A Texas man built a 6-story treehouse with his family and friends using 4 shipping containers. It's available to rent on Airbnb for $330 per night — take a look inside.

Amanda GohFeb 17, 2023, 13:45 IST

The exterior of the shipping container treehouse.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Steve Taylor spent a year and a half building a treehouse in Ladonia, Texas, using four shipping containers.
The 50-foot structure has a cantilevered design, where one end is supported by steel beams placed in a tree.

It's not every day that you come across a 50-foot-tall treehouse made from old shipping containers. But the wow factor is exactly what Steve Taylor was going for when he built the property.

Steve Taylor standing in front of his shipping container treehouse.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

It's not every day that you come across a 50-foot-tall treehouse made from old shipping containers. But the wow factor is exactly what Steve Taylor was going for when he built the property.

Taylor's treehouse is unconventional: It's made up of four shipping containers and features a cantilevered design, where one end is supported by steel beams placed in a tree.

A model of the shipping container treehouse. The horizontal containers are connected to the vertical containers on one end, and supported by steel beams placed in a tree on the other end.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Taylor's treehouse is unconventional: It's made up of four shipping containers and features a cantilevered design, where one end is supported by steel beams placed in a tree.

Since the treehouse is on a small cul-de-sac in the woods, there are no neighbors within a mile — giving Taylor the freedom to experiment with the look of the treehouse.

Steve Taylor with his father on a site recce.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Since the treehouse is on a small cul-de-sac in the woods, there are no neighbors within a mile — giving Taylor the freedom to experiment with the look of the treehouse.

With the help of friends and other contractors, Taylor started building his treehouse in December 2019.

Setting up the foundations for the structure.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

The four shipping containers had to be arranged into position with the help of cranes.

A crane lowers one of the shipping containers onto the ground.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

However, it was a challenge to work with the vertical containers while they were lying in their standard positions on the ground.

Openings for windows and doors being cut into the walls of the container.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

The scariest part of the crane work came right after the first horizontal container was welded into position, Taylor said.

A horizontal container being lowered into position.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Even though Taylor did a lot of the work himself, he acknowledges that building the treehouse was a group effort between him, his family, and his friends.

Spray foam insulation is being added to the interior walls.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

The hardest part of constructing the treehouse was figuring out how to adapt all the fixtures and wiring so that they would fit into the unusual home.

Progress photo of the interiors of one of the containers.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

The shipping container treehouse has six floors, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The structure took slightly over a year and a half to complete.

The shipping container treehouse has a cantilevered design.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Visitors can book a stay at the shipping container treehouse on Airbnb for $330 per night, for a minimum stay of two nights.

One of the bedrooms.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Taylor's favorite spot in the treehouse is the living room.

The living room.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Taylor thinks of the treehouse as an investment property, and he's only ever stayed overnight once.

The dining area and kitchen.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

For Taylor, the best part of the construction process was being able to embrace his creativity when designing the structure.

One of the bathrooms in the shipping container treehouse.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Guests can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like hiking and cycling. They can also head over to the Ladonia Fossil Park nearby to hunt for dinosaur fossils.

An outdoor balcony.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Looking back, Taylor says he wouldn't change anything about his treehouse — although it's unlikely that he'll ever build using shipping containers again.

A small outdoor dining area on the fifth floor.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Taylor and his wife are responsible for managing, cleaning, and maintaining the property regularly.

Taylor's daughter, Katie, painted a mural on the side of the shipping container treehouse.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

Taylor plans to build three more rental properties nearby in the coming years, and he hopes to make each one different from the others.

A bird's eye view of the shipping container treehouse.Steve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

More importantly, Taylor wants to keep the shipping container treehouse as part of his family legacy.

Steve Taylor standing in front of the shipping container treehouse with his familySteve Taylor/Highpoint Treehouses

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A Texas man built a 6-story treehouse with his family and friends using 4 shipping containers. It's available to rent on Airbnb for $330 per night &mdash; take a look inside.

It's not every day that you come across a 50-foot-tall treehouse made from old shipping containers. But the wow factor is exactly what Steve Taylor was going for when he built the property.

Taylor's treehouse is unconventional: It's made up of four shipping containers and features a cantilevered design, where one end is supported by steel beams placed in a tree.

Since the treehouse is on a small cul-de-sac in the woods, there are no neighbors within a mile — giving Taylor the freedom to experiment with the look of the treehouse.

With the help of friends and other contractors, Taylor started building his treehouse in December 2019.

The four shipping containers had to be arranged into position with the help of cranes.

However, it was a challenge to work with the vertical containers while they were lying in their standard positions on the ground.

The scariest part of the crane work came right after the first horizontal container was welded into position, Taylor said.

Even though Taylor did a lot of the work himself, he acknowledges that building the treehouse was a group effort between him, his family, and his friends.

The hardest part of constructing the treehouse was figuring out how to adapt all the fixtures and wiring so that they would fit into the unusual home.

The shipping container treehouse has six floors, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The structure took slightly over a year and a half to complete.

Visitors can book a stay at the shipping container treehouse on Airbnb for $330 per night, for a minimum stay of two nights.

Taylor's favorite spot in the treehouse is the living room.

Taylor thinks of the treehouse as an investment property, and he's only ever stayed overnight once.

For Taylor, the best part of the construction process was being able to embrace his creativity when designing the structure.

Guests can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like hiking and cycling. They can also head over to the Ladonia Fossil Park nearby to hunt for dinosaur fossils.

Looking back, Taylor says he wouldn't change anything about his treehouse — although it's unlikely that he'll ever build using shipping containers again.

Taylor and his wife are responsible for managing, cleaning, and maintaining the property regularly.

Taylor plans to build three more rental properties nearby in the coming years, and he hopes to make each one different from the others.

More importantly, Taylor wants to keep the shipping container treehouse as part of his family legacy.

A Texas man built a 6-story treehouse with his family and friends using 4 shipping containers. It's available to rent on Airbnb for $330 per night — take a look inside.