Twenty minutes west of Revelstoke, a young woman is living the off-grid dream in a $30,000 shipping container home after setting out two years ago to reduce her footprint and save money on rent.
Jette Sabiston, who lives on the way to Three Valley Gap, took an interest in buying a 20-foot container to store her possessions without having to rent an apartment while regularly working in the mountains. Sol Mountain Lodge, where she was employed, had also inspired her to live off the grid.
"Then that idea turned into 'I'm going to get two shipping containers and turn them into a home," said Sabiston, who now works as a behavioural therapist.
In 2023, at age 22, she set up shop on a parcel of land her family bought, ordering her containers from BigSteelBox's Salmon Arm facility. The company clearly hadn't seen someone try this before.
"They were like, 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?'" she recalled from making the order.
After levelling out the foundation with dirt, Sabiston "started cutting away at all the walls" of the Sea Cans, to fit them side by side into a 300-square-foot dwelling with a kitchen, washroom, living room and outdoor firewood storage. Along with furnishings and windows, she installed a wood heating system, rooftop solar, propane stove, backup heater and generator.
Sabiston credited Sol Mountain Lodge owner and ski guide Aaron Cooperman for being a source of inspiration for her project, and a "very helpful person to have around for that part of the build."
From six solar panels, hooked up to a four-battery Eco-Worthy bank, she enjoys 200 amp hours. The generator only needs to come on for 20 minutes every two or three days to supplement her renewable energy.
"I'm very diligent with my power," Sabiston emphasized, saying she regularly turns off her lights and is economical about running hot water.
During winter, another key to successful life in a container home for her is ensuring the water tank stays above freezing.
"Find a place that you like, but be prepared to work for it and settle there," she advised, adding that it took her one year of labour to be comfortably living there. "As for the building itself, it's quite affordable."
By January 2024, Sabiston had finished building and shared her work on Facebook, racking up some 4,200 likes to date in the Off Grid Homesteading Canada channel. To date, she said the home has cost her between $30,000 and $35,000, a chunk of which was needed to transport the containers from Salmon Arm.
Organizations such as Container Homes BC are entirely focused on the sea-can housing market, promising basic one-person units for between $15,000 and $30,000. This investment can cover permitting, construction, utilities and even basic finishing, according to Container Homes BC.
"Most of these are one-trip containers," she noted, describing sea-can homes as also a great way to repurpose waste, at a reasonable price. "It's quite easy to get access to those."
Looking ahead, Sabiston mentioned her five-year plan is to enlarge this home with a third container, stacked on top.
Revelstoke Container Service owner Jeff Weston, based in Big Eddy with three years in the sea-can business, questions the overall value in retrofitting these steel boxes into homes.
"What are you really getting here?" he asked, also noting that the prospect of a container home gets tricky under City of Revelstoke building codes and permitting. "It's an interesting concept to make a house out of them. I've seen videos, but it's a whole other world up here."
Weston occasionally receives customers considering a container home, and advises designers to plan around the strength of the corners and floor, rather than the weaker middle and roof. Containers, predominantly constructed in China, aren't made with snow-heavy Revelstoke winters in mind, he said.
Still, container buying is a busy business in Revelstoke. In 2024, Weston sold 90 sea-cans to customers in town, as well as farther south near Shelter Bay. He charges between $4,000 and $4,500 for a typical 20-foot container.
"Sometimes, people say, 'I want to build a shop out of it," Weston explained. But while he hasn't seen much demand for modifying containers with doors, windows and shelving, he encourages that "it can all be done — it's all time and money."
Sea-cans usually last a quarter-century, but Weston said they need vents to limit condensation, and customers can also opt for wind- and water-tight models.
"People want to do what they want to do," he said. "Have at it."
While Sabiston found "there's not a lot of research that said what the lifespan is" of a container home such as hers, she takes comfort in the fact that "for now, it's pretty bombproof."
