LUTSEN — Rita Golberg visited the North Shore for the first time this fall.
For their wedding anniversary, she and her husband, Nick, opted to stay at Ham’s Haus , a cabin made from used shipping containers. camping hotel
“I’ve stayed at several Airbnbs all over the world, and theirs is top-notch for sure,” said Rita, of Chicago.
One-use shipping containers are considered an environmentally friendly option in dwelling construction. Made from corrosion-resistant steel, they’re expected to be durable, heavy duty and strong enough to endure travel across oceans.
However, due to the type of material, they can be difficult to work with on your own. Luckily, most of its construction was complete.
“By the time we trucked it in and craned it down, it was 75% finished,” said Jenner Kramer, Ham’s Haus co-owner.
Claire and Jenner Kramer hired folks from Lutsen, Silver Bay and other areas of Minnesota to construct Ham’s Haus, a lake-facing, two-bedroom, one-bathroom, pet-friendly cabin.
There’s a chiminea; a fenced-in dog area; a walk-in rainfall shower with a skylight; a gas fireplace; and floor-to-ceiling windows.
‘“It was so great to see the top of the lake and trees," Rita said.
Claire Kramer grew up visiting the North Shore, and Jenner grew up a neighbor to the east, in Wisconsin. When the Twin Cities couple visited the Northland together, they found it tricky to find a place to stay with their dog. That sparked the idea for Ham’s Haus.
“We wanted to do something unique that leaves an impact,” Claire said.
“The North Shore is so unique to people in the Midwest," Jenner said. "It has so much character. We wanted to do that justice and try to make a North Shore experience."
The house is made up of four shipping containers, side by side, totaling about 1,000 square feet. They chose dark colors so the building could blend into nature, Jenner said.
Construction took about a year and a half, and in curating the interiors, the couple knew they wanted to go homegrown. Items from the records and books to the tea and coffee are Minnesota-made, including furniture from Loll Designs and a mural by Karlie Joy Art.
The Kramers did a soft launch in August 2022, and started taking official bookings the following month.
Claire Kramer said she likes reading the guest book and hearing how folks enjoyed the space, and “how comfortable their dogs were.”
As for the Kramers, their French bulldogs, Fig and Hamilton “Ham” Porter, spend time at the property basking in the sun in the living room. “They are couch dogs for sure,” she said.
Asked if a Fig’s Haus is underfoot, she said, “We hope to someday. That’s the current plan.”
house tent camping For more information, visit instagram.com/hamshauslutsen.