Modern Urban Living in a 2x20ft Shipping Container Home

Thanks Thorum for sponsoring this video! Go to https://www.thorum.com/ and use promo code TINY to get 15% off a truly unique ring or watch! In this weeks episode we explore two 20ft high cube shipping containers that have been transformed into an incredible modern urban home. Situated on a steep section with breathtaking views overlooking the city, this home is truly impressive.

One container contains the bedroom, bathroom and an impressive walk-in-style wardrobe, while the other houses the kitchen and living room. The two containers are joined by an undercover area which shelters a large outdoor lounge and dining space. This is an impressive design!

The home has an undeniable industrial look thanks to the containers which have been largely left unaltered from their days at sea. The exterior celebrates their history, with the painted shipping numbers still exposed, yet stepping inside, the interior quickly feels like a true home, softened with modern, cosy design. Germaine perfectly describes her shipping container home’s style as being soft-industrial.

It never ceases to amaze me how shipping containers in all their industrial glory can be transformed into such welcoming and comfortable homes.

We hope you enjoy the full tour of this brilliant shipping container home.

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Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston
Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston
Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud

Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston

‘Living Big in a Tiny House’ © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd

#shippingcontainerhouse #architecture #modern

thanks thorm for sponsoring this video and helping to make what we do possible stand out with a unique ring or watch made from materials like medite and whiskey barrel go to thor. comom and use the promo code tiny for 15% off your purchase a bustling urban street is maybe one of the last places that you’d expect to find a shipping container home but here in Tasmania we’re about to visit an incredible space where two shipping containers have been beautifully transformed into an incredibly welcoming home [Music] hi Jermaine how are you I’m very well thank you how are you I’m great it’s lovely to be here and seeing your beautiful home thank you and it’s a very big pleasure to have you here this is such a unique place that you’ve created here can you tell tell me how all this came to be well originally we owned this block and we’re going to build a different dwelling here during that building process we actually bought the house next door so we ended up with two blocks side by side about 3 years ago um my marriage disintegrated so during that process I decided that I wanted to keep this block because I adore living here I love this suburb and I love my little town so I claimed this block and build a tiny house amazing and your children now live next door to you as well they do yeah so I like calling it my happy little commune it’s beautiful so my two sons one of their partners and their child lives next door great so I have my beautiful tiny privacy here but I also get to see them very often so it’s beautiful I love it there a wonderful setup isn’t it and you’ve built your home out of two 20ft shipping containers talk to me about that process well when I decided I wanted to build a tiny home I investigated every possibility within Tasmania I wanted to keep it quite local and then I met Jason my Builder and we just clicked I really had a great relationship with him and I loved what he was doing so shipping containers with the thing yeah and the way you’ve laid them out is so good and then of course you’ve got this lovely outdoor area which is undercover and that view look at that yeah I adore The View I love the sunshine and I love being able to see the river I love gust my gum tree and being able to see um the city it’s a beautiful thing love it here yeah what was it about the shipping container home concept that made you fall in love with it I’ve just always been intrigued by living in a shipping container I think I like the really strong industrial safe idea of a shipping container and I also like the concept of living in something that wasn’t made to be a dwelling and making it beautiful absolutely I love the way that you’ve kept the true industrial look of the containers as well even keeping their shipping numbers on the side I don’t like things pretending to be something that they’re not they’re shipping containers and also from the front I love the fact that they’re this industrial strong not very welcoming sort of building and then you walk through my door and it opens up to this beautiful welcoming home yeah I really like that beautifully done and can you talk to me about the process of building the shipping containers and bringing them onto the site cuz it’s quite a steep section to build on as well isn’t it yes Jason my build built them actually off site and then they came on a very very exciting on the back of a truck and they craned them in underneath us here is actually an existing concrete platform that was a carport so we took the carport off and popped the shipping containers on top brilliant and it looks like you’ve got a little bit of land here as well it stretches down towards the water doesn’t it yes it does I know at this point in time quite often you talk about people’s Gardens my garden is a work in progress it was originally a Old Orchard for the house next door and so it is still an Old Orchard I would like to one day reclaim it and just