| Interiors |
| 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home Plans |
| Video |
| Time Lapse of the Construction Process |
| Location |
| About Adam Kalkin |
| About Industrial Zombie |
| Project | Quik House |
| Architect | Adam Kalkin |
| Containers | 9x 40ft HC |
| Area | 4,000 square foot |
| Bedrooms | 4 |
| Bathrooms | 3.5 |
| Year Built | 2008 |
| Year Remodeled | 2013 |
| Sold Price | $867,000 (April 2021) |
| Location | 3 Linfield Lane, Califon, New Jersey, USA |
Nestled on a cul-de-sac at the end of a private road in charming Califon, NJ, this 4,000 square foot, 3.1 baths, 4 bedrooms shipping container home sits on just over 3 acres, about one third of which is forest.
After winding through the beautiful pastoral roads of Hunterdon County, just an hour from New York City’s Holland Tunnel, you arrive at a custom-designed checkerboard steel gate that opens to the curved driveway of this one-of-kind modern home designed by renowned architect, Adam Kalkin.
Through innovative design and the upcyling of industrial materials, this unique home with upscale amenities throughout is an architectural wonder. Constructed in 2008, it is comprised of several steel shipping containers welded together with CorTen steel beams. Kalkin created two separate, yet linked, two-story wings, that boast an open floor plan and flexible design.
Complementing the steel are glass sliders throughout, which serve to bring the outside in, and shine light on the copious wood flooring, doors and accents. The commercial and industrial grade materials used throughout are complemented by state-of-the-art radiant heat, high-velocity central air, recessed lighting, abundant storage, built-in shelving, and top of the line appliances and finishes.
The architect’s unique vision is outlined in a book titled “Quik Build: Adam Kalkin’s ABC of Container Architecture” by Alistair Gordon.
This 4000 sqft shipping container home has been featured in DWELL, CNN, Vogue, among other publications. It has also received international recognition, including an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in NYC.
Arriving at the front of the house you are welcomed by an oversized Neoporte pivoting stainless steel door at the center of a custom designed glass and stainless steel breezeway, that seamlessly connects the two wings. The breezeway provides a temperature controlled interior connection that serves to unify the home’s aesthetic.
WEST WING
The West wing’s first floor is quintessential modern industrial design. It boasts exposed CorTen Steel beams, concrete floors and an open kitchen with a 12-foot long stainless island. The island contains a Miele dishwasher, Viking range and sports custom wooden cabinets where one can prepare dinner while taking in the spacious lawn and private courtyard.
Large sliders off the kitchen lead to the courtyard and are perfect for indoor/outdoor entertaining. Adjacent to the kitchen space is an open plan living area with two large sofas available for lounging.
To one side you have a generous dining area with a built-in table and banquettes, and to the other is a computer nook just under the dramatic steel stairwell to the upstairs.
On this floor you will also find a pantry with copious sliding-shelf storage, as well as a powder/laundry room.
The second floor has three parallel skylights that let light in from the top down, and offers three bedrooms and two baths – a master and a Jack-and-Jill. The main landing on this floor opens to a beautiful built-in library/ gallery with recessed lighting to showcase your books, art and travel artifacts, and also contains a reading nook.
The master suite amenities include beautiful wood paneling, a floor-to-ceiling wall of custom closets and a Porcelanosa master bath with a walk-in rain shower affording gorgeous tree top views.
EAST WING
The East wing is currently used for work and pleasure. The first floor offers a large loft-like game room with sliders to the courtyard, a second laundry room with a Miele washer/dryer, and a large cedar closet.
As you take the turned steel staircase up to the second floor, you walk into a large media room flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling windows on either side.
In addition, there are two private offices (i.e., converted bedrooms), a second kitchen with a Bosch range and refrigerator, a full bath and plenty of storage.
COURTYARD
Between the two wings is a large bluestone courtyard, accessible from either side.
The exterior of the house was recently sandblasted and painted with ship-grade, high gloss industrial paint — to both protect the structure and to give it a clean, modern feel.
This architecturally unique home is light, streamlined and fully customizable. Its dual-structure layout lends itself to many options (e.g., single family home, mother/daughter living, home-based business use, etc.). The outdoors offers a clean palette for various amenities (e.g., swimming pool, tennis court, etc.).
