Creative duo build houses, mobile bars and luxury hotel accommodation out of shipping containers

A couple who transform shipping containers into industrial-style homes, mobile bars and cafes have revealed why these metal transport devices are worth investing in.

Leon and Sandra Juffermans launched their company GlamXperience in Melbourne, Australia, four years ago after seeing the potential in piecing homes and luxury accommodation together like ‘Lego blocks’.

The ‘Extendable Glamtainer’ was introduced to the European and Australian market in 2017, with a dozen made Down Under this year alone.

‘The Glamtainers can be placed anywhere where a standard shipping container can be placed,’ Leon told FEMAIL.

The ‘Extendable Glamtainer’ was introduced to the European and Australian market in 2017, with a dozen made Down Under this year alone

‘Between five and six million shipping containers are moving around the world on vessels, trucks and trains. In total, they make up for 200 million trips a year.’

Once you fold down a wall of one of the shipping containers it instantly doubles the floor space, making them easy to customise.

That way you can create a living room, bedroom area, kitchen and fully tiled bathroom out of one shipping container.

‘Installation takes a few hours and so does closing it up again. Once they are closed, they are a normal shipping container again and can be transported all over the world,’ he said.

‘Installation takes a few hours and so does closing it up again. Once they are closed, they are a normal shipping container again and can be transported all over the world,’ Leon said

The industrial look which combines steel with natural materials like reclaimed wood, leather, black slate tiles and styling materials from brands like Ponyrider and HK Living are very popular choices

The industrial look which combines steel with natural materials like reclaimed wood, leather, black slate tiles and styling materials from brands like Ponyrider and HK Living are very popular choices.

Leon and Sandra can create a ‘natural’ look with massive windows so clients can see their surroundings and feel connected to their environment.

A fully fitted out extendable glamtainer will set you back approximately $80,000 plus GST.

In some cases they design mobile bars out of the cases, like this one for Corona

The owners of GlamXperience in Melbourne

All councils treat a permanent shipping container the same as putting any other building-like structure on your property.

That means the client will need to get all proper approvals, plans and inspections completed before they can get a huge chunk of metal inserted into their backyard.

However, it’s certainly a cheaper option than saving for a house deposit.

‘Customers like the flexibility of a shipping container – because it can be moved – and that they are made from non-combustible materials, so can meet the requirements of a fire zone in a bushfire area,’ he said.

All councils treat a permanent shipping container the same as putting any other building-like structure on your property

Why are people choosing glamtainers?

There are several reasons people are looking toward nontraditional ways of living.

* At least until the 90s life was all about settling down and creating security for yourself and your family. Owning your own house and car, having a steady job and going on holiday once or twice a year was the traditional standard. It’s simply what we learned from our parents who dealt with scarcity in their past.

* Our current freedom, the internet, our studies and the way we are travelling made the world a lot smaller and created endless possibilities.

* The current generation wants to travel, explore and experience and by doing that ‘settling down’ became less interesting, and not in the least because of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) which showed that owning a home wasn’t that secure at all.

* Using the possibilities we have is becoming the standard and flexible housing, shared housing, alternative housing, tiny houses is becoming very popular.

* Living ‘debt free’ is a second reason for looking to more affordable ways of living.

* And last but not least being eco-conscious, living off grid and with a small, or even better no, carbon footprint.

Inside a Glamtainer! They look like a regular home on the inside, albeit a tiny bit smaller

They are strong – designed to hold an extra 600,000 kilos on top of itself and made from durable Cor-Ten steel to withstand even the harshest weather conditions.

‘But most of all it suits customers who love industrial design,’ he said.

Most notably the team put together the romantic Solitude Villas in Hepburn Valley, which were voted Australia’s number one holiday home accommodation.

‘A heavy duty square steel box and being romantic does not make sense, but with the Solitude Villas at Clifftop that’s exactly what we achieved. Thanks to architect Robin Larsen and the owners of Clifftop we created something extraordinary,’ Leon said.

‘With glass bottom floors and high end finishes we showed that a raw steel box can be turned into Australia’s most romantic stay.’

You can learn more about the GlamXperience by clicking on their website here or Instagram here.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk