Houzz Tours
Step Inside a Shipping Container Home With Water Views
Take a tour of this unique floating home, made from a converted shipping container moored at Bedford Marina in the UK
Not many people would be able to see the potential in a narrow metal shipping container, and even fewer would have the skills to turn one into a warm and cosy home. But Max McMurdo, a presenter on UK series Kirstie’s Fill Your House for Free and judge on Shed of the Year, had both the design skills and the creative vision to do precisely that. Taking just three-and-a-half months from start to finish, he transformed a container into a light, open-plan home packed with clever space-saving solutions and design ideas.
Because this was a step into the unknown, Max first researched the relevant Building Regulations and constraints, then set about planning the space. “I spent some time in the container at first,” he says, “moving around, pretending to make a cup of tea and sitting in a chair, trying to figure out how I could live in the space.”
Once Max decided to move ahead with his idea, things began to speed up. “I sold my cottage and used the equity to fund this project,” he says.
Having already experimented with shipping containers, thanks to an upcycled office in the garden of his Bedford cottage, Max had some experience of the materials and the process.
Once Max decided to move ahead with his idea, things began to speed up. “I sold my cottage and used the equity to fund this project,” he says.
Having already experimented with shipping containers, thanks to an upcycled office in the garden of his Bedford cottage, Max had some experience of the materials and the process.
“I’d gained some skills by renovating my cottage, but I’m not a carpenter or a welder,” Max says, “I’m a product designer. But I think it’s important to work with the materials you’re going to be designing with. So I learnt how shipping containers work and experimented with what I could do with them.”
The first and crucial element of the design was to open up the side of the container. “I had a few moments of worry when I walked into it for the first time and realised just how small it was,” says Max, “but once the side had been opened up, it was a completely different space.”
Max is a big fan of natural light, so there are no pivoting doors or curtains anywhere in the house. Instead, large glass doors fold right back along the front of the container in order to flood the space with light and open the home up to the outdoors. Behind these, slim, decorative, acrylic panels are suspended from a single runner along which they can glide to provide privacy and shade wherever it’s needed.
Max is a big fan of natural light, so there are no pivoting doors or curtains anywhere in the house. Instead, large glass doors fold right back along the front of the container in order to flood the space with light and open the home up to the outdoors. Behind these, slim, decorative, acrylic panels are suspended from a single runner along which they can glide to provide privacy and shade wherever it’s needed.
The entire process took three-and-a-half months from start to finish, with Max project-managing the entire thing. Towards the end of the build, several of his friends pitched in, some taking time off work to help him complete the home in time for the big reveal on UK TV show George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.
Clever fold-down shelves in the living area offer a perch for books or a radio, then fold back up out of sight when not required.
Radio: View Quest
A Bunsen burner candelabra adds a dash of humour to the living room. Never afraid to experiment with materials, Max is keen to champion creativity in home design. “I love watching different generations making stuff together. It’s important to pass skills down, and I think that’s often missing nowadays – spending time together,” he says.
Vintage crate bookshelves and an upcycled footstool add interest and character to the open-plan living space.
All the lights in the container can be activated from the main control panel on the side of the kitchen unit. “As soon as you walk in the front door, you can set the lighting throughout the house,” Max explains.
Vintage jelly-mould lights above the breakfast bar are another of Max’s creative inventions.
A full-sized Rayburn range oven is an unexpected feature in the kitchen; it creates a warm and homey feel. Max found it on Gumtree for £1,000 (AU$1600) and uses it to power the underfloor heating and heat all the water in the house, as well as, obviously, for cooking.
It had to be positioned dead centre in the container for weight distribution reasons. “Everything in the container had to be taken into consideration when we were planning the weight distribution,” explains Max, “even the weight of clothes in the bedroom.”
It had to be positioned dead centre in the container for weight distribution reasons. “Everything in the container had to be taken into consideration when we were planning the weight distribution,” explains Max, “even the weight of clothes in the bedroom.”
Very much a riverside home, every corner of the container offers a beautiful view of the marina. Living on the water has been a revelation for Max. “The view is one of the best things about this home, and the neighbours are all really friendly – it’s a proper community. The pace of life is much calmer here; you can’t help but slow down.
