What’s It Like to Spend 48 Hours in a Laurel Highlands Home Made of Shipping Containers?
During her nature-filled excursion to Shipp's Creek, writer Corinne Whiting took in the wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs — and savored gourmet meals at TreeTops and Bittersweet Cafe.
PHOTO BY TORY MATHER
For me, a late fall jaunt to the Laurel Highlands provided a timely chance to simply pause and breathe.
Standing on the edge of some rushing Ohiopyle falls, I could nearly conjure the buzz of the summertime crowds. Yet on this blustery November morning, it was just the whipping winds and me, alone in nature as she filled the air with her soothing soundtrack.
The 48-hour getaway also offered time to savor an extraordinary new Airbnb called Shipp’s Creek. Marked by beautiful design, thoughtful details and playful nods to the beloved streaming series of a similar name (that would be “Schitt’s Creek,” of course), the unusual build is nestled into a tranquil setting on the edge of Laurel Hill Creek.
Made sustainably of four 40-foot-long repurposed shipping containers, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home sleeps up to nine guests and was created with adventure-seeking families and friend groups in mind.
PHOTO BY TORY MATHER
A Welcoming Home Base
The unusual property is owned by Brady Inners, a Pittsburgh local who has a passion for bringing people together. Inners works in tourism and previously had invested in real estate through flipping houses.
For this project, he began thinking he’d completely renovate an existing cabin on the property he’d found for sale on Facebook’s real estate page. After doing a little digging, it became clear this was going to be a much bigger job than anticipated.
“I follow a lot of unique properties on social media and with the backdrop of our site,” Inners says. “I thought what a cool, unique thing for there to be a shipping container house here.”
With that plan in mind, Inners bought the property in April 2023; the project was completed last September.
PHOTO BY TORY MATHER
Since then, the home has been welcoming happy adventurers to its location in Markleton, which is about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and within a 30-minute drive of Fallingwater, Ohiopyle and Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The location has turned out to be an unexpected gem.
“Tucked away in the Laurel Highlands, which really offers 12 months of outdoor recreation, it has been the perfect spot,” Inners says.
He shared where many of the house materials were sourced from, starting with the shipping containers from a local supplier, Versavault.
“They were brand-new containers and the company was great to work with,” he says, adding the floating stairs came from an Amish group out of Maryland and the bathroom countertops from a local woodmaker in Aliquippa called Timber & Steel Co. “It was exciting to use a lot of local resources and suppliers for this project.”
PHOTO BY TORY MATHER
So what are Inners’ favorite spaces within the home?
“One is the view just as you are about to head up the floating staircase,” he says. “Between the vaulted two-floor ceilings, the chandelier, the beautiful floating wood stairs and black cable railings, it’s such a beautiful shot of design and architecture.”
He also enjoys the second-floor deck.
“It’s got the space for lots of people to hang together around the fire, protected by the elements but still able to listen to the water flow,” he says. “It’s my favorite spot of the house.”
Considerate touches are found throughout the property — such as a stocked coffee-and-tea drawer in a fully-kitted kitchen and toiletries meant to be enjoyed in spacious showers. Guests of all ages will enjoy rifling through the bounty of books, games and puzzles found alongside cozy blankets and a warming faux fireplace.
Mixed in with the dreamy wall art and calming cabin vibes, guests-in-the-know will get a kick out of the many whimsical “Schitt’s Creek” references. (Inners and his wife are fans of the show.)
PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD
Nearby Explorations
Sticking with the theme of beautiful design, our group dedicated the first day of our stay to the nearby masterpieces of Frank Lloyd Wright.
A guide-led exploration of Kentuck Knob, a 2,200-square-foot Grand Usonian home that stands 2,050 feet above sea level, was followed by marveling at Wright’s most iconic work, Fallingwater.
These back-to-back tours allowed us to compare and contrast these architectural wonders defined by an organic blending with their surrounding nature, cantilevered overhangs, expansive glass and the use of “compression/release” techniques that create dramatic entryways and flow throughout the entire house.
In between explorations, Bittersweet Cafe proved the perfect spot for tasty lunch fare in a homey space; think Reubens, BLTs, pulled pork and chicken salad sandwiches savored at a long table while the friendly resident cat wandered underfoot.
If it fits into your route, also consider grabbing a pint amongst friendly locals at Trailhead Brewing Co. in Confluence, where you may just get lucky enough to take in a performance by a solo singer-songwriter strumming away onstage.
TREETOPS PHOTO COURTESY POLYMATH PARK
Near an abundance of hiking trails and water-centric activities, Ohiopyle Coffee Company is an ideal hub for meeting all your caffeine and culinary needs. During our visit, we fueled up with a turkey, bacon and avocado bagel that left us sated for the rest of the day.
One of the most memorable parts of the trip involved an alfresco dinner at TreeTops restaurant in Polymath Park, home to two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces, plus two homes designed by his apprentice, Peter Berndtston.
Here, visitors can stay overnight in a Wright-conceived house or relish a memorable dinner in an elevated, treehouse-style setting at TreeTops. We did the latter, enjoying our meal as the sun set beyond the trees on the chilly, crisp day.
PHOTO BY TORY MATHER
Invigorated by the fresh air — yet warmed by cozy lap blankets and a space heater in our private pod — we dove into a delightful meal where highlights ranged from cream of mushroom soup and a locally-sourced harvest salad starter to a salmon entree accompanied by risotto and roasted veggies. As a grand finale, we had a decadent chocolate souffle.
As we first stepped into our pod, the setting sun silhouetted the magical forest in our midst, a few birds swooping through an otherwise silent scene. Several hours later, we ambled out into the dark night, feeling happily nourished by a tasty feast and inspired conversation.
I gazed up at the crystal-clear constellations, so happy to feel reconnected to nature after far too long, and vowed to come back to this region very, very soon.
