3 x 20ft Shipping Containers Turn Into Amazing Compact Home

when you look at a shipping container the last thing that you think of is a house but it never ceases to amaze me how people can take these cold metal boxes and turn them into wonderful welcoming homes today we're in Victoria where one young couple has taken three of these 20-foot shipping containers and turned them into a remarkably designed home [Music] hello Amy hi Bryce nice to meet you lovely to meet you g'day wretch how's it goin this house it's super super cool this is actually three 20-foot shipping containers all attached together isn't it that's correct yes how did this all actually come about we didn't need a big home and I guess the shouldn't hanger is already available to us so we had use of them so we kind of built to our needs and also we wanted to keep a low debt level so we can continue the lifestyle that we like which is lots of holidays and going overseas with rich being English and having family over there so it's another reason why we thought that a smaller dwelling would fit our lifestyle we came to be living in this home about two years ago after travelling to Europe for your cousin's wedding we really really ated what was needed in a home and also what the essential tick boxes in life were so when we decided to go down the home building journey we decided to go down the untraditional route the design that you've come up with here is really cool can you tell me about how you actually laid them all out like this we wanted something that created a little bit of separation between the kitchen dining the study the living and then our sleeping quarters so we decided to stagger them to get the best passive solar design as well as a little bit of interest with the links and the staggering of the containers so it looks aesthetically pleasing when you drive up as well with the three containers and then the adjoining factors together do you know what the total size of this home is yes it's around four to nine point two square metres and what about the property we're on right now how did you come across this it's my parents property so we are on five acres of it and they're on the other five acres so it's be subdivided this is a shipping container home and yet looking at it you really wouldn't think so because you've cleared everything can you tell me a little bit about how you've done all of that we've used a colorbond product called designer panel it's an interlock coating it's fantastic because it's low maintenance and it's very easy to install so with cladding it you've also gained that sort of space in between which you can add insulation or you've got that air barrier in between the steel the shipping container and the outside cladding and that's also the same thing with the inside way you've got the inside clad so you can also gain that sort of extra 17 mil of space to insulate so it's like like a sandwich we really tried to push the boundaries with this project with our insulation to gain a higher star rating because in Australia you require at least a minimum six star this homes seven point one so we've got the double clave timber windows and then the bulk insulation in the ceiling and also under the floor looking at the roof this is a really clever design as well because obviously by having the additional roof you're creating a little bit of shade and helping to cool down the space but you've also filled it with solar is this house totally off the grid not completely off grid due to financial reasons we couldn't afford batteries and we're first installing but that is one of our aims for the future we do have a feed-in tariff so it does offset our usage which is fantastic and then bunch of hangers huge roof structure across all the containers since we're collecting our own water too so there's a couple a large tanks out the back collecting water throughout the year excellent what sizes are your tanks wave collecting around 30,000 litres we initially started off with 20,000 and due to a very dry summer and autumn we decided to put another one in just to safeguard ourselves so how many watts of solar did you manage to get on the roof here we went for a 3.75 kilowatt system as there's only two people living in the house at this present time well this is such a unique looking home I cannot wait to see how it all works on the inside come on in yes please thank you this is stunning we absolutely love our home we really enjoy using this space one of the big things was being healthy for the human the end-user as well so it's all zero Finola hired joiner that's in place so it's healthy for us to breathe and the finish that we've put on the plywood as well is low video C so it's healthy for us to use the styling here is very modern as well isn't it absolutely it's something that we went for we just liked it to be a bit timeless so you know in 20 years time we hope we're still living here and we you know don't want to be changing things on trend or anything like that we'd rather have a really nice clean line kitchen so we can avoid that and tell me about the design of your kitchen a big thing with our kitchen is we want to dishwasher just so people over time for you can utilize that so we decided to go with a half draw dishwasher which is nice and compact we also wanted enough storage for pots and pans we don't use many appliances but there's enough storage for those bits that we do use I obviously really enjoy my little bits and pieces of ceramics and cookbooks so we made sure that they were always on show in the kitchen design as well and you've got a really good amount of prep area here as well yeah so you maybe think with having containers you're almost restricted with your joinery so it has to go into certain places but we've been quite lucky with how it's positioned so we've already haven't lost too much prep space or storage space being a smaller container and one of the things which is definitely a bit of a luxury for a smaller home is to have a dining table yep run for six absolutely we love having friends come over so one of the requirements was at least four and we were lucky enough to thrift our lovely kitchen table out locally and there's more than enough room in here to entertain six people in for lunch or dinner brilliant and then over here we come to one of the first of the little joins and the containers yes so this is the first link which houses just the laundry and just a small pantry so we didn't really want to have to make space in a small house for these sort of appliances like a washer so we've really gained that sort of space in these links and also having their doors on you can have the washing machine and it minimizes the sound so it's fantastic you can have it going and being on your laptop and it's not overly distracting so it's great because you can shut it away and forget what's happening behind there and then what do we have over here in the next container this is our lounge and study area definitely my favorite part of the house and I can see why this is so cozy absolutely it's so great we have the north and the easterly aspects so we gained some beautiful morning light in summer and then during winter it really floods in so sitting on that couch with the morning cup of tea is divine but one of my favorite things is cozying up in winter in front of the wood burner a wood burner like this so quickly just becomes a central feature of every home doesn't have you so we were lucky to get us up another project so it was a minimal cost for us and it really heats the house really well in Australia