fill it with natives because there’s quite a large native animal population that lives down in my backyard I have potero and the kidas and of course possums and native birds So eventually that is what I’d like to do but that is a tomorrow problem very nice and then you’ve got this lovely entertaining space out here as well it really does look like it’s set up for nice dinner parties and everything yeah exactly um entertaining friends and family is very important to me so I needed to have a space where they could all fit the kitchen takes up quite a lot of space in this container so I needed to make sure that I had plenty of space Outdoors for a living space yeah and it’s really unique the way that you’ve set this up so you’ve got the lounge and Kitchen in one container and then your bedroom and another yes that’s correct I actually had a designer that um helped me design the ideas but I was pretty sure that that’s what I wanted to do I wanted to be able to have the two separate spaces to sort of have the privacy in my bedroom and then the more public area yeah and how does that work out practically for you because here in Tasmania it does get quite cold and we can get these sort of cold wet rainy days as well obviously you’ve got the walkway between them so it is undercover but you’re having to go outside between the two containers how does that work out honestly I have not had a problem with that at all I have been here for 12 months now so I’ve experienced all of our seasonal changes it is something that lots of people ask me but it’s no problem whatsoever it’s the cover I don’t get wet and you’ve got this roof that fits beautifully over the two containers can you talk to me about how this was done sure um my designer originally designed this triangle roof and then we actually extended the the deck so there was a lot of discussion about making the roof more of a traditional square shape but I went with my gut and went with my triangle roof and I really really love it I love the design of how it Peaks at the top and it just makes it a little bit more unique and it gives me a strange amount of joy my triangle roof and it is quite nice having part of the deck undercover but then you also get to enjoy some time in the full sun as well yeah that is correct especially in Tasmania I love the sunshine so being able to have some shade but also being able to do a bit of sun worshiping is nice I totally agree well I’m already so impressed with how the space looks and I am so excited to explore inside the containers can we take a look absolutely all right thank you very much this is absolutely beautiful and you’re so right that it’s got such great contrast between the cold hard exterior and then walking inside it just becomes this beautiful much more soft home yeah that was definitely what I was aiming to do and yeah I think I’ve achieved it and you can really feel the height that comes from those High Cube containers in here as well yes you can I didn’t want it to feel claustrophobic and I didn’t want to feel sort of too shut in so the high cube is definitely it was great solution yeah and can you talk to me about the way that you’ve styled this home sure I did a lot of pre-re SE Arch as Jason was building the container there was definitely a soft industrial Edge that I wanted to create I know what I like so it wasn’t difficult I found the whole process really very enjoyable and it is extremely satisfying to see the end result I bet and you are a creative Spirit as well you work as a hairdresser and you’ve got this wonderful Creative Edge it must have been quite fun to explore that in your home design as well it definitely was it was really um special and I feel very grateful that I could just design something that was entirely for me but then at the same time I didn’t have someone to go oh what about this you know sometimes you think oh is that the right decision is that the right decision and I just had to go with my gut which thankfully seemed to have worked out I certainly think it did and immediately upon entering the container we’re in your lounge space and this looks especially comfortable that is a huge sofa you’ve got it is so I cuddle up on that quite nicely it was always going to be that big so this area was designed around that piece of furniture right and you’ve got the movable TV here as well that’s quite a unique feature yeah I originally didn’t want to have a screen in this space at all I’m not really into a screen in every room type of person um but I found that in the evenings I would like to cuddle up on my couch and have dinner and watch something on TV so I did purchase that just recently and it’s worked out really well yeah neat addition I love the coffee table that looks like quite an interesting design yeah I wanted a coffee table that didn’t intrude too much on the space and I found that one and I actually really really like it because you can flip it vertically and use it as a higher table having versatile Furniture in a tiny house is definitely a good thing it certainly is absolutely and we are in such an urban area here and you’ve got all the city noise and everything but from the moment that you step inside this house it’s quiet and it’s also beautifully warm so this is obviously a very well ins insulated space yes it is I wanted it to be well insulated because of our Winters and also because of the traffic noise I love the fact that you just shut the door and it’s like exhale because it is so quiet it is also very warm in Winter which of course is very important and surprisingly cool in summer the combination of my roof line and the double glazing it’s a beautiful temperature