Though it would make for an ideal tiny home, this Container Guest House in a San Antonio, Texas, backyard functions as the perfect accommodation for visitors. As is the norm with container homes, environmentally friendly practices were top-of-mind, explaining why Poteet Architects kept its original blue color, along with the exterior text. There are plenty of other green features as well. The addition of a floor-to-ceiling window adds natural light, while sliding doors provide plenty of fresh air. The roof garden is watered by graywater (runoff water from the sink and shower). The bathroom contains a composting toilet, and recycled soda bottles are part of the deck’s building materials. If that’s not enough, the exterior light fixtures are local tractor blades, and the foundation consists of — you’d never guess — recycled telephone poles.

Architect Adam Kalkin, co-founder of Industrial Zombie, has made a name for himself by taking shipping container design to the next level. Bunny Lane in rural New Jersey is a real mind blower, as it looks as though a shipping container swallowed a traditional house. The latter is a replica of a 19th-century cottage, complete with a porch, and could easily exist as a standalone structure. Unlike, say, a museum exhibit, both spaces are furnished and easily flow into each other. In another trippy twist, there’s even a three-story wall of nine cube-shaped rooms (glassed in), creating a real-life dollhouse effect.

Even shipping container homes are bigger in Texas. Called PV14 House, since it uses 14 shipping containers, this Dallas home from M Gooden Design is one of the largest at 3,700 square feet. This home contains three bedrooms, a den, entertainment area, three-and-a-half bathrooms and a two-car garage. There’s also a small penthouse and a large roof deck. A glass-fronted second floor, complete with a full-length balcony, maximizes prime views of a lake and park across the way.

As seen on Container Homes, Keith Lasseigne’s new home in Austin, Texas, has been painted a dark shade of gray and paired with a natural wood, helping the space blend in with its wooded surroundings.