Photography by Tilley Photography | Hair & makeup by Bria Fowler, Elle Louise, LLC
Not everyone has enough imagination to turn four shipping containers into a dream house, but Jason and Paige Kennedy aren’t your average homeowners.
The couple’s Bay St. Louis property, which was nearly seven years in the making, is an apt reflection of their shared taste: interesting, unconventional and thoroughly contemporary. Furrowed ceilings and walls are one of just a few reminders of what the home once was.
“What makes it special and unique is that it’s the only one; there’s not another like it,” says Page, a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital Gulfport.
The pair married in 2010, and once the children were grown, they decided to downsize from their large lake house in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Page had been triathlon training locally in 2017 when they connected with the Bay’s artsy, laid-back vibe.
“We fell in love with Bay St. Louis, and I decided to buy a lot that same November: 4 Chantilly Terrace,” recalls Jason, who has an extensive construction background and acted as the project’s de-facto general contractor. He continued in his career despite losing his right leg below the knee in a work-related accident
“Very young and very determined, I was fitted with a prosthesis and haven’t let this stop me,” he says.
The house provides undeniable proof of his resolve and expertise. Jason and Page have invested plenty of blood, sweat and tears, not to mention dollars, into their charming home over the years, but they’ve been rewarded with a one-of-a-kind dwelling that boasts three bedrooms, two baths and 1,700 square feet of living space.
“We did not lose anything that is in a traditional home,” Page says, “and we actually gained quite a bit of uniqueness.”
‘NOT AS EASY AS THEY SOUND’
Always on the lookout for something new and different, Jason was intrigued by a California container home he saw featured on HGTV in 2017. He assumed Page would shoot down the idea, but she was on board.
“I like anything that’s not cookie cutter,” she says, adding that they’d previously lived in an unusual home.
Joking that his wife calls him ‘bougie,” Jason admits to being drawn to a certain aesthetic.
“I love the modern look,” he says. “Everything is straight lines; everything is crisp and clean.”
The pair acquired the containers for their Bay St. Louis home, measuring 40-by-8 feet and originally aqua blue, from a New Orleans shipyard. Buying brand-new containers was an option, but Jason liked the imperfections and character of the used ones.
To execute their vision, the Kennedys worked with Bay St. Louis-based Unabridged Architecture, which was enthusiastic about the project while also recognizing the practical challenges.
“We had known about container houses and had known they are very popular, but I think we also realized that they’re not as easy as they sound,” says Unabridged architect and co-owner John Anderson. “It’s not like you can just park some container out there and live in it. I mean, I guess you could, but that really doesn’t make for a special place.
“So (the approach was) yes, let’s try it. Let’s work with the idea, but let’s also understand the limitations, the parameters and the things we have to do to build it structurally here, especially in a hurricane-prone place.”
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
One major benefit of the home, which Jason and Page moved into in 2022, is that it’s more storm and fire resistant than a typical house. On the downside, because they’re long and skinny with low ceilings, shipping containers have inherent constraints as a building material, according to Anderson.
There are two ways to overcome these issues, he says, both of which were used in the Kennedys’ home: one is putting smaller rooms like bathrooms and laundry rooms inside the containers, and the other is putting the containers side by side, cutting holes and reframing.
“The third thing we did in this house was we said we really don’t want the containers out in the weather, given how much it rains here,” Anderson adds, “and we put an umbrella-like roof over the whole top of the container space.”
There were plenty of other hurdles to clear, too. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the supply chain in the middle of construction. The budget ballooned well past Jason’s $150,000 estimate, and $3,500 was spent on nuts, bolts and washers alone. Because there’s no other house like it, and thus nothing to compare it to, the couple could only secure a $100,000 personal loan. Getting insurance and securing the proper permitting was difficult, too, to say the least.
Then there were other obstacles that a container-home owner may not anticipate, like having to cut and weld all doors, windows and light fixtures into the metal container. And because metal sweats, Jason explains, more expensive spray foam insulation was the only option.
Nonetheless, the project turned out largely how Anderson expected: something of a masterpiece.
“The central space, from the front door, through the kitchen/dining area and to the back is sort of the heart of the house, and we really didn’t want that heart to feel like you were stuffed inside of a container,” he says. “We wanted it to be open and expressive and full of life, and I think that’s the biggest success of the house.”
‘A BEAUTFUL TREASURE ALL YOUR OWN’
Jason’s favorite part of the property is ironically not indoors, but rather the spacious back porch. A row of large windows makes the outdoor space feel like an extension of the kitchen.
“Football season is the best; everybody comes over and hangs out,” Jason says. “Everyone knows that on Saturdays, we’ll be on the back porch watching college, and on Sundays, we’ll be watching the pros.” Guests often are impressed and surprised by the number of people who can congregate comfortably when the couple hosts birthdays, holidays and other get-togethers.
Since moving in, the Kennedys have added three-dimensional wall art to the master bedroom wall and a wallpaper accent to the master bedroom vanity area — in addition to many other tweaks. But no matter how much they accomplish, they say the house will always be a work in progress.
The pair advises others who are contemplating a container home to do lots of research and know what they’re getting into; the cost may exceed your expectations, and the reality may take you out of your comfort zone.
“But in the end,” Page adds, “you will end up with a beautiful treasure all your own.”