Inspiration

Then & Now: An unbelievable container house makeover

Article by Your Home and Garden

Caron and Ashby Takimoana gave their Waihi home and a shipping container a makeover on a budget

The container is located in the back garden, facing the house. Ashby built the deck off the container using the same floor size as the interior.

Snapshot

Who lives here? Ashby Takimoana (supply supervisor), Caron Takimoana (special-needs teacher aide and part-time shop assistant), Tyson, 16, Payton, 11, Demo, 7, cat Mako and dog Riddick.

Where do you live? Waihi, Thames Valley.

How long have you lived here? Seven years. It’s our first home.

Why do you have the container? “It’s an additional area for us to chill out in during the summer months. friends have said it’s a time capsule of memories.”

Ashby Takimoana and Caron Takimoana with Tyson, Payton and Demo.

Diy details

Caron, which rooms have you renovated? We have made over all the rooms in the house a couple of times. There’s always something else to do.

What was your ultimate goal? For our home to suit us as a family and change with us as we grow. It also had to be warm and inviting. I get bored with a look after a while and my creative nature kicks in.

Describe the container before: “it was an old sea freight container. Ashby works in logistics and found a company called Addis containers to take care of our modifications right down to the paint colour.”

BEFORE SHOT: The container before its makeover.

Describe the rooms before: Pink throughout the house with a lot of flowers. The previous owners were retired and had decorated the house to suit their likes.

Describe the rooms now: Our lounge/family room reflects our family’s love of relaxing together. It’s welcoming and warm. Our dining room now has an industrial retro look. The kids’ bedrooms reflect their interests and ages.

The super cool interior of the container.

List in bullet points what you did…

Stripped, sealed, sanded and painted the walls within the first couple of weeks (while eight months pregnant!). After a time we repainted as you see them now.
New lighting over dining table.
Added wooden blinds in kitchen and roller blinds in dining room.
Transformed a shipping container into an extra living space.

Budget

What are your best buys? The sideboard in the lounge and the armchair and couch in the container were bargains from garage sales.

Any investment purchases? I love my Shane Hansen print. Ash thinks his old Streetfighter arcade machine is a winner.

How much did you spend in total? Around $30,000 including the shipping container.

BEFORE SHOT: The living room was dated and dark.

How would you describe your interior style? Retro eclectic. I love to add a little Kiwiana as well. I take inspiration from our culture. My love for retro started when I acquired my Nana’s old Bakelite valve radio, which brought back so many memories. We love garage sales and secondhand stores where I’m like a kid in a candy shop. If I get bored with a look I just change it up by pulling things from other rooms and swapping things around. I’m always shifting things around to the point where friends have said I am a tad OCD. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create an environment you love.

Caron tapped into her love of retro for the kitchen and dining space with a plywood bench and chairs from a school hall.

How did you choose the colour palette and why? I love the white look throughout the house – it’s clean and fresh and can be used as a blank canvas. What are your fave shops? Koru Florist and Gallery. We have a couple of great homeware stores here in Waihi. It’s always good to support local businesses where we can. I’m also a fan of Freedom. Kmart has some really great homeware at great prices. I find this really important as everything we have done has been on a super-restricted budget. I also love to buy from online stores.