
Images via Tin Can Cabin
Built with three 8′ x 20′ shipping containers attached side by side, this little cabin home in the woods of Northern Wisconsin is beautifully finished and creatively designed to fit a lot of necessities into a small space. The designer and builder, Steve, is a computer programmer who decided he wanted a permanent residence on his acreage of Wisconsin land that he had previously only used for occasional hunting trips. He has done and amazing job of documenting his building progress on his website, Tin Can Cabin.
When designing the cabin, Steve centered everything around the dining table, as that will be the most used area of the cabin – for coming together at meal times and playing cards at night. High on Steve’s list of necessities while in the planning process was the entryway, which serves as a place for groups of hunters to shed wet clothing and dry off at the nearby wood stove. Placing the wood stove near the entryway also makes bringing in firewood convenient – stacking it by the door works so much better than having to traipse across the cabin to carry it elsewhere (speaking from experience here…I love that feature!).
A small room next to the kitchen has two beds for kids or hunting guests. A queen sized sofa bed in the living room allows that area to double as a sleeping area for adults. The cabin also has plenty of seating areas and creative storage space.
The small kitchen area and bathroom are finished with limited plumbing for basic use. For more “serious business”, as Steve explains, a nice outhouse with a beautiful view also sits on the property. Solar panels on the roof provide what little power the cabin requires. When not in use, the containers can be closed down to shutter over the windows and door, a great feature for security purposes and durability.
Steve provides some wonderful, in-depth information on his website for others considering building their own container cabin, so be sure to check that out! He also has plenty of progress pictures from his journey in designing and building the cabin.
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