LOCATION
This home is perfectly situated on a tree-lined private street on the Califon / Tewksbury border. Beyond a stunning living space, this home will allow you to take part in the Califon lifestyle and all it has to offer. It may serve as the perfect weekend getaway home or a private oasis for horse lovers, or outdoor and cycling enthusiasts! Here you have the serenity and community feel you have always wanted from the countryside, but you are only an hour from NYC’s Holland Tunnel.
By its nature, architecture comes in all different shapes and forms. From gravity-defying, to more classical styles, the world is filled with examples of daring, at times seemingly dangerous, structures. The materials that go into these buildings are changing with each passing year as well. Recently, there's been an uptick to build skyscrapers using wood—an age-old practice that's come back in vogue due to technological advances that allow the material to become as light and strong as its industrial-age counterparts. Yet making homes out of wood isn't a novel concept. Many Americans currently live in, or grew up in, a house constructed of wood. What about shipping containers? Not many people can lay claim to a home made from a box that was once used to send large pieces of freight from one location to another. This 4000 sqft shipping container home in New Jersey in 2018 went on the market for $875,000. Of course, the price tag isn't noteworthy. But the way the home was built is not just noteworthy but extraordinary for the fact that it's composed of several steel shipping containers welded together.
Shipping containers have never looked so sparkling.
In fact, passers-by might not realize this modern marvel—a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot glass home in New Jersey recently listed for $875,000—was built from something so ordinary.
Architect Adam Kalkin found inspiration for the home in an unusual place: the ports of New Jersey. In his daily commute to New York City, he passed by piles of shipping containers.
“He thought, ‘How can I upcycle them into a living space?'” says listing agent Caroline Gosselin.
Kalkin is not the first architect to follow this line of thinking: Shipping container homes have enjoyed a surge in popularity.
Kalkin considers metal containers “zombies.” He even started a firm called Industrial Zombie, which “re-imagin[es] them for a higher purpose, thereby giving them new life.”
So he breathed life into his own shipping container masterpiece in 2008: two side-by-side structures on a hillside in Tewksbury Township. Hints of the home’s origins can be seen in the corrugated metal siding throughout, and the wooden beams that mark the joining of the containers. Off the dining room, the cozy space that holds a table and leather booths is the size of a shipping container.
Potential buyers are “surprised by how much space it is,” Gosselin says. “It takes shipping containers to a whole new level.”
A mix of concrete and upcycled hardwood floors give the home a hint of industrial chic, and floor-to-ceiling windows could make you forget the home’s humble origins.
But it’s the home’s second owner who built the space’s “showstopper,” says Gosselin. Kalkin originally designed two separate buildings. The current seller invested $300,000 in a steel and glass breezeway joining the two structures, making “it a whole home,” she says.
Each level offers 1,000 square feet of space—plenty of room for a library, yoga room, and spa. Want to keep overnight guests close, but not too close? Give them free rein of one half of the building. The breezeway keeps you connected without feeling like you’re stepping on others’ toes.
City mice who want to burrow in the country will find this property particularly appealing. The train to New York City takes about an hour, and Califon, the surrounding town, feels very much like “horse country,” Gosselin says. “It gives the best of both worlds,” she says.
“It’s great for someone who wants to be in nature but doesn’t want to give up that loftlike, industrial-modern feel,” the agent adds.
The 4000 sqft 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home in New Jersey, features a built-in library, a loftlike game room, turned steel staircases, two private offices, and a blue stone courtyard, among many other amenities.
This iconic sustainable home was the inspiration and personal residence of renowned American architect and artist, Adam Kalkin. This distinctive home has been featured on the news and in countless architectural books and magazines. It has also received its share of international acclaim, most notably when Kalkin's work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in 2008, the year the home was constructed.
This modern, industrial structure is comprised of steel shipping containers and walls of windows - letting light and views of nature in from every vantage point. The two-story 4,000 square-foot residence is perfectly sited on about 3.3 acres, taking full advantage of the captivating views from every angle. Juxtaposed against the natural beauty of the property are the home's simple and modern lines. The corrugated steel façade with high gloss ship-grade finish, as well as the exposed steel beams, poured concrete and upcycled reclaimed flooring found throughout the interior, all contribute to the home's timeless modern aesthetic.