all year round and a very simple hitting solution in here too yes due to the high insulation of the shipping containers I didn’t need very much so I just have a panel heater in each one and I se it on 18 and it makes it beautiful and cozy yeah nice and easy yep and then your kitchen space this is actually a really large kitchen for the size of the container isn’t it it is I did sacrifice living space for kitchen space just simply because I really love cooking and I really love entertaining and so the kitchen was extremely important to me yeah and it makes a lot of sense the way that you’ve done that as well because in many ways what you’ve done is you’ve pushed the living room to the outdoor area and you’ve created this lovely Lounge entertaining space and the outdoor space which has given you all of this extra room to create the larger Kitchen in here yeah that’s correct that’s exactly what I wanted to do it’s not really the day for it today but they are bfold windows so when I’m entertaining out there and or even when I’m here by myself um when the weather is nice I can open all the windows and open the door and it just becomes one very big large entertaining area so it’s perfect for my needs and the style of this kitchen looks really good as well well I love how you’ve gone for the galley style kitchen with the cooking space over one side and then clean up and prep over the other it’s funny it’s so simple like you just prep on one side flip turn and cook on the other it’s very time efficient and I’ve had very large kitchens in my life and this one is by far the best excellent and talk to me about what makes it the best I think it’s just the ease of prep it makes me giggle actually because you don’t actually have to take many steps you sort of prep on one side and do a turn and then you’re cooking over there the fridge is right there it just is a very very usable space yeah and I can see that you’ve built heaps of storage into this kitchen too yes um because I do like entertaining of course entertaining requires Crockery Cutlery and kitchen utensils so um it was important to try and get as much storage in this kitchen as possible yeah for sure and all good sized appliances in here as well yeah I needed to go for traditional sized appliances um for this space just due to the fact that I like entertaining the fridge was probably the one thing that I had to sacrifice and I had to do a lot of research to find something that would fit into the space but I managed to do it yeah and you’ve even squeezed a washing machine in here too yeah that’s a washing machine and dryer and again it just makes my life so simple um washing days are not a problem whatsoever in this tiny home and it’s quite quiet and yeah it’s very convenient yeah but no dishwasher no that’s an interesting thing I do have a space um that is currently my breakfast bar and it could fit a dishwasher I don’t need a dishwasher when I’m here by myself obviously when I’m entertaining sometimes I do wish for a dishwasher but let’s face it standing there at the sink with that beautiful view doing the dishes is not a hardship at all fair enough too I really like the placement of the elongated window right at the end of that kitchen too that goes a long way to helping the space feel so much more expansive that is true and that’s thanks to my designer originally in my head I didn’t want to have any windows that faced onto the driveway or onto the road I wanted it to be completely private I did think long and hard about that but I’m very very glad that it’s there especially because that tree is really pretty and it has lovely blossom in the springtime a very nice and next door we’ve got the bedroom container can we take a look at that we certainly can all right oh wow I love this what a nice space this is just to be completely surrounded by these huge picture windows and just to enjoy all of that view right from your bed yeah it was something that I really really wanted and I I just love it it’s such a beautiful place to sleep and a beautiful place to wake up to I just open my eyes and open the blinds and look out to the river it’s actually beautiful I love it the view is something else and it really does add a spacious feel to this area but the blinds when they’re down it’s like a little cocoon and I just yeah I I love this area there’s something about your view as well that’s just this beautiful ju supposition between the relaxation of the water and then the busy bustling City behind it yeah it is quite a contrast and also um you can see the mountains in the background so it’s really unique and it’s one reason why I chose to stay here is just simply because of that view I can see why and the bedroom itself just looks so cozy yes cozy is exactly how I feel when I’m in here it’s just like a sanctuary I love it yeah you’ve got the television on the wall as well yes I do TV is an I I’m I’m just not a screen person so this is actually a picture TV I just hasn’t got a picture on it right now cuz I just wanted it to disappear as much as possible yeah that’s a great idea and you’ve got a bit of storage in here as well I do um with my bedside table I’ve got a bit of a thing about tall bedside tables which is a good thing because it has all that extra storage also underneath this bed is two very large drawers that hold all my linen brilliant and you have got no shortage of places to put clothes in here do you uh funny should say that this actual whole bedroom container was designed around my wardrobe I couldn’t sacrifice my clothes I love clothes and so yes I do have quite an expansive wardrobe for a tiny house yeah what a great setup though you’ve