Family turns shipping containers into ‘castle’

Builder: Housinger’s Finish

There were many moments when Matt and Karissa Rowe were certain their dream home built out of shipping containers had turned into a nightmare.

Contractors weren’t showing up. When they did, they cut corners and did things that were downright dangerous. The fixes and fixes to the fixes put the project behind schedule and bumped up the budget. Home lenders wouldn’t touch them since this home style is considered too new of a concept. Their big family was renting a cramped home and approaching the end of their lease. And Karissa was pregnant.

“I didn’t have health issues until we started this,” said Matt. “My health care provider told me that I seemed to be under a lot of stress. Really?”

But, as of early November, the Rowe family had moved in and started decorating. Apart from some finishing work and completing an attached garage, their three-story place inspired by Matt stacking boxes virtually in Minecraft was complete. 

Their kids nicknamed the home located off Riverview Drive “The Post Falls Castle.” The sturdy structure has been estimated to last 300-400 years. 

“It’s 98% kid-proof,” Matt said.  

The 4,200-square-foot home uses 15 40-foot steel shipping containers, which Matt discovered is the highest number for a U.S. container home, and the second-largest in the world.   

A living room, kitchen, two guest rooms and a playroom make up the first floor. Children’s bedrooms are on the second. And a master bedroom/bath rounds out the top. There are four and a half baths and three decks, including a deck accessible from each child’s room.

There were challenges from the beginning, starting with getting shipping containers from China to Idaho, and then perfectly stacking them. Many welds were required, followed by plenty of spray foam insulation.  

Drywall was used in places, and alder trim covers many of the metal corners and seams. Durable flooring and carpeting were added. Temperatures remain constant thanks to a two-zone HVAC system.

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Following the family’s initial frustrations at finding reliable help and a trustworthy general contractor, they connected with Josh Housinger, an Army veteran and owner of Housinger’s Finish, who stepped in as general contractor to complete the project.

“If it wasn’t for Josh, the home probably wouldn’t be completed,” Matt said. 

He worked closely with the family and general carpenter Regan Schenkel from Legit Carpentry on everything from figuring out roof drainage to putting in doors correctly. With the exception of Dry Box shipping containers, Matt said local contractors and suppliers were utilized throughout the build.

Now that the worst is over, everyone is excited to enjoy their castle. 

“The kids love it,” Matt said. “They have their own space and their own view. The first night, they all slept on the balcony in canvas tents and watched our first sunset in our new home. It’s so well-insulated we can’t even hear them when we’re upstairs.”

He especially appreciates the commitment and perseverance of Josh and Regan. 

“None of us ever want to do this again,” Matt said. “But we’ll still give advice to anyone building with containers. If you call saying, ‘We have a waterfall coming off the roof and don’t know what to do,’ we’ll give you answers.” N

SUBCONTRACTORS

Drafting
Modern Drafting Services

Steel Prefab
Pacific Steel

Engineer
BC Engineers

Building Materials
Badger Building Supply

Cabinets
Huntwood Custom Cabinets

Raingutters
Victory Gutters

Windows/Doors
Pella Spokane

Finished Wood
Ugly Duck – Pavel

Welder
Renegade Welding

Painter
Dan Wilson Painting (interior/exterior)

Crane Services
Bauer Crane

Drywall
Custom Drywall

Insulation
Northwest Structures

By Joe Butler
Photography By Joel Riner

As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2023