This is the story of Shelley’s 40-foot shipping container tiny home in Russell Island, Southern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Yes, she recycled a container and turned it into very own tiny, but not too tiny, home.
Grab a coffee or tea and enjoy the photo tour, read our exclusive interview with her, and learn about getting a rare opportunity to book a vacation in Shelley’s 40-foot container home if you’d like to. Short stays only.
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Shelley’s 40-foot Shipping Container Tiny Home in Russell Island – Interview, Tiny House Tour, and How You Can MAYBE Stay Here…
Where are you from?
Russell Island, Southern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia
How did you first become seriously interested in tiny homes?
About 10 years ago my interest grew in tiny houses, to have a lesser footprint on the environment, be affordable and enable me to move into my retirement having already ‘right sized’ my possessions. In part, this arose because of my love of sailing and the need to live ‘tiny’ on a yacht.
What type of tiny house do you have or are you working on?
A contemporary one bedroom, container home set amongst nature. Built from a 40-foot shipping container in 2016, the home is very liveable especially with its bi-fold doors that open onto the enclosed deck.
Why did you do it?
Affordability and lifestyle. The home is in a bushland location enabling me to enjoy nature and to do things I enjoy without me having to be committed to a lot of house cleaning and maintenance like a normal home.
How long did it take you to finish your container home?
The container home was imported and installed on site with the finishing taking about 6 months.
Did you do it yourself or hire a builder?
A builder installed the container, built and closed in the deck and carport.
What sort of foundation is it built on?
The container is mounted on footings.
What’s been the most challenging part about your tiny house so far?
Figuring out how to wisely use the living and outdoor space.
What benefits are you experiencing from it so far?
Minimal utility bills, little maintenance, and cleaning. More time to do what I want with my time.
What helpful piece of advice would you give to others who are interested in going tiny? What mistakes could you help them avoid?
Try spending a few days in a small or tiny house to see if it may suit you. If you are a person who spreads out all of their possessions over their home and does not follow the routine of storing things away being in a small space may not be a positive experience.
Do you have a website, blog, or social media pages where we can connect with you and follow along?
No. However to share the experience of living in an island container home I am offering it for short stays. The Bird House.
Images via Shelley
Learn more about getting an opportunity to stay here:
Our big thanks to Shelley for sharing!🙏
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Alex
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Hi Shelley,
Looks like you ARE home. Very nice indeed.
Glad you enjoyed it, Robert. And big thanks to Shelley for sharing it w/ us.
Very nice. It looks like the sort of a place someone would go to if they wanted to write the first draft of a novel……Alright, someplace I would want to go to fulfill my writing dreams.
I love that idea…😊
I love that screened porch. A house is truly a home when it has a screened porch. 🙂 Also love the layout of the place. Wonderful home you have. The views, too!
I love the screened porch too. It’s almost a must where I live because of mosquitos during the summer.
Wow Shelly, Love the outside colors, inside is beautiful. Very well thought out. Thank you for letting me see this.
Very nice!!
Beautiful!!
What a lovely home! Well done, Shelley. I love the idea of living “in the bush” as the Australians say. I am not trying to be a “Debbie Downer” from SNL, but my questions: 1. Is your island subject to the terrible wild fires seen in parts of Australia? 2. What kind of venomous snakes inhabit your island? (Friends of mine living in the wilder parts of Thailand keep dogs or cats or geese on their properties to deal with snakes that are tempted to slither onto the scene. And they tell me that a flock of geese does the job very well.). Thank U. Stephan of Arkansas