A video about a couple who converted two shipping containers into their “surreal” dream home has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip, which features various shots of workers transforming the containers into a home, on a 12.5 acre plot of land in rural Texas, was shared by Lexi Newkirk, known as @lexiiiinewkirk on TikTok. The video has amassed 2.9 million views since it was posted on April 7.

A caption shared with the post says: “My husband and I bought two shipping containers for $5,500 each and we’re building our first house.”

Newkirk, who also shared updates about their container home on Instagram (@lexi.newkirk) and YouTube (@Lexi.newkirk), said the containers were sourced through a local supplier who specializes in refurbished shipping containers.

She told Newsweek: “We’d been researching alternative living options for a while, and once we found the right size and condition, we knew it was the right move for us.”

The viral post comes as U.S. homeowners face soaring housing costs. Millions of potential homebuyers have been “priced out of the market by elevated home prices and interest rates,” according to a 2024 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The home price increase was reported in 97 of the top 100 markets, with higher rises in the northeast and Midwest regions.

The report also found that a rent surge during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an “unprecedented affordability crisis” with around half of U.S. renter households now burdened by housing costs. Around 12.1 million households are “severely cost-burdened,” spending more than half of their income on housing expenses, according to the report.

‘Just As We Imagined’

The couple in the viral TikTok video envisioned a home that looks “exactly how it does now,” Newkirk told Newsweek, using vertical space in a creative way and incorporating plenty of outdoor living with decks.

“We wanted something functional, cozy, and full of character—blending modern design with a rustic touch,” she said, noting that “it’s surreal to see it come to life just as we imagined.”

Their container home includes one bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, a full-sized traditional kitchen, two spacious decks, and a basement for extra storage and utility space. “It’s compact, but incredibly functional and thoughtfully designed,” Newkirk noted.

Their favorite part of the home is the upstairs windows, including their bedroom window, which faces east and allows the couple to wake up to the sunrise every morning. Their bathroom window faces west, which is “perfect for soaking in the tub while watching the sunset,” Newkirk said, adding that “it brings in so much natural light and makes the space feel even more magical.”

Turning the containers into their home cost “significantly more” than just the containers themselves, but it was “well worth it,” the poster said. The home reportedly cost around $60,000 to build.

Living in their container home has yet to bring down their living costs, Newkirk said.
The couple lived in an RV for the past year while building their container home, she explained, noting that “now that we have a full-size kitchen, bathtub, two toilets, and more lighting, our electricity and water usage has actually gone up.”

“But we’re in the process of installing solar panels and setting up a water system using dehumidifiers, which should bring those costs down in the long run,” she said.

The couple also plan to eventually turn it into an Airbnb, “as we set our sights on building a ‘barndominium’ [a barn conversion] in the near future,” she added.

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