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Aaron Schnepp lives in the coolest house in town. That’s one of the reasons why he has to sell it.
The concept car designer and his wife made local headlines last year when they bought a 2,350-square-foot home in Royal Oak, MI. The home was made out of seven shipping containers.
Soon after closing, questions started stacking up for the owners: How much does it cost to heat? How’s your cellphone reception? How loud is it when it rains? The answers: less than a conventional house; great; and it’s a commercial-grade roof, so pretty much what you’d expect.
And they weren’t just getting questions at the grocery store—strangers would peer in the front windows, knock on the door, and ask to look inside. Somebody jumped his fence to check out the backyard. Four people drove up from Pittsburgh, nearly five hours away, to see the house.
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Schnepp and his wife listed the house for $550,000 this month. They say they plan to build a second shipping container house in the area, ideally on property with more privacy.
To be fair, the questions from strangers were just a small part of why they’re selling. The main reason is that Schnepp is a designer, so he has a vision for the perfect house, and he’s obsessed with the details.
In the past 17 months, he’s replaced the home’s vinyl siding with wood, built a two-story wooden privacy screen, replaced the staircase and railings, added a dark wood accent wall in the kitchen, and repainted throughout.
The result is a stunning industrial-style house that’s unlike anything on the market in this wealthy Detroit suburb.
But Schnepp’s still not satisfied, and at some point it became easier to think about building from the ground up to exact specifications, rather than continuing to make minor tweaks to the existing house.
“I’m concerned that people are going to think we hate the house. But it’s not that at all; we love it. If the house doesn’t sell, we’ll happily live here for the next 10 years,” Schnepp says. “It’s because I’m so picky. The floor color is light brown, and I want it dark brown. Most people wouldn’t care, but I do.”
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Schnepp’s attention to detail is readily apparent in this picture-perfect three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home.
The exterior features wood, metal, and stone. At first glance, the home doesn’t look like it’s made out of shipping containers, given its rich wood and brick accents and large picture windows.
It’s easier to see its maritime transportation origins inside: The living room walls still bear the blue-and-yellow logo of Hong Kong–based Florens, the world’s second-largest container leasing company. The home’s lower level is spare and modern, with frosted-glass entrance doors, dark gray walls, exposed ductwork, and an open-concept kitchen with dark cabinetry and white granite countertops.
Upstairs, the master bedroom is painted dark gray and purple and adorned with a dramatic chandelier. There’s a walk-in closet, a private patio, and a separate Zen garden–inspired balcony. Elsewhere, the home’s backyard has custom cedar fencing, and there’s a two-car attached garage.
The house was built by Michigan-based C3 UP, which specializes in shipping container homes and businesses. The company makes tiny container homes that start at $31,500, and full-size shipping container houses like Schnepp’s starting at $125,000.
There are an estimated 17 million shipping containers in existence today. Buying a used container from a reseller starts at around $2,500, depending on size, condition, and location. But a house this cool is practically priceless.
The post This Stylish Shipping Container Home Is Nothing Like What You’d Expect appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
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