Luxury Shipping Container Conversions

Welcome to Luxury Containers, which will hopefully be the home of luxury shipping container conversions in South Africa. Follow our Pilot Project to see what we’re busy with.

Luxury Shipping Container Conversions in South Africa? What?!

My name is Justin. For a number of months I’ve been researching and planning container homes – transforming shipping containers into beautiful living spaces. I’ve looked online, read books and been to see companies who do shipping container conversions. What I’ve found is that the results can be quite varied. From the downright ugly to pretty basic conversions, to beautiful homes and offices. Most of what I’ve seen in South Africa is low-budget, simple and functional. There does not seem to be too many places that provide luxurious small space living. Take a look at Big Ideas from Instagram for what can be accomplished using shipping containers.

I recently was kindly given tickets to an expo by Neill from NB Agencies. There was a container conversion being demonstrated there. And, not to be too harsh, but in my opinion it was a bit of a shocker! What could have been an ideal advert for luxury shipping container conversions proved to be just the opposite. I’m sure it may have put some people off the idea.

But Why?

So, what is so great about converting a shipping container to a living space, as opposed to the traditional way of building? Firstly I’d like to say, it’s not that I dislike the traditional way of building with brick and mortar. Rather it’s the unique design and possibilities that are available using shipping containers. Why do I like it then?

• Out the box (pun intended) is a secure, strong, watertight structure.
• There’s no need to have a big team of workers on a messy building site. In fact, many have completed their conversions themselves, DIY, which is ideal for my Pilot Project.
• Work can be completed off-site and delivered to the client once the bulk of the work is complete. I know I wouldn’t be happy having a team of builders at my home for weeks on end.
• It is easier to keep control of services like plumbing and electrical. On a traditional build, a lot of services need to be installed while the brickwork is being done, and often this is rushed. The result is creased conduit that won’t take cabling, conduit that is filled with concrete or leaking plumbing. Or realizing only afterwards what should have been done.
• Most importantly for me, because of the previous point, the quality of the build can be kept to the highest levels. My wife has a certain German name for me because I prefer to do everything myself. Not because I necessarily want to, but because I hate paying for something when I know I could have done it better myself. Now I’m not comparing myself to Steve Jobs, but people who worked with him initially couldn’t understand why he wanted the inside of a computer as beautiful as the outside. Read it here. He was concerned about the quality of even the unseen parts of his products. I feel the same.

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” – Steve Jobs 1985

So, wish me luck on my adventure. I’ll keep updating the Pilot Project section when things change and progress is made. Your comments and suggestions will be much appreciated.