Could Tiny Homes Help Tackle Tasmania’s Housing Crisis?
Container Conversion: Brisbane Workers Cottage, 40 Jensen Road Banyo
A Brisbane workers cottage in the desirable suburb of Banyo has been converted into ultramodern shipping container architecture by a couple who rebuilt the place themselves using shipping containers. On the market for offers around $590,000, it is in just the right place for Brisbane airport staff and pilots as the local International airport is being extended.
International coverage
The UK tabloid the Daily Mail has been one of many international media outlets to have shown an interest in the new home. According to the newspaper, “Chelsea Gogan and Sam Porter were inspired to seamlessly meld the two containers on to the back of the property during their makeover because they wanted to use steel rather than wood for the extension of the old worker’s cottage.”
Gogan and Porter snapped the property up for just over $490,000 in 2016. It needed work, so the idea came to them that they would use shipping containers to extend and improve the property. Rather than use contractors to do the extension, the couple renovated it themselves.
Speaking to news.com.au, “Ms Gogan said it was a learning curve for both of them, spending hours after work and on weekends over about 18 months working on the build. “I got on the tools as well and learned a lot, (and) we worked really well together.”
Out with the old – in with the new
Image source: Ray White Nundah
One of the most important things that has been done to the project as a whole is that it has been completely modernised from the cottage style into an ultra-modern, semi-industrial style. While the two bedrooms upstairs have been maintained in the cottage vernacular, the rest of the 40 Jensen Road property in Banyo has been upgraded.
Entrance to the house is with electronic key fob, and from there you are confronted with large open plan living spaces such as Gogan’s favourite, the large kitchen she enjoyed entertaining in. The local property agent’s website enthuses, “The ground level oozes style with industrial flair, featuring floating stairs, exposed I-Beams, sealed concrete floors, custom steel fabricated doors, timber ceilings to alfresco with timber remote fans, secure (video-remote) access and remote panel lift garage door.”
Ray White Nundah sales consultant Scott Freeman said of the property, “It catches those nice bay breezes, the way that they’ve incorporated the shipping containers in the living spaces and that it just flows out on to the backyard,” he said, continuing “Also, the third bathroom has been a big point for a lot of buyers.”
Some interesting elements
For someone who might be into buying a wreck-property and doing it up to sell on at a profit, the 40 Jensen Road property could well be an incentive for you to have a go yourself. The couple who invested in the property did much of the work themselves over 18 months and turned it into the high quality luxurious pad you see here.
At Gateway Container Sales we have often enough looked at people converting a shipping container into a reasonably comfortable shack, but not often have we looked at self builds where genuine renovations of residential properties have been done with the owners’ bare hands.
This shows that with a bit of handiwork you can save a lot of money by extending your property yourself yet still add significant value. Without a doubt this place does not look like some hermit’s shack in the outback!
Airline staff
Image source: Brisbane Times
One of the hopes In buying and renovating the property was that the extended International airline terminal at Brisbane Airport would draw in potential buyers including airline staff and pilots.
According to the Airport Business news website, Julieanne Alroe, BAC CEO and Managing Director said of the airport expansion, “Last year we had a record 7% increase in international passengers and, with numbers expected to rise, our focus is on how Brisbane Airport can continue to play a significant role in meeting forecast demand and stimulating even more. When our new runway opens in 2020, Brisbane Airport will be in the unique position of having more capacity than any other capital city airport in Australia and the most efficient runway system in the country, as well as being the most domestically connected airport for travellers.”
The three three new aircraft parking bays capable of accommodating A380, B747, A330, A340 and A787 aircraft. These are some of the biggest passenger aircraft in the world can fly from almost anywhere in the world including Europe and the United States.
For the Banyo suburb of Brisbane, which is just a stone’s throw from the newly extended airport, this could well mean an influx of new residents who may have lived elsewhere around the world. No matter how glamorous it may seem, staying in your 50th different hotel room in a year is not that appealing to the airline pilot far away from home! Having a home from home to chill out and enjoy yourself in with the level of familiarity and personal possessions there, can be a better way to relax as part of your international travels.
So why is this still on the market?
Image source: Ray White Nundah
The amped up Banyo workers cottage didn’t sell when put to auction in August this year. Let’s have see why this might have been the case.
There is been a lot of marketing around the growth of Brisbane International airport. The truth is the demand isn’t as high as might have been expected. Earlier this year Emirates International airlines withdrew its A380 super jumbo jet from serving the Brisbane International airport. According to local news coverage, “Emirates can confirm that we will be deploying a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on EK434 and EK435, between Brisbane and Dubai, from June until end of August 2018.”
This business decision by Emirates suggest that while there is scope for growth at Brisbane International airport, is isn’t quite as busy as it might be for now. This is not to say that airline pilots and airline staff are not moving to Banyo.
In their sales pitches to local and international media, those involved in the sale claims that anything between 30 and 60 different parties had expressed an interest in the property. This should have meant that we at the Gateway Gazette are reporting on a successful sale when it went to auction in late August. At the time of writing it is still currently on the market should you want to make an offer. Have a look at it on the property estate agent website here.
Gateway Container Sales
Brisbane-based Gateway Container Sales often has a stock of reusable shipping containers that can be converted into new homes in their own right or into extensions of an existing property. We can also give tips and advice and then access to our network of architectural professionals to help you take that wreck of a property and make it into a dream home or certainly a worthwhile investment. Give us a call today to discuss your needs or get a free quote!
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