The four-bedroom and three and one-half bath residence is located on a private, tree-lined cul-de-sac. The design features a dual-wing structure. The two structures are seamlessly connected at the front of the house by a temperature-controlled steel and glass breezeway with cork flooring on the first floor, which was a most recent addition by the current owners. At the back of the house on the second floor, the wings are joined by an exterior steel and wood bridge. Together, these elements encircle a beautiful bluestone courtyard visible from all perspectives. The open floor plan and separate-but-joined nature of the home offer endless flexibility and living options including use as a single family home, home-office, home-schooling space or multi-generational homestead.
After passing through a custom-designed steel gate, the gently curving driveway leads you to the front of the residence. An oversized, custom Neoporte steel pivoting door opens into the sun-lit glass breezeway that connects the west and east wings of the house. In the west wing, the ground floor features an open floor plan with exposed Core-ten steel beams, radiant-heated poured concrete floors and walls of windows and sliding doors. A highlight of this space is the handsomely appointed kitchen with high end appliances, custom wood cabinets and magnificent 12-foot stainless steel island. Sliding glass doors lead out to the private bluestone courtyard. The kitchen is open to a spacious living room; an inviting dining area with built-in banquette seating is just steps away. A pantry with sliding shelf storage, powder/laundry room and a computer alcove complete the ground floor. A turned, open-tread steel staircase leads to the second floor landing which is also a cleverly conceived library gallery. It features built-in bookshelves, recessed lighting, skylight and a cozy reading nook. All three bedrooms span from this library gallery. The master bedroom suite features wood walls and a dressing area lined with a full wall of custom closets with built-in dressers. The stunning oversized walk-in rain shower and radiant heated floors in the Porcelanosa-designed master bath are highlights. The two additional bedrooms on this floor share a colorfully terrazzo-tiled Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Access to the external bridge leading to the east wing is possible from both the master bedroom and one of the secondary bedrooms.
The east wing is currently configured for work and recreation but the open floor plan offers great flexibility and many options in how the two stories comprising this space can be used. There is an expansive recreation room on the ground floor with radiant-heated poured concrete flooring and glass sliders opening out to the private courtyard. The home's second laundry room, with Miele washer and dryer, is also found on this floor, as is a cedar-lined storage closet. Upstairs, the generously sized media room has reclaimed fir wood flooring and wonderful light with floor-to-ceiling windows on either side. Two private offices are located on one side of the media room -- each of which may be converted into a bedroom. On the opposite side of the floor, a full bath is found, as is a kitchen with range and refrigerator, and access to the exterior bridge, which completes this floor.
Outside, the exterior spaces complement the home's modern lines. This is seen in the simplicity of the outdoor courtyard with its unadorned bluestone floors and natural stone wall. The courtyard can be accessed from both wings of the house and serves as a unifying space for the many rooms that look out upon it. The property offers endless opportunities for recreation, hiking, exercise and gardening.
Two acres are enclosed in transparent deer fencing and about a third of the property is undisturbed woodland.
Heating and Cooling
- Cooling Features: 2 Units, Central Air, Multi-Zone Cooling
- Heating Features: 2 Units, Multi-Zone, Radiant - Hot Water
- Heating Fuel: Gas Prop L
Utilities
- Sewer: Septic
- Water Source: Private, Well
4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home Interiors, New Jersey
The open floor plan features a spacious kitchen, which includes a 12-foot long stainless island.
A look into a cozy nook for dining.
The two-story 4000 sqft 4 bedroom shipping container home in New Jersey, which was built in 2008, doesn't try to hide the steel beams used to build the structure.
4000 sqft 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home in New Jersey before upgrade, photography by Peter Aaron
4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home Floor Plans, New Jersey
Video
Time Lapse of 4000 sqft Shipping Container Home Construction Process, New Jersey
Location
| Address | 3 Linfield Ln, Califon, NJ 07830 USA |
About Adam Kalkin
Kalkin sees containers as an affordable, scaleable solution for everything from disaster relief housing to luxury homes
An English graduate of Vassar College, Kalkin then studied architecture in London. His interdisciplinary approach sees him draw influences from the worlds of music, literature and the visual arts. He thrives on the challenge of repurposing traditional objects, and says, "I have a personal fascination with junk. I love the idea of re-using industrial detritus that was created in other places for other reasons."
