ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Prince Road in St. Augustine is home to many traditional-style houses, but there’s one home in the neighborhood that takes metal to a whole new level.
It's made up of nine shipping containers.
“Two on the ground that are garages. Five are living space. Each one is 320 square feet. About 1,600 (square feet) of livable space,” homeowner Rob DePiazza said.
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DePiazza just moved into his three-story, contemporary/mid-century modern looking home after he lost his home during Hurricane Irma. He was displaced for over two years before building in the same location where his old home sat.
“The planning process took nine months,” he said.
DePiazza said he knows the home is unusual but he hopes people will remain open to these homes. He said he had no issues with getting permits for the build and hasn’t had any opposition from neighbors.
“Surprisingly nobody has said anything negative,” DePiazza said. “The overall idea, concept is to embrace the characters of the containers.”
He said the lamps in the home were once streetlights and the containers have taken a beating.
“It’s far from perfect,” he said. “This container above us is inverted so that ceiling is actually the floor.”
Depiazza said the inside is like a child's television show.
He said he'd describe the house's character as “somewhat whimsical” and “tongue-in-cheek.”
DePiazza said a lot of people think it’s cheaper to build a container home but when you do something as complicated as he did, it’s probably comparable to regular construction -- maybe a little more.
