra space allowed. "I went this route (shipping container model) mainly due to my builders and because of the sustainability of this option," she says. Yi says she was attracted to the idea of building a home from a wholly repurposed object.

Another major enticement: Keeping a shipping container out of a landfill. Yi's inspiration was to "take something that would end up in our landfills to create a home that is strong, less prone to fire risk, easier to transport, and which you can customize."

Yi also loves how simple her home is to clean. "If I have people coming over, it probably takes me 20 minutes to clean the place through and through." Purchasing a custom container home also allowed Yi to move into a beautiful rural area of Colorado. "I love being out of the city," she says. "There is a real community here. If I need anything, I can reach out to my neighbors. I never felt that in the city."

Homeowner Advice 

Some housing alternatives (such as tiny homes) often face building code and zoning restrictions. Yi, however, "did not have issues with zoning or building codes. The county I live in is relaxed. However, these types of homes need to be certified by the state as well, which did take additional time, effort, and money." According to Discovercontainers.com, states with friendly and flexible building codes for shipping container homes include Texas, California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Oregon, and Alaska. Building codes are at a city or county-wide level. There are places in every state (and especially in rural areas) where you can build alternative homes.