We’ve seen shipping containers transformed into guesthouses, garden sheds, even pools—but, until now, we’ve never seen one reimagined as a barn. How did designer Maryline Damour dream up this project, which currently rests on her property in the Hudson Valley?
“The idea originated because I was interested in buying a container; filling it with building materials; sending it to Haiti (where lots of rebuilding is happening due to earthquakes, and materials are expensive there); and using the container as the house structure.” says Maryline, who hails from the Caribbean country. “I thought it was a good way to build homes in Haiti faster and cheaper (less framing, no foundation); with little waste; and for seismic impact [due to less weight].”
“I mentioned it to my partner, Fred, and one day, he came home and said he found a company nearby that sold used shipping containers,” she continues. They decided to do a test-run at their home so that they could better understand the process of turning a cargo container into a building.
Before she knew it, she was signing for the largest delivery she’s every received in her life: a 40-foot-long, 9-foot-high used shipping container, delivered on a flatbed truck.
Here’s how they turned it into a barn.
Photography by Maryline Damour, courtesy of Damour Drake.
![The couple found their used container at A-Verdi, a company that rents and sells storage containers in Newburg, NY. They delivered the container on a flatbed truck.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-733x727.jpg)
![\2\20;Before the company delivered the container, we leveled the area and poured Item 4 on top; it\2\17;s a mix of stone made specifically to be compacted, often used for driveways, parking areas,\2\2\1; says Maryline. Once the container arrived, she had it cut into two equal parts. Here, workers are starting to build the hayloft.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-2-733x728.jpg)
![\2\20;As you can imagine, it was a quicker and less expensive build and a nice reuse,\2\2\1; says Maryline. \2\20;The container cost about \$\2,000. We had leftover stone and wood we used for the construction. The biggest expense was the roof, which came in around \$\10,000.\2\2\1;](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-3-733x729.jpg)
![\2\20;Our home is a modern style farmhouse, so this structure had to relate to that. I toyed with doing a Union Jack design on the barn doors but chose this simpler look,\2\2\1; says Maryline.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-4-733x727.jpg)
![It\2\17;s painted Benjamin Moore Dash of Pepper. \2\20;I chose it because it helps the barn blend into the landscape. I also kept the interior cavity walls as is on the shipping container—that color and signage! One of the fun things about a reuse project is seeing at once what it was and what it is.\2\2\1;](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-5-733x727.jpg)
![Currently, the couple use the two side units for storage and park their boat in the middle. They plan to turn one of the storage bays into a home gym. \2\20;We plan to cut a hole on the side facing the creek on our property and we’ll install glass doors. We’ll be insulating it and adding heat,\2\2\1; says Maryline.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/maryline-damour-drake-shipping-container-barn-6-733x730.jpg)
Check out Maryline’s remarkable front door makeover in Before & After: A Shabby House Transformed, Thanks to Paint and a DIY Victorian Door
See also:
- Shipping Containers: 10 Recycled and Repurposed Houses
- Shipping Container Chic: Recycled Swimming Pools by Modpools
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