AUCKLAND: Finding a ready-made abode is nothing out of ordinary, but making your own living place out of nothing requires set of extra-ordinary skills and a Kiwi woman actually did it.
A 36-year-old woman from Auckland constructed her own tiny home using a shipping container and transformed it into a luxurious place, from the interior.
Brenda Kelly lived in a regular home like thousands of others around the world.
“I always had a “passion for small spaces”, which culminated in her finding and building her own 45-square-metre home made from a shipping container in 2014.
“I remember reading my diaries and discovering that even as a teenager I was obsessed with designing small spaces and figuring out where to put the furniture,” Ms Kelly told the Daily Mail.
“I’d always been into minimalist living, and so making my home inside a shipping container hugely appealed.”
In pursuance of her dream home, Kelly quit her job at Bunnings Warehouse, sold her terraced home and started designing the tiny house of her dreams – purchasing a plot of land.
“I’d fallen in love with the space several years previously, but wasn’t ready to buy,” Kelly explained.
“When you design from scratch and on a small status, you have to like every inch of space. In my home, there is no cavity that’s not used.”
For two container shells, Kelly paid around $11,000. She says finding the spaces that would become her home was when “things came to life”.
Kelly said while shipping containers can be picked up for cheaply, she ended up spending around $120,000 on the full fitout. This included framing, insulation, lining, painting, flooring, plumbing, electrical work, a full kitchen and a bathroom. She also put in UPVC double glazed windows and eco-features such as a solar system, rainwater recycling setup and appliances.
