March, 31 2025
Innovative and sustainable in comparison to traditional housing, you are spoilt for choice when customising shipping container home interiors. From the number of bedrooms to a convenient study nook, there are many layouts to weigh up.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the benefits of shipping container houses, delve into some beautiful designs and past projects, and provide tips for creating a stylish home anyone can live in comfortably.
Affordability: You don’t need to fork out tens of thousands for an initial deposit, and you’re not stuck paying a 30-year mortgage with shipping container homes. They often come at a lower cost compared to conventional houses and are fully equipped for everyday living, offering a convenient, efficient living solution without compromising on modern amenities, so home ownership is accessible to all ages.
Sustainability: Repurposing shipping containers reduces construction waste and promotes recycling. You will feel happy knowing you’re contributing to minimising landfill, conserving resources and cutting down on material costs.
Durability: Constructed from steel, shipping containers are designed (even before they’re turned into homes) to handle all weather conditions. Sonic Steel homes exterior cladding is made from corten steel and cement sheets for the whole of the interior cladding.
Flexibility: The modular nature of containers allows for creative configurations and expansions. Sonic Steel home layouts and inclusions are fully customisable, from the room sizes to the location of power points.
Speed of Construction: Building with prefabricated containers often cuts back construction time, so you can move in sooner.
If you’ve never looked into a tiny home before, you might be confused about where to start for customisation!
Natural lighting makes a shipping container home look significantly larger; here are some of your options!
Strategic Window Placement: Installing windows on multiple sides of the container allows light to get through, so you don’t need to rely on artificial lighting. For example, windows above your kitchenette, home office, or next to the bed!
Skylights: Skylights are a great way to introduce vertical light sources, brightening the interior and creating an open feel. Sonic Steel can install Velux solar-operated skylights above your lounge area, which includes a remote and rain sensor.
Doors: Sonic Steel uses thermally broken, double glazing and low-e doors and double-glazed windows and sliding doors, which you can position adjacent to your kitchen to really brighten it up.
An open floor plan can make compact container spaces feel more expansive.
Multi-Functional Areas: Combining kitchen, dining, and living areas into a single open space eliminates unnecessary walls, fostering a sense of openness. Put your study desk next to the kitchenette!
Minimalist Design: Sonic Steel makes spaces feel larger and more comfortable with compact yet functional kitchen and living spaces. Customise your shipping container with a gas-lift double bed, double wall bed, storage such as open shelves, underbed storage, bedside storage, cupboards, drawers, a double undermount sink, and more. The gas lift double bed gives you a lot more space for storage, too.
Let’s take a look at some real-world examples of our shipping container projects across Australia.
This is a family home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an open plan living and kitchen area. Accommodating any family’s needs at any stage of life, the Mark 2T blends indoor and outdoor living with a full-height sliding door and picture frame windows, which are high-performance from Miglas.
Other special features include Miglas windows and doors, external shades, a Reclaim heat pump, Zehnder CA200 HRV, cork-style interior cladding, and more.
This practical layout features a double bedroom, full kitchen with breakfast bar, a spacious bathroom, lounge area, and utility compartment for tools and a washing machine.
Ticking all the boxes for ventilation, insulation and a premium finish, the Mark IV has 70mm and 90mm PUR panels insulating the wall and ceiling, while polyester is used for underfloor insulation.
This Mark III was built for a family of 4 as a holiday home north of Toowoomba, QLD. With temperatures dropping below 5C in winter, it was important for the home to be insulated, which is exactly what we did with 70mm PUR panels and 32mm infills on the ceiling and walls, as well as R2.5 earthwool under the floor.
Mechanical ventilation is achieved by Zehnder HRV, whereas natural ventilation is through Low-E, double glazed windows and an operable skylight. On top of Sonic Steel’s VenSulation system, the home achieved an air-tightness rating of 1.8 ACH, which adds to the thermal comfort and efficiency.
This is an off-grid home with a hybrid system of solar power and LPG. Cooking appliances and hot water heaters are gas operated, and lighting, HVAC and other appliances run on the Sky Energy solar system, consisting of 4.15kW panels, 7.0kWh batteries and 3kVA inverter. A cassette toilet was installed for occasional use, and the existing water tank is filled twice a year by bulk water cartage service.
The Mark T brings container homes to the next level–literally. Comprising 3 shipping container modules, this offers a lot of space! The ground floor assimilates the base layout of the Mark IV with the addition of the 7ft module that houses the internal staircases and leads up to the 20ft above, which has access to front and back decks.
