When most people think of a shipping container as a home, you might not think of it as a pretty sight.
But Cathi and Trevor’s shipping container home in Kamloops, BC is gorgeously modern and rather spacious.
The main part of the home boasts two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and a full bathroom.
There is also a studio apartment or micro cabin that is connected to the main home via a breezeway which serves as a common area.
This property also has an incredible outdoor kitchen, dining space, and a wood-fired pizza oven.
The home, located on the beautiful desert Shuswap Mountain Range and the South Thompson River, is so perfect for entertaining that they rent out the micro cabin on Airbnb.
The home’s dark-colored facade against the orange wood trim and windowed walls create a distinctly modern look.
You would almost never believe that the home was built from shipping containers just by looking at it.
This home was built from four recycled shipping containers that are 20 feet long each. The home totals about 704 sq. ft.
Cathi and Trevor wanted to downsize from a 2,300 sq. ft. house after their sons left home. So, they moved into the shipping container home and have lived their full-time with their horse ever since.
“The idea of giving a shipping container a new life was so appealing to us. There’s so many of these things, as we all know, and turning it into something beautiful and someting you can live in and hopefully last for a long long time, I think that’s pretty special,” Cathi told Exploring Alternatives.
The windows are Cathi’s favorite part of her home because they offer an incredible view.
She also loves that the small space allows her to pair down and live a more minimalist life while also having a lot less to clean.
Still, the living room allows for a full-size sofa, chaise, and chair
The living room opens up into the kitchen which is stunning with its backsplash that is actually a large window surrounded by gorgeous white cabinets.
There’s an island that includes three bar seats where you can sit and enjoy a meal inside.
The full kitchen has quartz countertops, a full sink, stovetop, microwave, smaller fridge though not a mini, and dishwasher.
They don’t have an oven but that’s because they use the pizza oven outside.
Their bathroom has a vanity and sink, full tub and shower, toilet, and washer and dryer.
Pocket doors open up into the master bedroom which Cathi calls her sleeping closet.
It houses a queen-sized bed with lots of cabinet space adjacent to the bed. A second pocked door from the living room opens up into the den.
This room includes a small desk, a chair, wall to wall cabinetry for storage, and a coat closet.
Their home was manufactured by them by a company called Honomobo who built it in about three months on top of a rat slab.
The breezeway includes some seating to make the area homey and a great place to hang out when there is hot weather during the summer since it stays cool.
To protect the home from the desert heat, they had roll down shades installed on the outside of the home to help protect the windows from the beaming sun.
They also have air conditioning. Living in a smaller space has allowed Cathi and Trevor to reduce their cost of living, while bringing in from income from the studio which is about 450 sq. ft.
The suite isn’t built from shipping containers like the rest of the house. It’s a stick frame built by Trevor and his sons.
It was originally used as a garage which is why one of the walls is a massive glass garage door that opens to a stunning view and takes you out onto a deck where there is a sitting area overlooking the river.
The studio, known as Black Box Studio, includes a kitchenette, full-sized fridge and freezer, a double hot plate, microwave, convection/toaster oven, rice cooker, kitchen table, queen sofa bed, 55″ TV, and bathroom.
There’s also a record player underneath the large TV.
Cathi has fun thinking about what kinds of records their guest might want to hear and leaves one, specifically chosen for them, on the turntable for when they arrive.
There’s also a hideaway good-sized hideaway bed made cozier with a memory foam layer.
There is also a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink in the bathroom.
You can get a full tour of the home in the video below and or rent out the studio here.
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