“It can be noisier than you’d imagine, though,” he says. “The geese get up at 5.30am! But you get used to it. There’s a water trap around the back and you can hear the lapping of the water. We also get baby ducklings nesting in the washing-machine-drum plant pot on the deck.”
“It can be noisier than you’d imagine, though,” he says. “The geese get up at 5.30am! But you get used to it. There’s a water trap around the back and you can hear the lapping of the water. We also get baby ducklings nesting in the washing-machine-drum plant pot on the deck.”
“You’re very aware of how a home works when you live on the water,” says Max. “When you buy a house, you turn on a tap and the water comes out. When you live on a boat, though, you’re much more in touch with those elements and you have to have an understanding of how everything works.”
The container gets mains electricity from an electricity point and fresh water from a water connection, but the toilet has to be emptied every few days.
The container gets mains electricity from an electricity point and fresh water from a water connection, but the toilet has to be emptied every few days.
The handmade table in the living area is a fun nod to the classic Noguchi design. “I want to encourage people to be more playful and express themselves more in their own homes,” says Max.
In the bedroom, Max has managed to fit in a king-sized bed and two neat bedside tables. “I wanted full-sized furniture in here, with access on both sides of the bed,” he explains. “I didn’t like the idea of a mezzanine or a high, squashed bed. I wanted it to feel like a grown-up house.”
To maximise space, Max suspended lolly-jar lights from underneath two slim shelves, leaving the surfaces clear rather than cluttering them with bulky lamp bases.
He also created a textured paint effect on the walls by mixing sawdust and PVA in with the paint to create a tactile surface.
He also created a textured paint effect on the walls by mixing sawdust and PVA in with the paint to create a tactile surface.
The cleverest part of the bedroom design is the hidden wardrobe: the bed divides in the middle and slides apart to reveal access steps down into a large closet underneath.
As well as a full-sized bed, Max also wanted to install a full-sized suite in the compact bathroom. Rather than a boat toilet, he’s fitted a full-sized model and an ingenious shower/bath.
The shower floor is made of a pebble-covered mesh that sinks down to reveal a stainless-steel tub beneath, so there’s just one drainage system required for both the shower and the bath.
The shower floor is made of a pebble-covered mesh that sinks down to reveal a stainless-steel tub beneath, so there’s just one drainage system required for both the shower and the bath.
Another space-saving device is the single tap that cleverly pivots between the bathroom and the kitchen next door. (Max is in the process of re-cladding the surround.)
A vintage task light in the bathroom adds character and texture.
The bathroom mirror, another charity shop find, reflects the Marina beyond when the doors are drawn back.
Although the container is a striking sight on the marina, interestingly, it’s not as unusual as it might be on dry land. “A marina naturally has a total mix of architecture,” Max says. “The boats are all different colours and shapes, and they all sit happily side by side.” The container simply adds another layer to the colourful mix.
“The aim with this project was to create a nice living space for a young couple,” says Max. “I wanted to show that you don’t need to decide between living either in a house or on a boat; there can be something in the middle.”
See more of Max’s home, plus many of the upcycled projects featured inside, in his new book, Upcycling, published by Quarto.
TELL US
What’s your favourite idea to steal from this floating home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US
What’s your favourite idea to steal from this floating home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here: Max McMurdo, designer, TV presenter and owner of upcycling company Reestore
Location: Bedford Marina, Bedfor, UK
Property: A converted shipping container
Size: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Photos by Chris Snook
“I actually first dreamt up this house when I was 25 and living at home with my parents,” Max explains. “I was self-employed and wondering how I would ever get my own place, so I had the idea of creating a shipping container home. It was in the early days of CAD [computer-aided design], so I even made a little CAD model of it.”
This was before the upcycling revolution had picked up pace, however, and the idea of converting a shipping container was greeted by others as just a crazy scheme, so Max put the idea to one side and concentrated on building his career instead.
However, a few years later, armed with more confidence and experience, and having set up his own upcycling company, Reestore, in the interim, Max decided to revisit his dream and set about making it come true.