Recycled shipping containers create a simple $525,000 masterpiece at the port

Two shipping containers and a creative owner made it home to this minimalist living space in Marfa, Texas.

“It’s a really gorgeous property, and the views are amazing — some of the best in the city,” says the listing agent. Mary FarleyWith Marva Vista Real Estate Company. “The person who designed it has great taste.”

The home is 933 square feet and is priced at $525,000.

The lower container consists of the kitchen, living space, bedroom and bathroom. The home’s design immediately caught Farley’s attention when she first saw it.

“I thought it was beautiful,” she recalls. “I love everything about it. I love the way you walk in from this kind of rough exterior with the container and then you go into this beautiful, very peaceful place with amazing views, a very beautiful design and a beautifully designed space.”

There is another bedroom and bathroom in the second container.

“There is an exterior staircase that leads to the upstairs unit, rather than taking up the interior space in the downstairs unit,” Farley explains.

The metal construction of reused shipping containers is part of the design.

“They used the container for interior doors, backsplash, and the shade structure,” Farley explains. “There’s a little bit of a Marfa aesthetic.”

It is a nod to simplicity and a striking example of form following function.

“You’re seeing things that have been greatly scaled back,” she says. “It’s a very clever use of these design elements, and you can see the abstract beauty in the packaging of the container, which is also being used.”

But shipping containers aren’t the only item in the home that’s been recycled. The large floor-to-ceiling windows in the basement came from a skyscraper in Denver, Colorado, Farley says.

Large decks are attached to each container, providing stunning views of the mountains. The area is located only half a mile from the city center.

The house was built on three lots and was completed in 2015. It served as the seller’s primary residence for a period of time. More recently, though, it has been rented out for vacationers.

Farley believes the unique residence would also be ideal as a full-time residence or as a retreat area that the owner could “lock and leave” as needed.

“It’s not a high-maintenance property, and everything is relatively new,” she says. “I think (the buyer) is someone who just wants to come in and enjoy all aspects of the desert. You can open the doors, and the breeze flows through. It’s a perfect getaway from a bigger city in Texas.”