Winner of New Zealand’s “Build 2018 – Best Sustainable Residential Solution” entrepreneur Brenda Kelly quit her day job at a local hardware store and created this fabulous “Tiny Container House”. Located in bushland near Parau, Auckland, this 45 square-metre tiny container house built by Lanmak Construction has become the first container home in NZ to achieve an 8 Homestar rating by the Green Building Council.
In 2011 Brenda was ready for a new adventure. So she made a plans to build a new tiny container home (made from one 40ft and one 20ft container) for herself, which also doubles up as a model home for her new business venture Iq Container Homes.
The appeal of building a tiny container house for Brenda was… “that it’s the ideal compact, affordable, low maintenance, durable shell in which to fulfill my aspirations.”
In regards to cost, Brenda notes… “don’t go in thinking it’s a cheap as chips option. While the containers themselves are very affordable everything that goes into them is as per a normal home. Ensure you embark with all the information and facts and be prepared for some questions from council. Or, consult the experts and save yourself some grief.”
Brenda’s power bill is “essentially zero across the year” as she has also installed a 2kw grid tied solar system.
Double-glazed UPVC plastic joinery (which provides a higher energy efficiency than standard double-glazed aluminium joinery) helps keep her home warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Brenda also specified closed cell polyurethane foam insulation and insulate to 1.5x the building code requirement.
The waste water system is vermiculture based. “It’s completely gravity fed due to my site being sloping so no pumps or equipment is required,” says Brenda. “Tiger worms in a large tank break down both my Black and grey water which then passes through a series of plant filters which serve as a secondary treatment system prior to be dispersed throughout my site.”
Additionally Brenda installed an inbuilt 1000L water tank which collects rainwater runoff from her roof and is plumbed to supply the toilet and washing machine, reducing her water demand by around 45 percent.
Courtesy Of: Iq Container Homes