you can have pretty harsh temperature variations can't you and I've noticed that in this home you're just utilizing fans I don't see any air-conditioning no that was another thing with the star rating we made sure we had enough insulation to make sure it was thermally comfortable during winter so we only needed the wood burner and also during summer where we only require the cross flow ventilation so the natural winds calling home and also the use of the electric fans on the ceiling we have only turned them on four times last summer we are very conscious about closing down the house when warm periods come through so it can be really nice and cool in here if we've shut down the house and there is none of that solar gain during those warmer periods now tell me about the seating area here as well because it looks like you've built quite a bit of storage in this yes lots of their sort of furniture we put in stir has there's no sort of like furnace we bought in as such part from at the stores so everything is built in store so it's a full depth draw for each one so it's functional furniture we've also got all of our bed linen and towels and everything in the other drawers but one of my favorite drawers is out tiny house wine cellar I bet you're looking forward to when you're able to use that or again oh absolutely six weeks and Counting nice and then over here we have your workspace yep so really generous space really functional so we kind of work a little bit from home or our own projects in the evening and this is the perfect space but really I like how you've set it up that you both have your individual working space here - absolutely you can obviously see from the decorating above who's whose and we do really enjoy having our sides of the study area and then behind me here this is another one of the Winx absolutely so this is where we have some great hanging solutions as well as more hanging some more bookshelves and vacuum so it's fantastic that we're able utilize every single aspect of our home and then what do we have in our last container we have our bedroom as well as our bathroom this is cool it's really interesting how high you've raised the bid a big thing as we've mentioned was the storage and making everything as functional as possible so we decided to pick the bed up off the ground so we could have that storage and this is a queen sized bed that's correct so within those dimensions that really does just give you a tremendous amount of volume underneath it to turn into storage and these drawers are full depth for the whole depth of the queen mattress so for a generous map storage that's really cool and that is a very neat drawer someone's taught you to fold thank you very much Amy so with the big being as high as well it's got to be a bit of a mission to climb up on how do you do that we just do it with a lovely handy stepladder here if there's anything to change about the design of the highway I think at this Pacifica moment it would be fit have the bed one drawer lower yes same 34 weeks pregnant it's getting a little challenging getting up and down on that bed but in the way of long-term things no nothing at all and now into the bathroom wow the tile working here is gorgeous Oh got a very very talented Tyler being a smaller home we wanted to create the illusion of there being a bigger space so we went for full height tiles and also that wet room effect so we didn't want any closed in areas and by having the new walls it creates a little bit of storage and interest and depth to place plants and products and everything on this so we really did think out the bathroom and how best be utilized and actually came out being a lot bigger than we anticipated so it is a very generous bathroom and they've got a flushing toilet here absolutely so this is just into our septic system with the use of rainwater and by having it all the way back to the wall with the system being built into the wall not only creates this really handy nipple but it also makes for a more spacious area so how long have you actually been living in the home now 14 months since we've moved in and how are you finding actually living in the space we absolutely love it and as you can probably see we have another one on the way and we are going to utilize these spaces until baby number two comes along so we will do some remodeling and make it work for our lifestyle going forward one question I've constantly been asked is you know don't you regret not having a nursery to decorate and it's kind of I haven't even crossed my mind being a small home and not having a nursery to decorate it's going to be fun setting up the little bits and pieces that we do have and they've been well thought out so when the baby comes along we do have a nice bassinet which we have color matched to our envelope furniture in the house and with the laundry how it is it's going to be great space you know to change now he's gonna set all that up and utilize the laundry space to make that work for us and again shut it away so it's not staring us in the face one of the great things were the utilizing shipping containers is it is really easy just to add another one on when you need it to yeah so even in that end container we've sort of decided if you were going to extend where it would be so even a window is positioned in a place where that's going to make it more easy to do the future I love that kind of future proofing because it just goes to show you really thought this all through yeah definitely if it's kind of like the great thing with containers is they're all gonna be the same size they're all gonna flop together well and there's nothing I'm really out of place it's not like you're slapping on some out-of-the-blue extension it's gonna be quite a uniform sort of growth for the house this home is beautifully done can you talk to me about the cost involved in actually realizing this build all up for the build it cost us one hundred and forty five thousand Australian dollars there is quite a bit of joinery obviously involved as well so with a substantial amount of the cost being involved in the joinery aspect that also includes all of our solar all of our design fees and also the septic treatment plan for all of that together and the size and the quality of this home that's a great price definitely absolutely so one thing we really wanted was a quality home and also something that we're really proud of and that is aesthetically pleasing whenever you walk through the door the fact that we thought so well about what we're putting into the house and how its laid out what joinery is working where it's such a pleasant space to be this home for us how we feel walking in at the end of a busy or if we've been traveling for work or on holidays it's very peaceful not only because of the environment had sat around but we have loved every aspect of this home from the design phase through to finish so it's just a beautiful sanctuary to be in you have both done such a great job at this home it's awesome to see how well it's working for both of you and I'm sure it's gonna be great as your family grows thank you so much for sharing your home with me thank you for coming Thank You Russ Cheers I am just so impressed with this house each and every aspect of it has just been so well considered from the interior which is very functional right the way to the interesting aesthetics of the exterior already as a couple this house has served them very well and there is no doubt in my mind that when the new member arrives this is going to be a beautiful family home [Music]

