This Super Low-Cost Shipping Container House is Like No Other!

when we think of shipping containers they don't generally elicit feelings of warmth and coziness and home yet today we're about to discover an incredible container house that has been transformed into a beautiful and creative tiny house all for an unbelievable budget [Music] hey Kathy how are you hi Bryce nice to meet you it's lovely to meet you g'day Paul how are you doing mate great Bryce thank you it is a pleasure to meet you both and this is an amazing spot you've got here isn't it it is it's a working sugarcane farm and uh I was quite lucky to be able to come and stay here so yeah beautiful Outlook it certainly is got some lovely views here yeah yeah and it's generally quite quiet we're surrounded by Bush and it's also close to major cities as well and a 10 second walk to work yes that's your Workshop there is it it is yeah yeah it's also transportable as well so I thought I'd just do everything transportable fair enough too and you certainly cannot complain about that commute no that's right yeah that doesn't mean I get up later I still get up early and uh get straight into it and it's quite an industrial spot but the way that you've landscaped around the home is really beautiful yeah thanks I think that's a bit about tiny houses you can literally create a little you know ecosystem around them and create an environment which is um which can make it feel quite homely yeah you're growing a lot here aren't you I'm a pastry chef by trade so I like to sort of you know be able to pick some things out of the garden cook with them and the flavor of food that's grown from your own garden with good compost is really quite quite a great thing can't beat it no so these are all working beds are they yeah so they're all Australian made recycle plastic weakens that holds the water under the garden bed so it's water in the garden better than I could do it with a hose you've got less evaporation because it's wicking from underneath so it saves what 70 80 of water is that what they say correct yeah brilliant and this house just looks fantastic looking at it you'd think it was a tiny house but this is actually a shipping container isn't it it is it is a shipping container so what size is it it's a high Cube so it's 2.6 High by six meters long so a modified 20-foot container yeah and it looks like you've extended the height quite a bit on this one that's right yeah so the container I had it on the property and it was starting to rust on the roof so I decided I'll just cut the roof off and go up so I went up 900 from the top yeah and normally when you look at shipping container homes they look like a shipping container but this is anything but you've cleared the whole exterior of the home that absolutely I clad it on the outside just so the sun wasn't hitting the side of the steel to keep it cool so you were able to insulate it external to the container or did you do the installation on the inside so the installations are on the inside but this sheeting that I've cladded it with is a insulated sheeting that's insulator inside and outside so you know you've got this perfect temperature and that's so important with containers getting the insulation right absolutely because thermal bridging in the steel can be such a problem and in this climate again having double insulation keeping that hot hot hot sun out of the home yeah essential that's right absolutely and you've used such beautiful Timber as well like this servery here is just Exquisite thanks yeah that's actually Australian iron bark and it's quite a rare type of iron bark it's got bird's eye through it it just adds so much texture and character doesn't it it does you know it's quite unique and you know I thought I'm gonna go for a tiny house I'm going to make it a unique one it's been interesting working within the limitations of a tiny house but to capture the essence of an architectural home or an unusual shaped roof or a raked roof so yeah it really gets you pushing the boundaries of what's possible and what's not and it's lovely how the tiny house just extends onto this deck too I think just because you live in a tiny house doesn't mean you need to be limited this outdoor area is is really quite an extended living space which is the same size as the tiny house yeah and in fact there's a bit of a story to the actual Timber um I actually milled this Timber this was from a tree which was the seeds were planted after World War II the anzacs planted the seed wow and this particular Pine died and I milled it up and uh it's just the most amazing Timber and wine ants don't touch it apparently just gorgeous and what you've done with the container doors on the end there is seriously cool yes it's all recycled all reclaimed Timber and they're all the off cuts of different jobs yeah it's like a mosaic of door you know I don't like throw anything away yeah right fair enough too not when you can make beautiful stuff like that with it that's right yeah and the middle work is so cool as well that's right so I actually uh cut the old steel container door off and left the hinges because the container that hinges are so strong I thought I'll just use utilize those hinges and take the hardware and just bolt it back onto a Timber door I love what you've done with the eaves here as well because it really helps to again sort of Step it away from that box like container look and make it more house-like that's right and uh you know coming from a building background I knew the importance of having Eaves and a lot of tiny houses don't because they're on trailers and they can't have them but in this case you can transport it with ease because it's going on a truck and you may have an escort but you're only transporting it once but it just stops that Sun hitting the side of the windows protects it from the weather right up at the top there which I think is really important and I've done a feature of Oak across the Eve so it just again gives it a bit of an extra touch beautiful and the glazing around the top also really adds a lot to the house it does just having lots of light and uh just having airflow it gives you feeling of space and again just makes it a