Inspiration for the Quik House
Kalkin was inspired when he saw stacks of disused shipping containers piled up in the docks that lined his route from his hometown in New Jersey to New York City. He started to think how the containers might be reused as living spaces. The Quik House was the result.
He explains, "The idea is to re-use the shipping container, redirect it and make something totally surprising out of it. One of the things I like to do with Quik House is to take something very rough, very industrial, in a way violent and shocking, and turn it into something that is very domestic: to tame it."
The basic Quik House is formed of five containers, with an area of 2,000 square feet. Boasting three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and an open plan living area, the house is light, streamlined and fully customizable. The standard containers come in orange or "rust bloom" color and are also available spray-painted with graffiti.
The total cost of the house -- around $150,000 to $175,000, or under $90 per square foot -- compares favorably with the cost of conventional new-build housing, at around $200 per square foot.
Where architecture meets performance art
Appropriately for someone whose lateral thinking has brought them success, Kalkin does not wish to be pigeonholed as an architect -- he considers himself an artist, too, and creates art pieces, sculptures and performance art.
His Push-Button House, packed into a single shipping container, unfolds in seconds at the touch of a button to reveal a sleek, modern popup home. While not intended for habitation, the Push-Button House underlines Kalkin's belief that container housing isn't just cheap, practical and fast to assemble, but can be stylish, too.
For Kalkin, much of the appeal of container housing is its flexibility. His homes have been hailed by Vogue magazine as "the chicest weekend retreat one can buy for $99,000" but they have also formed the foundation of a disaster-relief housing prototype.
A solution for disaster relief?
Kalkin now has a team of architects, utility experts and builders ready to respond to disasters requiring mass housing quickly and cheaply.
He says, "There is a natural scaleability in this idea of containerization that transfers well to architectural solutions to population problems and natural disaster problems."
He has also worked with supermodel Natalia Vodianova to turn containers into indoor play areas for underprivileged Russian children. He says, "We've designed a beautiful 5,000 square foot indoor supervised playground and we're ready to go. We're just trying to work out some bureaucratic details over there."
Kalkin says of his work,
"You've got to follow your intuition. It's not a question of seeing with your eyes; it's a question of seeing and feeling with our minds."
Architect Adam Kalkin discussing his vision with Dwell Magazine. (Starting at 3:06, he discusses the house from the inside as it’s being constructed)
| Website | https://www.architectureandhygiene.org/ |
About Industrial Zombie
Founded by Adam Kalkin and Matthew Quilty, IZ is a fully integrated Design, Engineering and Manufacturing Company. We have four divisions: Residential, Commercial, Mechanized (architecture that moves), and Marquis. We have projects in the United States, France, Italy, Australia and Africa. Our work has been featured in the Museum of Modern Art, Architectural Digest, The New York Times, Vogue, Dwell and profiled on CNN.
With our team’s unique blend of talents, we are able to take each project from conception to fruition, insuring the highest quality throughout the process. With manufacturing facilities in the Eastern United States, the Western United States and England, we are able to work closely with our clients in every phase to ensure their vision is met and their needs realized.
Why Zombie?
A zombie is defined as “A corpse given life by a supernatural force.” Much like those supernatural forces that awaken new life in dead bodies, we use discarded industrial materials, re-imagining them for a higher purpose, thereby giving them new life. This form of up-cycling results in unusual, surprising structures, still achieving the highest design aesthetic while reducing industrial material waste.
| Website | https://www.inzombie.com/ |
| Phone | +1 908-696-1987 |
| Fax | +1 908-696-1998 |
More information:
- Dwell https://www.dwell.com/home/the-quick-house-9905a450
- Inhabitat https://inhabitat.com/prefab-friday-adam-kalkin/
- Architectural Digest https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/new-jersey-home-built-shipping-containers
- Zillow https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3-Linfield-Ln-Califon-NJ-07830/90184824_zpid/
- Realtor https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3-Linfield-Ln_Califon_NJ_07830_M68542-47007
Quik House - 4000 sqft 4 Bedroom Shipping Container Home, New Jersey