St. Augustine South hugs the Matanzas River just south of St. Augustine — aka the oldest city in the United States. The little community southside hasn’t been around nearly as long, dating back to the 1950s. It’s still full of Old Florida feels, though: water views, oak-shaded streets, ranch-style homes, and all. But without an HOA, some of the homeowners have gotten a bit more creative. Case in point: the Prince Road Container House. As the name suggests, this St. Augustine South residence was made out of shipping containers — nine to be exact.
The unique abode is the brainchild of art collector and former gallery owner Rob DePiazza. The Los Angeles native teamed up with Gainesville-based architect Stephen Bender to create the 1,600-square-foot space, which takes contemporary design to a whole new level. DePiazza built the structure after his old house was destroyed by Hurricane Irma. The Category 4 storm was one of the most devastating hurricanes in Florida history. The tropical cyclone made landfall in the state on September 10, 2017, displacing millions of residents, damaging tens of thousands of homes, and causing more than 100 fatalities, according to the CDC.
It took DePiazza almost three years to rebuild. Despite financial setbacks, he managed to finish the Prince Road Container House in February 2020. You could call it time and money well spent because the property is definitely one-of-a-kind, full of quirky art installations, vintage mid-century furnishings, and plenty of modern comforts. Conveniently located near U.S. Route 1 between Jacksonville and Orlando, the home can be booked on Airbnb throughout the year, depending on availability.
Explore the Prince Road Container House’s colorful, retro rooms
The Prince Road Container House easily rivals some of the most amazing Airbnb rentals for Florida vacations. As of this writing, the unique home boasts a near-perfect score of 4.98 on Airbnb, putting it in the top 5% of all listings available on the booking platform. Needless to say, the shipping container abode is a mega guest favorite, praised as “one of the most loved homes” on the platform. In a nutshell, the Prince Road house has two shipping containers on the ground level (which are primarily used for storage), with a wide space in between that serves as both a breezeway and carport…