lot more livable and all of the attention to detail is just really nice like even the beveled glass here in the door yeah it's little things like that that especially sitting from the inside looking it reflects light and so it just gives it a little bit of a touch a bit more character character correct definitely well the house just looks brilliant from the outside it's still pretty hard to believe there's a shipping container under all of this can we have a look inside and see what's going on absolutely great thanks [Music] this is absolutely brilliant standing in here you would never know this is a shipping container no absolutely not you know and I guess with the extra height and all the glass it it feels really quite spacious and quite Airy right and especially with the increased ceiling height it just adds this complete sense of space the panoramic Windows gives you that beautiful Outlook Towards the Sky it does feel quite luxurious in here and spacious it just doesn't feel like a tiny house because you've got this the space it actually feels really spacious and what you've done in here with all of this woodwork is just so beautifully artistic it is and I guess that's sort of my passion is to create you know unique pieces of furniture and Timber work so I think there's not enough balance between the white walls and cabinets and and just a few sort of Timber features but just sort of make it pop especially elements like the banister you've created there are just so beautifully artistic yeah yeah so that actually was something that I was looking for for quite some time trying to find the right shape and funny enough if actually fell from a tree not far from here and at the tree had been dead so it was well seasoned and it hasn't moved but it was just the right shape to uh I remember we brought the piece of wood in and put it up there just to check that it'd be okay and then he molded it and yeah and it's a very unique and extremely compact stair design that you've created here yeah so this is actually Kathy's idea I'm always thinking about something a bit simpler like a ladder but also knowing that the challenges of actually climbing up a ladder and Kathy was all about storage so it was like we were trying to think how do we get a staircase with a footprint that fits in this size and I guess that's a bit about tiny houses you can think outside the box and create anything you like and this is what we came up with I really like what you've done with the shelving up here too and of course one of the benefits of building in a shipping container is you don't have to be as concerned with weight so you've been able to use this really nice chunky Timber yeah that that's absolutely right I mean I do like Hardwoods and this is a New Guinea Rosewood and it is quite heavy so that is you're right the beauty about shipping containers you can just you know go all out with the solid materials I especially like what you've done with the shelving here as well and adding that curve is a really nice feature because especially in a space like a tiny house or a shipping container there's a lot of straight walls a lot of right angles and so seeing some curvature in there is really nice it is and when I was building it I was building it as I went so I actually made this wall with a lot more depth to it that goes into the bathroom just to create that sort of depth and as a feature giving you a bit of organic feel yeah yeah and again on that Timber theme this floor is beautiful yeah so this is actually a reclaimed Timber and it was really well seasoned so there's like 300 wide boards some 200s so we mix and match them and uh it's you can feel how solid it is and they've all been drilled screwed and plugged with the wooden plug so it's again just that little bit of you know Extra Touch to give you that feel of quality and then up here we've got your sleeping Loft correct that's right yeah so it's not quite a full-size double in hindsight I probably would have made it a little bit wider but it's actually sufficient it's sufficient because of all the light that comes in it's actually a really quite a comfortable space it definitely looks very cozy up there it is very cozy it's great for winter yeah definitely and then again having those windows out there the panoramic Vista really helps to make the space feel a lot more open yes I never sleep in the mornings by the time the sun's come up I'm getting a suntan so I'm up early and then we've got your couch here as well yeah so it's just a fairly small leather couch but it's got a nice view to the outside and again lots of light so it's sufficient beautiful artwork up there as well and that's actually yours isn't it Kathy it is it's a little bit wacky a little bit surrealist I've got aspects of Sydney Harbor and the opera house and waves and yeah I like it a lot and it just adds a lot of color and Vibrance to the space absolutely and the lights that you've created up there are very cool too they are there's a bit of a story to those they're actually Cedar masts from a 100 year old boat wow and uh so I actually took that Mast and just routed in some LED lighting and uh yeah beautiful and this kitchen design is fantastic this bench top is absolutely magnificent it is actually bright and uh you know it's it's quite a unique and rare piece of Australian iron bar with Birds Eye in it and so I originally really wanted to make a real feature of the kitchen and that flows out to the outside and I've actually routed in grooves for the drainage on it and it's all quite organic really it looks like a sun it really does it's just such a beautiful feature and then you've got the big gastro window there as well yeah so it makes a real feature of the uh the kitchen having that window that opens up and be able to serve out everything written and entertain definitely it brings that outside in it's lovely it does and this looks like a very functional kitchen you've got a lot of storage up here yeah so again being originally being a pastry cooker I like to cook things I like lots of different you know condiments and so having that storage for me was quite important I put a little bit of thought into you know how do you make a real