Channel: Living Big In A Tiny House

Views: 9,201,413

Rating: 4.8939037 out of 5

Keywords: living big in a tiny house, container home, container house, shipping container home, 20ft container home, 20ft shipping container, solar powered home, small house, small house movement, tiny house, eco home, sustainable home, alternative living, shipping container home tour, container home tour, container home 2019, solar power, small house australia

Id: LTa9cqioRDY

Length: 16min 26sec (986 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 01 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/emperorOfTheUniverse]

When you look at a shipping container, the last thing you think about, is a house.

Actually, the first thing I think of is how much people are grasping to turn shipping containers into homes. It's like the new shipping palette of DIY'ers.

[u/IIdsandsII]

literally every one of these videos is an australian hipster couple on their parents' property with kids or kids on the way

[u/RunOrDie]

Pregnant, but didn't plan a room or space for the child. They thought this out pretty well...

​

[u/Assadistpig123]

If you have the money, time, profound lack of zoning oversight, and the lack of sense to build something cheaper, I suppose it makes sense.

I don’t get the appeal. It’s basically a less ergonomic ranch house. There are prefabs that are cheaper that would actually pass inspection.

I mean, how do you handle insulation? How do you space utilities to be safe and efficient?

It’s just... wasteful.

[u/DillBagner]

So instead of walls they used other walls. Very interesting.

[u/MTGDoktor]

Waht aboot the land?

"This is my parents land"

[u/breefield]

In this thread, I found out many of you dislike shipping container homes and their builders for various reasons:

• The builders have too much money and too little sense.
• The builders have a lack of understanding of zoning & building ordinances laws.
• The containers are inconvenient, and less useful than other options.
• The containers are harder to turn into homes than using traditional methods.
• They are gross, presumably because containers can hold anything in them prior to purchase if you get them used.
• They are hip, trendy, and otherwise fashionable but not functional.

Ya'll sound like a bunch of fun at a party.

I thought that container home building originally came from a desire to re-use materials in an eco-friendly way by turning 1 thing into another thing with minimal amounts of energy spent to recycle the steel. Sure there are insulation needs, which these builders addressed, and yes there are constraints (containers are not the most spacious), but none of these things are deal-breakers.

If you're not stacking the containers and needing to substantially reinforce, then it really can be a cost-effective solution to create a space, which can also be moved in the future if you see fit.

I think it's a smart future-thinking mentality and I like people trying innovative and novel things (slight variants within the container home sub-genre is also interesting).

[u/sublevel3]

I’m slightly obsessed with container homes. Ive decided I really want to build my own and live in it.

The biggest issue I can find is actually affording land to put them on.

[u/Hedhunta]

There's nothing amazing about poverty... .well there wouldn't be except for the fact that all of these homes are built but trust fund children with more money than brains..