A woman has shared her journey of building a shipping container home – with her bills now coming to just £440 (00 USD) a month at most.
Influencer Lexi Newkirk, who boasts 319,000 followers online, never wanted a traditional house.
Despite “raised eyebrows”, the 26-year-old and her husband Diego have built a unique dream home that measures 624 sq ft.
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It features a spiral staircase, rooftop deck and epic sunrise and sunset views.
“Some people were immediately excited and thought it was the coolest idea ever,” Lexi told What’s The Jam.
“Others raised eyebrows and were like, ‘A…shipping container? Are you sure?’
“Now that the house is almost done and they’ve seen the vision come to life, everyone loves it.”
One video of the pair’s home has racked up more than 60 million views.
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The couple bought 12.5 acres in the Texas Hill Country, where land typically costs between 2,000 and 0,000 per acre.
Their shipping container cost ,500 and was bought from a local supplier.
A “huge portion” of the work was done by the duo themselves – including framing, insulation, layout, trim, design and painting – while specialists handled plumbing and electrics.
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Thanks to low water and electricity use – and a non-traditional mortgage – Lexi estimates their monthly living costs are just 00 to 00, depending on the season.
She said: “Doing it ourselves saved us a ton but materials and custom work add up fast.
“It’s smaller than a typical home but it’s far more functional, efficient, and peaceful.
“[But] to be totally honest, it wasn’t as cost-effective as we originally thought and that’s mainly because everything is so custom.
“When you build a shipping container home, almost nothing is standard.
“From insulation and framing to plumbing, electrical, windows, and layout, everything has to be customized to fit the containers.
“Those details add up quickly.
“Our monthly running costs are still fairly low compared to many traditional homes, and with features like generating our own water, we’ve gained long-term sustainability and independence, which was always part of the bigger goal.
“We didn’t want a cookie-cutter home or a traditional path.
“It [the container house] was a big leap of faith but one we felt deeply called to take.”
The home has a bedroom upstairs and 1.5 bathrooms including a master with a sunset-facing shower and heated towel rack, plus a spiral staircase leading to the second level.
There’s also an exterior staircase that takes you to the rooftop deck, which Lexi describes as “perfect for yoga, stargazing, or slow mornings with coffee”.
Other standout features include large windows for natural light, a basement, and an Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) that pulls clean water from the air.
The digital marketing agency owner from Austin said: “I love how connected to nature it feels.
“Our bedroom faces the sunrise, the bathroom faces the sunset and on clear nights we can see the stars from our bedroom, bathtub, and deck.
“And one of the coolest features is our atmospheric water generator from Aquaria, which literally pulls clean water from the air.
“That still blows our minds every day; it makes the home feel even more sustainable and self-sufficient.
“We get messages all the time from people saying our journey gave them the courage to dream differently,
“It’s humbling, what started as a personal build turned into something that motivates others to think outside the box.
“And now that we’re officially turning our home into an Airbnb, it’s even more exciting.”
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