got so much storage in there yeah I mean it’s the reality of living in a tiny home you need to have storage somewhere um and so it’s all in there yeah fantastic unquestionably that is the key to successfully living in a small home it is recognizing those things that are really important for you and making sure you prioritize them in your design yes it’s actually very interesting because when I was designing where things would go in the storage surrounding that I stepped through my day of how I did things and when I did them and where I did them and put things in the spot accordingly and then beyond the water blaz your bathroom can we have a look at that sure all right again this is another really lovely space compact but everything you need in here exactly again I did sacrifice a little bit of space in here for the Wardrobe but I don’t dress in here I don’t do my hair in here I don’t do my makeup in here basically it’s a a bathing area I really love it the mirror is actually one of my favorite things it actually is like an oldfashioned shaving mirror it opens and has storage behind which is both a little bit quirky and very practical yeah it certainly is and then you’ve got a really nice size shower in here as well and again you’ve managed to get a little bit of extra storage by adding that shelf in there yeah that was Jason’s idea and I’m really glad that he suggested it because it’s really practical storage for my products and things and I just I really like the look of it as well yeah conventional flushing toilet in here as well yes that was something I struggled with I really did want to go composting but in the end I decided that practically it was probably just easier to go with a conventional flushing toilet yeah in a location like this where you are in the middle of the city and it’s just so easy to hook into that infrastructure why not exactly and I think that might be the smallest vanity in Basin I have ever seen yeah in reality it is too small and I am going to change it um I had a lot of trouble envisaging how small this space would be so I got the smallest hand Basin that I could possibly find and it is ridiculously small yeah I can definitely understand wanting to swap that one out a because there is nothing worse than putting the tap on full and water just going everywhere it’s it’s it makes me smile and I am happy to admit that it was my mistake and I’m going to fix it y so you’ve been living here for just over a year now how is life in the shipping containers working out for you it’s actually working perfectly iart from hand Basin I wouldn’t change your thing I’m extraordinarily happy here and yeah it’s great yeah and it’s so nice that you’ve got this wonderful space to yourself but you’re also so connected to your family as well that’s so special yeah it is I I’m very very grateful for that they’re growing up now and they need some space but I can still see them very regularly and yeah as I said it’s my it’s our happy little commune can you talk to me about what your journey of downsizing into the containers was like it was actually a huge relief I am an anti- hoarder I don’t like a lot of stuff around me I don’t like clutter it actually makes me quite anxious to be honest and because it came on the back of a separation it was so easy because there was no arguments about little bits of stuff that don’t matter I just left it all there and it was just it made everything so much easier you really got to start fresh for yourself yeah that is correct yeah it was um like shedding an old skin and yeah creating a new one I love that analogy I wanted to really prioritize my mental health I needed something that was sustainable and a life that I could handle on my own I did not want to be overcome by domestic duties or by maintenance or by a huge mortgage I just needed to have something that was Compact and completely under my control and can we talk about the cost that was involved in building the container home yeah it was complete around 200,000 fantastic that includes moving them on to site yep and everything it includes all furniture artwork everything great results yeah and now that you’re beautifully settled into this gorgeous new home What does the future hold for you oh the freedom to have Adventures I hope I like that what’s on the cards I don’t know I have no clue but there’s a certain freedom in that also I mean obviously I I work full-time I have my family next door I also have an elderly mother that’s quite dependent so having the tiny house frees up the small amount of spare time I have to create a whole new adventurous life for myself I love that Well Jermaine this is just such a cool house that you have built for yourself this is such a creative space and it’s just so wonderful the way that you’ve taken these two and containers industrial and turn them into such a welcoming place to call home thank you so much for sharing it with me my absolute pleasure I love the way that Jermaine describes the process of building this home as being able to shed an old skin and grow a new one because really change is the only Universal constant we’re always changing as people and our life circumstances are always changing and having the opportunity to grow a new skin to build a new home for ourself that truly reflects where we are right now is a beautiful [Music] thing I want to say a huge thank you to thorum for sponsoring this video and helping to make what we do possible if you’re looking for a wedding ring anniversary ring or a ring that just looks awesome look no further than thorum Thor’s rings are made from materials that 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