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Man starts building shipping container home on a bet and ends up with mini “mansion”
This house in Vancouver is nothing like the "shipping container" homes we're used to. It's pushing the boundaries in a beautiful way.
Elijah Chan
08.15.22

What comes into mind when you think of a “shipping container” home?

Most of us would most definitely think of highly efficient yet minimalist interiors with hidden storage areas.

The bathroom would be a kind of a luxury and the layout would most probably be a studio type.

But that’s not always the case.

But a house in Vancouver is pushing the envelope hard. Once you step foot into this house, you’ll never see “shipping container” homes the same way again.

Edward Merced owns this one-of-a-kind home.

As the shipping container home movement maintains its traction as an alternative building material, people like Merced pushes the materials’ limits further by building bigger.

His home is made up of 11 shipping containers in total – eight 40 feet ones and three 20 feet containers. At first, they planned on making a 2,000-square-foot home but ended up twice that size.

A foundry of different influences.

Merced wanted to bank on renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s building philosophy while decorating his home with mid-century modern décor, steampunk, antiques, and nature.

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The house is divided into two sections where the main entrance sits in the middle. The structure surrounds a small pond – or an outdoor fish tank to be much more specific.

The right side of the house is the “adult side”.

It has a small indoor garden that leads into the small tatami room. Merced shared that his wife is Japanese and the room was made for her.

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The second floor houses the master’s bedroom and Merced’s personal office space. The décor includes recycled materials like wood slabs and bike chains.

It also contains upcycled antiques such as the 500-year-old Indonesian door that serves as a cupboard under their sink.

The accents are noticeably “woody” as Merced wanted their room to have a “tree house” feel.

The bathroom is luxurious and almost hotel-esque, especially with the carved stone bowls that served as their sinks.

The “kid zone”

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The other half of the house is the “kid’s zone” and the general living area.

As Merced pointed out, he wanted to have the Wright experience where guests walk into a smaller foyer and then into a wide open space that will make them gasp.

Merced achieved this by stacking containers and making the living area double in height.

It has a mid-century modern couch pit where the glass side of the fish tank faced.

Who needs TV?

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The kitchen, fully-stocked bar, dining area, and pantry are placed in “nooks” of container boxes.

They have amazing features like a glow-in-the-dark kitchen island, a restaurant-grade kitchen, and a chandelier made from a door.

The kids’ rooms are divided into four different areas.

There’s the coloring room where they take their classes, a TV room, a bathroom, and the bed area where the kids have their own spaces.

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The coloring room has antique glass windows that look over the living area which makes it much more open than it looks.

Merced is planning to sell.

He said that while the house is amazing, he wanted to minimize his footprint and move on to another residential project.

YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Tiny House Giant Journey

The house has a price tag of $2 million.

See this man’s reimagined version of a “shipping container house” in the video below!

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