Lessons Learned from Building a Shipping Container Home

Trust, friendship, your word is your bond, and handshake deals are antiquated ideas, but my husband and I still believe there are good people in the world.  

How it all started

Let me tell you a little back story about our situation. We were saving to construct our house and buy land, when we could purchase our two shipping containers.  However, we had no land to put it on.  Our friend, who owns and manages all of his family’s land, offered to lend us a spot next to his own house. (He likes us and didn’t want us to move to another town.)

The plan was that since his mother is very old, when she passes away, he would inherit the land next to his own house. His other siblings could divide the parts farther away. Afterward, we would create a legal document for the land sale and relocate our container house a little farther down the same road. 

In the meantime, we started fixing up and finishing our place.  During the pandemic, we would travel 4 days a week to work on our house until the curfew at sundown, like a regular job. Then we would return to our accommodations in another town, 20 minutes away. 

What happened?

After completing the bathroom and kitchen, which took about 6 months due to the need to demolish and reorganize the previously used shipping container as a dwelling, we decided to move in to save expenses and continue working on the house as we could.  That decision extended our construction time for obvious reasons.

It took another 3 years of relentless part-time work to get our house to 90% completion. We didn’t let the obstacles deter us, and we kept pushing forward.

Where it went wrong

After we had done a good bit of the work on the house, the siblings of our friend, among them a Lawyer, decided we needed to sign a contract about land use and rights. The gist of it said that if the family changed their minds, they could give a 30-day notice, and we would have to vacate. Anything left behind (like our shipping container house) would become their rightful and legal property.  

I completely disagreed with that agreement because it was like giving them the right to steal our house outright. You have to realize that this is a developing country, and everything takes time, so moving our container house is no simple task. Even in the US, obtaining permits, equipment, and other necessary approvals wouldn’t be easy for such a move. 

I expressed my concerns very strongly to my husband, and he tried to reassure me that nothing bad was going to happen. Well, the only names on the contract were our friends’ names and my husband’s. His wife’s and my names were omitted.  I felt I had no choice but to stop protesting his decision and try to think positively. 

 So we continued working on the house, looking for an end in sight.  

Several years have passed, and to our surprise, his mom is still healthy, thanks to God. The situation took an unexpected turn, adding more layers to our story.  

However, after we had almost completed all the work and installed the windows facing our friend’s house, our friend’s wife, who had initially been excited about having new neighbors, now wants us to leave as soon as possible.

That was at the end of August 2024, and we had to return to work in the US for a while. After returning in December, we immediately started making plans to relocate our belongings and either find a nearby buyer for our house or secure affordable land. We decided to return to our old home, a small village nestled in the mountains. We left that house in February 2025. We are still looking for a solution. 

If you know anyone in the Santiago, Dominican Republic, area who might be interested in purchasing our container house for its current cost, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would be deeply grateful for any assistance or support you can provide. 

https://www.corotos.com.do/anuncio/inmuebles-en-venta/casas/casa-de-2-furgones-neccesita-un-nuevo-localidad-0ev9e8r: Lessons Learned from Building a Shipping Container Home

What to do when you and your partner don’t see eye to eye? Do I get to say I told you so? Tell me in the comment section.

In Conclusion

You never really know people. “Cada cabeza es un mundo”. 

Don’t be stupid, always do things in writing, NO MATTER who they are.  “The memory is short, but the pencil is long.”  

Seek professional legal help to protect your tiny house investment.

I will keep you posted on the final outcome of our shipping container house saga.