It started as a plan to develop a flood proof home, the result is a house made entirely of shipping containers
IT started as a plan to develop a flood proof home, the result has attracted massive attention and a staring role in Grand Designs Australia.
IT STARTED as a plan to develop a flood proof family home that was not too expensive, but the result was so outstanding it has achieved a starting role in Grand Designs Australia.
What makes the home at Jaora St, Graceville, in Brisbane’s western suburbs so unusual is it is made entirely from 31 shipping containers.
Builder Todd Miller and his wife Diana’s amazing home appears on Grand Designs Australia on Thursday night.
The couple had bought a house at Graceville with plans to turn it into their dream home.
But the 2011 floods inundated the property and according to Mr Miller made the value of what they already owned drop dramatically.
In an effort to build something inexpensive and flood proof, Mr Miller started thinking about using shipping containers.
The result was a 450 square metre contemporary home with the entire lower level designed to be flood proof.
The three-level home is believed to be one of Australia’s largest shipping container homes.
As well as the shipping containers a variety of other recycled materials are used in the four-bedroom home including two garden planters made from coal mine shakers and a double garage door built with recycled cedar.
Mr Miller also used 100-year-old railway sleepers for the timber ramp leading to the garage.
He said one of the reasons behind using the shipping containers was budget.
“I can’t produce this house at anywhere near the cost with conventional materials,’’ he said.
They started out with a budget of $400,000 but as anyone who watches Grand Designs knows, many of these massive projects don’t come in on budget or time.
Mr Miller reveals how much the house cost in the end on Thursday night’s episode on Foxtel.
The couple sold the house a couple of months ago for $1.42 million.
