Boxed In

Olive Farmer Builds Shipshape Dream House

About five years ago, Sebastian Bariani moved from his Land Park home to be closer to the Bariani family’s olive groves in Zamora, north of Woodland. He became intrigued with the idea of constructing his new farm home with steel shipping containers.

“My family’s connection to containers is strong. We are an olive oil company, we import our bottles and equipment from Italy, and we export our oils to places like Japan,” Bariani says. “It just seemed to make sense, especially as I wanted a modern home.”

Shipping containers had other advantages. “We are out in the countryside, not the city. We’re exposed to the harsh weather, including sun, wind and rain, so we needed something strong that would withstand all these elements,” he says.

His four-year building project started before the pandemic and suffered delays with shipping during the supply-chain crisis. He moved in about a year ago.

The home is 2,460 square feet on two levels with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. Expansive rooftop decking with gorgeous views over the family’s 180acre olive ranch extends the living space.

The home is built with eight 45-foot containers and two 20-foot containers. All are 9 feet wide and 9½ feet tall.

“The containers provide the exterior walls, and some of the interior walls. Steel is very conductive, so we heavily insulated the 8-inch walls,” Bariani says. “Instead of a standard ducted HVAC system we used mini units in each room, which is very energy efficient and comfortable.”

“My home was designed to create a living space for my 8-year-old daughter, who lives with me part-time. She, in effect, was my client,” he says.

The great room, which is one of the largest containers, combines living and dining spaces. The open kitchen has sleek European walnut cabinetry, with black solid surface counters and chiseled-edge details.

By Cecily Hastings

Photography by Aniko Kiezel Open House

“There are no upper cabinets. Instead I added a large live-edge shelf built from a cedar tree we had to remove in our Land Park home,” he says. Cedar shelves show up throughout the house. The lower level includes a generous pantry, laundry room, half bath, and master bedroom and bath.