Stay in a Container Home Before You Build: Inside Boma's Try-Before-You-Buy Program

Gareth William

Sep 2

3 min read

Author: Boma Properties | Read Time: 5 min | Updated: August 2026

Nearly every container home company will show you a rendering, a floor plan, or a finished-project photo gallery. Almost none of them will let you actually sleep in the product before you commit to building one.

Boma does — and if you decide to move forward, the cost of your stay gets credited toward your build. Here's how it works, and why it matters more than it might sound like at first.

Two Real Properties, Booked the Same Way You'd Book Any Rental

Boma operates two short-term rental properties, both bookable directly like any other vacation rental:

• Boma White Mountains, in Littleton, New Hampshire — a quiet, outdoors-focused stay in the White Mountains region, with easy access to hiking, fishing, skiing at Cannon Mountain and Bretton Woods, and small-town New England charm.

• Boma High Desert, in Taos, New Mexico — set in the high desert landscape around Taos, close to Taos Plaza, local galleries, Taos Ski Valley, and desert hiking and scenic drives.

Both are the same types of units Boma designs and delivers to buyers — not a separate showroom product built to impress, but the actual model line, subjected to actual guest turnover, actual weather, and actual reviews.

Why This Matters More Than a Photo Gallery

A floor plan tells you the square footage. A rendering tells you what a unit is supposed to look like. Neither tells you whether the mini-split actually keeps the space comfortable at 2am, whether the layout feels considered when you're the one living in it for a night instead of just looking at a diagram, or whether the finishes hold up the way they're supposed to under everyday guest use.

Booking a stay in a container home answers all of that firsthand, before a single dollar goes toward your own build. It's the same logic behind test-driving a car instead of buying off a spec sheet — except here, the "test drive" is a real weekend away in a real destination.

The Credit: Try Before You Buy, Literally

If you book a stay and later decide to move forward with your own Boma build, the cost of one night's stay is credited toward your purchase. That turns the try-before-you-buy experience from a nice-to-have into a genuinely low-cost way to de-risk a five- or six-figure decision — you're not paying twice to gain the confidence of having actually lived in the product first.

What to Look For During a Stay

If you're booking specifically to evaluate a future build rather than just for a getaway, a few things are worth paying attention to during your stay:

• Climate performance — how the space handles temperature swings, especially overnight and in whatever season you're visiting

• Layout flow — whether the kitchen, sleeping area, and bathroom feel naturally arranged for how you'd actually use the space day to day

• Sound and privacy — how the unit feels acoustically, particularly relevant if you're considering the space for a rental property of your own

• Finish durability — wear patterns on flooring, counters, and high-touch surfaces after repeated guest turnover

• Storage and daily function — whether the space handles the small logistics of actually living somewhere, not just looking good in photos

Local Guides for Both Locations

Both properties come with a full local guide to the surrounding area — where to eat, hike, fish, ski, and explore around Littleton, New Hampshire and Taos, New Mexico — so a visit doubles as both a product evaluation and an actual vacation, rather than feeling like a showroom tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Really Stay in a Container Home Before Buying One?

Yes. Boma operates two short-term rental properties — Boma White Mountains in Littleton, New Hampshire, and Boma High Desert in Taos, New Mexico — both bookable directly, and both built using the same model line Boma sells to buyers.

Does the cost of my stay actually go toward my build?

Yes. If you book a stay and later move forward with a Boma build, the cost of one night's stay is credited toward your purchase.

Are the rental units the same as what I'd actually buy?

Yes. Both properties use the same types of units Boma designs and delivers to buyers, not separate showroom-only builds, so what you experience during a stay reflects the actual product.

Where are Boma's rental properties located?

Littleton, New Hampshire (Boma White Mountains, in the White Mountains region) and Taos, New Mexico (Boma High Desert, in the high desert landscape around Taos).