Couple Builds Low-Cost Shipping Container Tiny House on a Budget – FULL TOUR

Luke and Frances built this beautiful shipping container tiny house using a single 40-foot-long shipping container. They built it on a small budget by sourcing most of the materials secondhand and by doing all the work themselves to keep the cost down. The container has doors at each end, so they took advantage of these openings to add sliding patio doors and a big picture window to bring in lots of natural light, and they intentionally kept the floor plan simple, aiming to create the feel of a studio apartment.

You can find out more about Frances and Luke's shipping container tiny home here:
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/54391155

The house measures 8 feet wide x 40 feet long with a total square footage of 320. They have a bright living room at one end with a sofa bed and handmade wood furniture. In the middle of the house is the kitchen with a DIY concrete countertop and a breakfast bar overlooking the forest. The bathroom has tiled walls and a shower, as well as a reclaimed toilet and vanity. And at the far end of the container cabin is a bedroom with a queen size bed and a dresser for storage.

They bought the sea can used, and it already had spray foam insulation and a wood floor inside. They set it up on a foundation of patio stones and bolted a roof onto the top to create overhangs that would protect the house from rain and other elements.

In terms of systems, they have a well on the property, an above ground septic tank, a propane on demand hot water heater, electricity from the grid, and a mini-split in the bedroom that heats and cools the house (and is also an extraction fan). They added baseboard heaters in other rooms to keep them warm and cozy as well.

An important thing to consider when building a house inside a metal building envelope like a used steel shipping container is the potential for condensation which can create serious problems. The spray foam acts as both insulation and a vapour barrier, and they also use a dehumidifier to keep moisture levels down.

This is a stunning container conversion and an impressive project by Frances and Luke. We hope you enjoyed checking it out and you can find out more about their shipping container tiny house here: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/54391155

Thanks for watching!
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