011109_conthome045.jpgA friend of mine told me last week that he was heading off to Costa Rica at the end of the month to go surf and hang out with some friends who had just finished building their home there. It all sounds very idyllic, no? Surfing all day, drinking rum on the beach, eating fish tacos...On a whim, I went looking around for info on housing in Costa Rica, and stumbled upon this idea by a former Greenpeace leader, Jimmy Lee: Shipping container homes.

These shipping container homes come with different floorplans or you have the option of buying a raw container and designing it to your own specifications. The two-bedroom home featured below measures 45 ft x 8 ft x 9ft and is priced at $17,000 (or you can opt for a land and home package for $60,000). Due to the fact that these homes are still on wheels, you aren't required to have a building permit and they qualify as "non-permanent homes." Each home takes about 3-5 weeks for delivery.

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Thanks to the durability of shipping containers, these homes aren't flimsy: every shipping container home is earthquake, fire, and hurricane proof.

Full kitchen:
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Living room:
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All the electricity and water systems are included, and you can modify the home by adding a bamboo frame and deck. Although be forewarned: most homes in Costa Rica only get 120v of eletricity, so bringing any large appliances will do some damage.

Bathroom:
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To find out more about shipping container homes, check out Lee's company, Containerhomes.net.

(Images: Containerhomes.net)