This home was built using two 40ft shipping container. They were placed slightly apart from each other to create a large living area in the centre and separate rooms at the ends. This off-the-grid container home was built by Matt and Ilse as a DIY project. It is now a functional home for their five children.
Matt and Ilsa’s analogues engineering company The couple were not unfamiliar with working with steel. This was a major motivating factor in the couple’s decision to build their family home with two 40ft shipping containers.
Inside. The home is very spacious. The family enjoys a spacious living space that includes the kitchen and the lounge. It opens onto the deck, which provides great indoor and outdoor living space for this active family.
The kitchen is located along one side of the container, which allows it to be compact and not take up too much space. It also gives ample space and all the elements of a modern kitchen such as an oven, fridge, large sink, coffee maker, and plenty of storage. Copper is a common theme throughout the house, which complements the white cabinets in the kitchen.
The home design allows for separate rooms to form at the ends of containers. This includes a dining area which is an integral part of this family’s daily life, as they enjoy sharing meals together. It is also a great place to entertain Matt and Ilse.
The children needed their own room as a family of five. The room was cleverly designed to give all three children ample space. The boys sleep in the downstairs section and the older girl has the mezzanine.
The home has a large bathroom, with a vanity, composting toilet, and a basin. There is also a large soaking tub in the Japanese style, which is large enough to allow all the children to share a bath.
The roof pitch of one container was slightly raised to make it more suitable for solar panels. This also allowed Matt and Ilse enough space to build a private loft. The loft is accessible via a set if stairs and is located above your dining area.
The home is completely off-grid, with a large solar array generating more than 6kw at its peak hour. The family is completely disconnected from the grid because the water comes from a bore located on the property.
Matt, Isle, and their family were thrilled to downsize and move into a smaller home. They now enjoy the freedom that comes from living in a smaller home. You can see the entire video tour of their beautiful shipping container house above. We explore the details and what it’s like for a young family to live in a container home.
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