Eco-friendly home in Alberta built from shipping containers

CALLING LAKE — With eight summer villages and a number of lakes in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta, there’s no shortage of cabins, seasonal homes and part-time residents in the area.

But tucked away among the wooded lots along the shores of Calling Lake is a house that stands out from the rest. The blue corrugated steel siding of Tamara and Owen Larson’s Sea-Can home doesn’t peek out from the treetops of their lakeside neighborhood, but the owners say the two-story metal structure is hard for neighbors and curious passersby to miss.

“As far as I know, this is the first Sea-Can build in this community, and there has been a lot of interest from people to come and see it,” Tamara said in a July 5 interview. “We are very excited to share our home and this whole experience,” she added.

The Larsons have lived in their lake house, built from six recycled shipping containers, since April 2023. Tamara says it took 10 years to design, build and install their dream home, but the results were more than worth it.

“I think everything worked out really well, and I wouldn’t do anything differently,” Tamara said. “We’re very grateful for the support that we’ve had from our family, from our friends up here, and the community as a whole, because it takes a village.”

The Larsons purchased their lakefront property in 2014, but Tamara’s history in the community goes back much further than a decade.

“The first time my family came to Calling Lake was in 1974, and we stayed at a place called Johnson’s Resort,” she said. “My parents fell in love with this place and I think we did too when we were little.”

Not long after their first visit, Tamara’s parents purchased a lot in the community, three doors down from the lot she and her new husband Owen decided to buy forty years later. The lot came with a quaint log cabin, which the Larsons knew they wanted to replace, but the question was with what.

“Owen and I looked at how we could build a house that could withstand temperatures from -40 to 40 and be safe,” Tamara said.

“We did a lot of research, we looked at turnkey homes, we looked at mobile homes, we looked at pre-built homes… and we kept coming back to these Sea-Can homes because they were really, really unique.”

The couple contacted Modern Huts, a small Calgary-based company specializing in custom modular homes. Together, they worked with Modern Huts to create a plan for a home that would fit perfectly on the Calling Lake lot.

The Larsons planned the shape, size and placement of the house down to the smallest detail. The 16-foot-wide, 60-foot-long, 80,000-pound home is positioned so that one side of the house and yard are under trees, the utility room is easily accessible for maintenance, and the placement of the windows provides privacy for all.

“We really thought about and reflected on where we bought our stuff, who we hired, who the home builder was, and it all came together,” Tamara said.

The couple was keen to shop local and highlighted the work of several suppliers and teams, including New Pine Creek Plumbing in Colinton, Rock Solid Concrete in Athabasca, Windsor Plywood in Westlock and many more.

In addition to supporting local, environmental sustainability, another priority in the process was for the Larsons. Sea-Cans themselves are often used only once to transport cargo and then sold due to the higher tariffs on incoming goods to Canada.

Aside from the containers themselves, the home is nearly net-zero, equipped with high-efficiency appliances, triple-glazed windows with UV film, and low-water-use showers and toilets. While Tamara said further alternative energy retrofits aren’t in the plans due to the home’s location, she said costs for Sea-Can and traditional construction are on similar levels.

“When you build a house and you compare stick build to this, the initial cost is comparable, but it’s the long-term savings,” Tamara said. “My parents are replacing their shingles for the third time in 45 years, and we don’t have to.”

Painting the siding, replacing the composite deck and increasing utility costs are just a few areas where the Larsons are saving in the long run.

Tamara and Owen plan to retire to their home in Calling Lake Sea-Can and continue the sense of family and community she has created and enjoyed since her first visit in 1974. Although they have no children of their own, they hope their efforts will enable others to one day build their own stories on the property.

“We see ourselves as part of this community for a long time to come, and when we’re gone or if we’re gone, we hope that someone here with children or grandchildren will want to continue the legacy. We consider many of the people here as family.”

Lexi Freehill, TownandCountryToday.com