It’s big, blue and built to last.
That’s just a few words that describe The Blue Pearl, a house built with shipping containers. The new-construction home is located on Pearl Street in Bloomfield.
The three-story building was constructed from six steel 40’ x 80’ cube cargo shipping containers that have never been used for their original purpose.
The Blue Pearl is on the market for $799,900. Co-owners and friends Rebekah Siegel and Eric Smooke said they’re thrilled to finally see their container shipping project come to its conclusion after several years of planning and construction.
Smooke, of Point Breeze, chose shipping containers after discussing possible cool construction projects with Siegel, a fellow Pittsburgh Allderdice High School alum.
“It’s the first full-blown shipping container home in Pittsburgh,” said Smooke, a full-time landlord and real estate investor. “We wanted to try something out of the ordinary.”
Shipping container homes are legal in Pennsylvania but must comply with local zoning laws and permits.
The steel home is built to withstand just about any weather event in Pittsburgh.
Concept to completion of The Blue Pearl took almost five years. Each of the six shipping containers were placed via a crane and welded together.
The home was built on an empty corner lot owned by Siegel.
Smooke said the most asked question about Blue Pearl revolves around heating and cooling costs in the four-bedroom, 2½ bathroom home.
“People ask about the insulation, how it works. There is a specific type of insulation the City of Pittsburgh required us to do,” Smooke said. “It’s a spray foam and works really well on products like these.”
The foam insulation helps to prevent extreme temperature changes, mold, condensation and corrosion.
Each of the six shipping containers was bought from a prefabricator in Cleveland.
The rooftop deck offers a variety of views.
“The rooftop is the showstopper,” Smooke said. “My favorite part of the house is the use of space. Everyone thinks when they’re coming into a shipping container, it will be small. Every single square foot and inch of this house is laid out and used so well.”
The rooftop is accessed by a spiral staircase and the deck spans the entire length of the house.
“This adds so much square-footage for entertaining,” Siegel said. “This has the wow-factor. It’s the biggest residential rooftop deck that I’m aware of.”
Realtor Artem Kovalevskiy of Highland Park is marketing the home. “I named it Blue Pearl because the containers were blue and it’s on Pearl Street. Blue Pearl was born,” Kovalevskiy said. “She’s standing in her glory. I’m excited to market this unique project.”
Kovalevskiy said the home, located at 413 Pearl St., is garnering attraction from potential buyers, with the Zillow.com listing racking almost 20,000 online views in less than two weeks.
The original exterior hardware on each shipping container was left on. Inside, several of the shipping container walls are incorporated into the design.
The ceilings are almost nine feet tall. The large energy-efficient windows prioritizes natural light throughout.
A 1970s vintage wallpapered accent wall in one bathroom features a Forbidden Fruit design imported from England.
A one-car garage solves the sometimes pesky parking issues encountered with city parking.
Siegel said building something “so cool and new that no one has done yet” has been awesome.
“We did a lot of research,” said Siegel, noting Florida and Ohio have a shipping container real estate market.
Some shipping containers have been used to construct tiny homes, but the friends went big when planning the Blue Pearl.
“We just thought it made more sense building a single-family residence, given the area is filled with homes that are two and three stories high,” said Siegel, who grew up in Shadyside and Squirrel Hill.
Siegel noted that the smallest room, a nook with two large single-pane windows, provides sweeping views of the surrounding communities of Oakland, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville and Oakland.
“Whoever buys it is gonna be a happy person,” Kovalevskiy said. “It’s priced to get a lot for your money. You’re a block off of Liberty Avenue and you’re next to all of the hospitals, universities and Lawrenceville.”
