Shipping containers might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a family getaway, but for one family, nothing can beat them.
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Simon, Elise and Quinn Byrne, of Canberra, created their sustainable, energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing holiday home in Long Beach – and shipping containers formed the basis of the structure.
The 94sqm Clarence St home also features insulated external cladding for thermal performance, 100 per cent recycled HW doors and windows and zero VOC finishes.
The architect of the Long Beach home was Matt Elkan and its builder was Luke Price.
Quality architecture should be for everybody.
- Simon Byrne
Mr Byrne said the inspiration to build came from a desire to get away from the “hustle and bustle” of Canberra, and to demonstrate that it was possible to build a beautiful space, sustainably, on a budget.
“We wanted to be able to go somewhere and relax on weekends - to really connect with one another and try to live in an intentional way,” Mr Byrne said.
“We saw it as an opportunity to unplug and unwind, and think only about the essential things.
“I also wanted to address the idea that only the wealthy can afford good architecture.
“I just don’t believe in it. I think good quality architecture should be for everybody and that’s something we need to think about in designing houses … how do we make this accessible to every day families.
“I took the better part of six months trying to source an architect (Elkan) who had similar values.
“I’ve worked for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, and I like the idea of sustainable building … building with less stuff and less impact on our environment. You can’t reduce it to nothing, but trying to think more about the material you use.”
Although the build time was quick – just five months – the process was not without it’s challenges: “There was a lot of planning. Initially, we were going for something a little less expensive ... but that’s just how it works – there’s always unforeseen things that crop up.”
“It was about $350,000 in total, which is not super cheap. But when you have to adhere to all the regulations, we did a pretty good job.
“If we did this again, we would find other ways to save costs.”
He said the key take away was “an appreciation of each individual tradesperson to do a job really well. Every single tradesperson did a really good job. Considering our builder hadn’t built anything like this before, his skill as a craftsman really came to the fore”.
Anyone planning a container home should “be very clear the containers have to do most of the heavy lifting. The design has to retrofit into the container – try to keep it simple, because if you don’t, that’s where the costs would go up.” Visit sustainablehouseday.com