People are no longer going along with the traditional narrative of buying a home and spending the next several decades in debt to pay off a mortgage.
That’s why so many people are turning to tiny home living.
But Matt and Ilse Heering had already had a five bedroom, three bathroom home before they created their tiny home from two shipping containers.
“It was the epitome of what successful people might have – with a pool, formal gardens, even chandeliers. Everyone said ‘wow’ but as time went on it felt pretentious, even embarrassing,” Matt told ThisNZLife.
“It looked like we were living the dream. We had beautiful spare bedrooms but no spare time or money. We even had a formal sitting room where the children didn’t use the furniture. It was dumb.”
Now the couple, their three children, and their dog live in a home constructed from two 40-ft shipping containers.
The containers are offset from one another so that the center forms a large living space.
Matt and Ilsa already owned an engineering company so they knew how to work with steel. And their off-the-grid home is surprisingly spacious.
The large living space houses their kitchen as well as a lounge.
It also opens out to a deck to create an indoor/outdoor living space.
The kitchen is located on one wall of the container and includes loads of cabinet space.
It has a full-size sink, stove, and oven.
It also has a refrigerator.
They also have a dining room at one end of the container that’s large enough so that the entire family can enjoy a meal.
The children have their own separate room.
The oldest girl has her own mezzanine level and the two boys sleep below in their own beds.
The roof on one of the containers was slightly raised so that the home’s solar panels could function optimally.
This is also the area where Matt and Ilse’s sleeping loft is located.
It’s accessed by a set of stairs above the dining area.
Their bathroom is also incredibly spacious.
It has a vanity with a sink, a composting toilet, and Japanese style soaking tub which can fit all the kids in it.
The home gets all its power from its solar panels.
The water comes from a bore on the property.
“It’s just amazing to live in. Although space is tight, we’ve learned to be content with very little and we’re off the grid forever – we’d never go back. It is satisfying, simple and so much fun to live in,” says Matt.
The entire build cost only $150,000. You can get a tour of the home in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
