Canadian jewelry designer Judi Patson converted an old shipping container into a studio fully equipped with heat, electricity, and style. After dreaming of converting a shipping container into a living space, Judi decided to first try the conversion with a studio space. After the jump, she tells us how she did it.
Judi emailed me a detailed description of how this studio near her Vancouver home came to be:
"I had been dreaming about converting shipping containers into liveable spaces for a few years. What a coincidence my new BF had a business renting out shipping containers to construction sites for temporary storage. Around the same time my urban studio situation was changing and I thought it would be nicer to spend more time on the island. A container became available and we decided to try a low impact conversion and see if we liked it and it could be something we could see living in in the future.
"The first step was refinishing the floors. These are the original floors - hardwood laminate held down with brass marine screws. A bit a of light sanding and several coats of varathane later we were ready to frame, insulate and wire for running a lot a specialized equipment. We also had to plan for basic plumbing as running water is a must in a jewelry studio! Then we started installing the slatted pine walls. They definitely give it a lovely cabin feel. We sealed them as well to keep them looking nicer longer. Jewelry can be messy, dirty work! After the electrical, plumbing, walls and light duty ceiling were in place, we were ready to install the final feature a 7ft sliding glass door that sits just inside the big swinging metal doors. That done I was set to move in start working and enjoy the awesome beach views!
"We placed the container on an RV pad that is beside the beach house we are renting which is perfect as it has its own power and water."
Check out Judi's work: Even Design
(Images: Judi Patson)
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Looks like you have the perfect dream career, dream location, etc.
Congratulations!
"...and enjoy the awesome beach views!" Indeed, what a breathtaking augmentation to the landscape's scenic beauty for all strollers-by, vacationers and residents alike.
Holy-Moly. I've been dreaming about converting a shipping container into livable space since I was a kid, playing in empty ones at the port in Tacoma, WA. I am so, so impressed. The space is awesome, the view inspiring -- and the fact that you made this happen for yourself is as sweet as can be. Congrats!
I think I would probably need 2 shipping containers...
my dream space is one or two of these converted to a small home.
There are a few companies around who specialise in this sort of thing and can turn out seriously professional results. The Australian National University is installing some shipping container accommodation and companies like Sea Box International (www.seaboxintl.com.au) are based in Australia and can build amazing homes and the like, fully fitted, insulated and with bathrooms for really good prices!
I think it's a great idea!
I remember seeing something on tv a few years ago about using 2 shipping containers to create a little guest house. They were set up so that they overlapped halfway in the middle creating a 16ft. wide kitchen/living area. One narrow end had sleeping quarters, the other narrow end had storage and a bathroom. Given how much stuff we import from China, scoring a some cheap containers should be easy!
Building with containers has got to be one of the best trends in the sustainable building movement. A lot of the green building products out there are a step in the right direction, but still take so many resources to produce. Containers, on the other hand, are sitting in storage yards by the thousands waiting to get recycled.
I just did a blog entry about these and linked to this one and a few of my other favorites:
http://portlandgreenhome.blogspot.com/2010/06/shipping-containers.html
I would love to have a mobile studio like this..but I am wondering how feasible it is in extreme weather conditions like when its too hot?? Here is Melbourne the summers are long, and the weather is too hot..
Love it! Next would be to paint the exterior? It stands out a bit as an eye sore and could look nice with blocks of color, or one nice bright one, (red, bright green/yellow, orange?).
This reminds me of Container City in Puebla, Mexico! The whole block or two is entirely made of it's namesake, with apts, shops, restaurants. Pretty cool, look it up.