Living in a home made of shipping containers may not sound like the best idea, but after seeing the residence of this woman at Lake Taupo in New Zealand, you might change your mind.
Brenda Kelly is no stranger to container living. In fact, she lived in an ultra-compact home made from a single 20-foot shipping container.
She resided there while designing a larger home constructed from a 40-foot container with an innovative, tiered solar power system.
And fueled by her love for shipping containers, Brenda is back on « Living Big In a Tiny House » with her third container.
She moved to a different city and built a new container home. Brenda has been living in the house for about a year now and is thoroughly enjoying it.
What drew her to this location are the relaxing views and tranquility. She notes that she was never a fan of city life.
The house was built on slightly elevated stilts to maximize the stunning lake views.
Unlike most tiny houses, this one is connected to the grid since it’s located in a shaded area where installing solar panels wouldn’t be very effective.
Brenda’s new home consists of three separate 20-foot containers connected in parallel. They also removed the interior walls of two containers to create a spacious bedroom and living room with one and a half times the width. The entire house has an area of about 45 square meters.
The exterior of the container home is entirely black, except for the attractive pattern applied on the front of the house with stickers. The pop of color definitely adds some fun and character to the design.
Having built the house on elevated stilts, Brenda was able to utilize the space underneath as a carport.
Upon entering the house, a short hallway leads directly to the living room, which opens up to a covered deck area.
Brenda also installed large windows slightly lower than standard to fully enjoy the breathtaking views outside. She did the same in the bedroom, where she can see the lake from bed.
Once indoors, you’ll hardly notice that the entire structure is made of containers as it looks quite like a typical home.
The kitchen features a full-size refrigerator with microwave, overhead cabinets, a two-burner stove, dish drawer, compact oven, and range hood.
Near the living room is a storage cupboard where Brenda keeps her bedding and does her laundry.
The house boasts a large bathroom with a standard shower measuring 900×1200, a flush toilet, and a mirrored cabinet. It has everything one would expect from a regular bathroom.
Brenda’s bedroom is nicely spacious, allowing her to easily walk around her bed. Below is additional storage space where she keeps her camping gear and suitcases.
The room also features a wardrobe with fully mirrored doors.
As Brenda works from home, she has created a dedicated office/guest room where she can focus. It has a large desk capable of supporting a printer, laptop, and two external monitors.
Incredibly, the entire setup can be transformed into a double bed where Brenda’s guests can sleep comfortably.
The house features a fantastic entertainment area on the balcony, where two armchairs, a side table, and a coffee table can be found.
Brenda says it’s a lovely spot to relax in warmer weather while gazing out at the lake.
It truly is a spectacular home that most of us can only dream of!
Watch the actual tour of Brenda’s impressive container home in the video below.