functioning Kitchen in a small space and you've got the four burner cooker in the corner yeah so yeah again having plenty of cooking facilities and having four burners you know if you're doing a few sauces and things you can't have too many burners really when it comes to cooking but I don't see an oven in here yeah that's a really good point uh right so I actually don't like all the oven smells inside tiny houses so I cook outside on a barbecue so it's a closed-in barbecue which Cooks roasts and and other things so brilliant and working around those doors in the kitchen as well has contributed to quite an unusual shape it has yeah so being a shipping container we've had to keep the structure of the corners of the steel shipping container so it's really been quite a you know intricate you know custom sort of build bit of a game of Tetris it is definitely yeah yeah you've got beautiful tiles in the kitchen as well and they really complement that Timber that actually came from uh we renovated a house in Sydney and just some leftovers they look really beautiful and we've used them in the bathroom too so yeah and speaking of the bathroom I'm guessing it's behind that door right there you go correctly can we take a look sure [Music] oh this is so cool again the timberwork in here really stands out yeah that's right and again having a bathroom which is you know really functional as well as you know looking beautiful I think was important and this vanity here is absolutely gorgeous yeah it's a bit of a work of art and uh it's got you know different elements like the stone and it's got inlay Driftwood and the Driftwood came from a beach yeah it's actually wormholes wow yeah so it's beautiful and what you've done with the copper shower is very cool that was awesome experimenting with this new oxygen torch burner that I had and uh it takes a lot of heat to melt all those solder joints but yeah I just wanted to keep that kind of that steampunk kind of look with the old pipes it actually came out really well I was a bit skeptical and you talked about this concept I was like I'm not sure this is going to work but it looks amazing it does copper is one of those things that it looks beautiful when it first goes in and then over time as it develops that green patina it only gets better it does yeah yeah it's sort of quite Timeless and do you get good water pressure off that as well yeah we get really good pressure so we've got a 12 volt pump and uh but it comes through pretty high pressure excellent what do you do for services here like Power and Water so we do have a solar panel on the roof which is running 12 volt to a battery and we're running all our lightning off 12 volt as well as a backup 240 volt for the fridge and also the mains water tank so for water we actually collect off the workshop and we've got a 7000 meter tank brilliant yeah you've got the composting toilet in here too yeah that's been one of the best things that we've actually come across is composting toilets you know I think there's a lot of stigma around toilets but this has been no smell whatsoever to it and uh so I've been really impressed with it you've got a lovely big mirror in here too yeah the mirror is great I wanted a big mirror and I just think it's it's great for reflecting light and it just feels bigger having that mirrored space absolutely and so how long have you been living in the home now it's about two two and a half years fantastic and how are you finding life in the show shipping container well I'll take it surprisingly good actually because you know even if that was a small space it doesn't have to be a boring space so we've really gone all out with creativity so it feels really quite luxurious to live among Sarah and our creativity is quite a unique experience and it's one that people have to experience themselves you can't tell them you can't explain it there's a great feeling of satisfaction there really is everything everything in this house is is US yeah and that it's amazing it's a minimalist approach to life makes it it just Life's a lot more simple it is yeah and I think it gives you an opportunity to actually focus on quality rather than quantity so it is minimalistic we don't spend huge amounts of time inside you know we live in outdoor life but we get to stay in a beautiful place when we come home and can we talk about the cost that was involved in building this home yeah so the container I already had and I think I actually paid 50 for it because I had the roof was rusting out so right it wasn't suitable as a shipping fan anymore so I just took what I had and I remember a big believer in taking what you've got and use what you've got so a lot of the materials um you know have all been recycled reclaimed I've spent some money on certain fittings and hardware and things like that but all in all it's actually amazing what you can actually do a few upcycle and recycle things but what would the ballpark price be it's cost me about twenty thousand dollars twenty thousand dollars for this kind of home is absolutely ridiculous and of course though that is Testament to you doing all of the work yourself being very Thrifty and clever with the materials that went into its construction but wow what a great result well you really have created such a marvelous home for yourself I'm such a fan of all of the beautiful Woodwork and creativity that you've both pulled into this space thank you so much for sharing it with me thank you Bryce for coming thank you it's been a pleasure having you here Bryce pleasure's all mine Paul and Kathy have done such a wonderful job with the build of this home this is a truly handcrafted house a place that they have filled with their art and creativity and clever use of reclaimed materials they really have built themselves into the walls of this home and the result is just beautiful foreign [Music]

Channel: Living Big In A Tiny House

Views: 574,816

Keywords: shipping container house, container home, tiny house, tiny home, tiny house tour, shipping container tour, off grid, alternative living, reclaimed materials, affordable home

Id: xgJm8DoLOnM

Length: 17min 2sec (1022 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 28 2022