A Couple Spent $100,000 Building a Shipping Container Home

Lexi Newkirk, a digital marketer, and Diego Newkirk, who works in home restoration, bought their 12.5 acres of land in October 2023 for $180,000. Their property is about an hour from Austin.

Lexi Newkirk told Business Insider they envisioned creating a community of tiny homes people could rent for short-term stays on the property. Specifically, they pictured homes made out of shipping containers.

“People would much rather stay in a shipping container versus a traditional little tiny house out here,” she said. “It would also rent for a lot more.”

The couple decided to make their dream a reality, buying two containers for their Texas property in November 2023. They opted for single-use containers, which are pricier because they have less wear and tear than containers used multiple times. They cost $5,500 each.

Just as the couple was about to break ground in November 2023, one of their neighbors approached them with concerns about their plans for a tiny-home community.

“We got a call from our neighbor basically asking us what the heck we’re doing,” Lexi Newkirk said, adding that the neighbor, who threatened to sue, took issue with the fact that the tiny homes would be visible from the road on the Newkirks’ property, which sits at the front of the neighborhood.

The couple didn’t want to end up in a lawsuit, so they decided to shift their plans. They moved the two storage containers they had already purchased to the center of their property and decided to build one slightly larger home with them.

They started construction in January 2024 and wrapped the interior in April 2025.

During construction, they lived in an RV. Now that they’ve moved into the shipping container home, they plan to stay for a year or two before turning it into an Airbnb.

The couple thought two containers made the most sense for the house, as they would have additional space without building a separate roof.

Together, the containers are 640 square feet, and the Newkirks also built a basement for the space.

“My husband and I did the layout together,” Lexi Newkirk said of the design process. “We didn’t hire anyone. We built it ourselves.”

“He did most of the construction himself,” Lexi Newkirk told BI of her husband. “He did all the stacking of the containers, all the welding.”

Sometimes, he hired workers to help with larger projects, and the couple outsourced their plumbing and electrical work. Still, having him take on much of the work saved them money.

Lexi Newkirk said she and her husband love to cook, so they wanted to use more of their square footage for the kitchen, particularly after only having an RV-sized kitchen for a year.

Details like butcher block countertops and a tiled backsplash, as well as the full-sized appliances, make the kitchen feel homey.

The main floor also features a washer and dryer so the Newkirks can do laundry at home.

The Newkirks have a small living room that sits just off the kitchen.

It has room for a small recliner couch and is full of light because it’s next to a sliding glass door.

Hardwood floors also add to the house’s cozy feeling.

The house runs on a water tank since it’s in a remote area. The Newkirks get water delivered each month so they can use their toilets and other water-based appliances.

The staircase leads to the center of the second story, adding a touch of whimsy to the space.

There’s a small desk and work area at the top of the stairs.

Much like the kitchen, the Newkirks didn’t want to feel cramped in their bathroom like they did in their RV.

They decided to make their bathroom spacious, complete with a double vanity, walk-in shower, and a standing tub with a view of the property through a large window.

“The bathtub faces the sunset, so you can take a bath watching the sunset or shower,” Lexi Newkirk said.

“The way we engineered and built the house, the bedroom wakes up to the sunrise,” Lexi Newkirk said. “And there’s a huge window, so you can see all the stars and the moon.”

Although the bedroom stands out to her, she said she loves every inch of the home because she and her husband designed it.

“We kind of poured our hearts into it,” she said.

The couple is building out deck space to increase the home’s square footage and allow them to enjoy outdoor living, but the house is complete otherwise.

Building the house itself was expensive, but Lexi Newkirk said the remote nature of their property made the construction even more costly.

“For example, our electricity pole was 300 feet down, so we had to have a 300-foot trench,” she said. Getting water delivered monthly is also costly, and their electricity costs are high.

They hope to eventually use solar power on the property, but it will take some time to build it out.

Although the build was pricey, the couple still saved money by living in an RV on their property during construction.

Doing much of the work themselves and not taking out a loan for the project also helped, as they don’t have a mortgage payment, though it did make construction take longer than it would have otherwise.

Now that the shipping container house is complete, the Newkirks are already starting to fulfill their next dreams for the property: making it into a homestead.

They already have 20 chickens and plan to bring some cows onto the property in the next few years. They also want to build a garden and mostly live off their own property.

They’ll also build a barndominium for themselves in the not-too-distant future, moving into the bigger house so they can rent the shipping container home. For now, though, the tiny home is perfect for the couple.

“Everything in our house is super custom because of the size,” Lexi Newkirk said. “The tiny house is only 640 square feet, but it has everything we need.”