This customisation offers finishes such as the Altair 120 and Zehnder HRVs, double glazings with LowE and thermally broken frames, Milu odourless toilet, Unico Pro air cons, and more for comfortable living.
Mark Twins is a multi-containers build which joins two 40ft containers side by side to make a 60 sqm home. The containers were designed, engineered and built at Sonic to the lock-up stage, and then were delivered and assembled at a rural property in Wardell, northern NSW.
This space has two spacious bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry, and an open kitchen and living area with direct access to the covered timber deck that overlooks a horse paddock with a dam. It was built to be airtight, well insulated with Sonic Steel’s PUR and mechanically ventilated by the Altair 120 HRV!
With a double bedroom, full kitchen and a lounge, the Mark IV offers all the utilities you would need to call this home! Packed with Sonic Steel’s VenSulation ventilation system and underfloor insulation, Velux skylight, double-glazed windows and doors, comfort is always a priority.
The open bathroom layout with the Pan Fan system ensures a smell-free toilet and a fresh space between your bedroom and kitchen. View the brochure to learn more.
What are some of the building materials and methods Sonic Steel uses for shipping container houses?
Cement sheets clad all wall and ceiling surfaces for shipping container homes as they are resistant to cracking, warping and other external damages.
Offering excellent insulation properties, cement sheeting keeps interiors warm in winter and cooler in summer, is resistant to mould, rotting, moisture, and doesn’t need much maintenance!
Sonic Steel builds all homes from corten steel due to its resistance to atmospheric corrosion and strength no matter the environment. The steel is then enhanced further with marine-grade paint, which:
Karndean luxury planks are durable, beautiful, and are always practical. Replicating the look of natural wood and stone, they give shipping container homes that high-end look to them.
They are also waterproof, easy to clean, and comfortable underfoot. Sonic Steel even glues them down so they last longer. In terms of customising your spaces, let us know whether you’d like white, grey, beige, brown, black, or something specific.
A home doesn’t feel like a home without lighting, and Sonic Steel shipping containers can be customised with Velux skylights. There are a few types you can pick:
Using skylights helps to elevate your living experience (instead of a confined space!), bringing in natural sunlight, ventilation and creating an inviting atmosphere.
With great quality fitting and fixtures around, let’s take a look at some of the inclusions.
The Sonic Steel VenSulation system is the only one on the market that addresses ventilation, insulation and condensation for container homes!
Sonic Steel works with Sky Energy to create a custom off-grid power solution that works for you.
Sky Energy’s SkyBox is a battery and computer system that manages energy inputs (solar, wind generator) and combines them into one reliable output of power. This creates a grid-level supply of electricity, including three-phase power.
Sonic Steel also offers Shipping Container Modifications! We custom design and construct premium shipping container modifications, from site offices to granny flats, that provide insulation, ventilation, and have proper condensation. How can we modify one to suit you?
Shipping Container Offices: Portable offices are becoming more popular than ever before, and a shipping container office is great for corporate work or recording spaces.
Shipping Container Bar and Cafe: Container homes work for residential living, but also for commercial applications such as small cafes and bars. A shipping container café takes up minimal space but still gives you enough room for a small kitchen, serving area and stock room.
Shipping Container Fabrications: From shelves to roller doors for workshops and man caves, countless people have converted shipping containers into spaces for personal use. Sonic Steel creates fully furnished, prefabricated containers.
How Else Can You Customise Your Shipping Container?
The interior of your shipping container home sets the tone for comfort, and there are many ways to customise your space even after it’s been built.
Neutral Colour Palettes: Using whites, greys, and earth tones to create a calm setting.
Clean Lines: Selecting furniture with simple designs.
Decluttering: Keeping possessions to a minimum so your space remains open and airy. Add some things you like!
Artwork: Display pieces that resonate with you to add personality and visual interest.
Colour Accents: Introducing pops of your favourite colours through cushions, rugs, or feature walls. If you have an idea in mind, reach out to Sonic Steel for a professional recommendation or view our brochure.
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, so if you’d like a bespoke build, we will always be ready to make one. From joining multiple containers side by side or building a double-storey, we will work with you to achieve a design that suits your requirements and budget. View our custom designs for inspiration. ALL container homes are manufactured in Australia.
Sonic Steel has been a specialist in the shipping container homes industry since 2014. Beginning as a repair and maintenance service provider before expanding into modification, we construct functional container homes.
We bring our client’s vision to life, creating a personalised design and living space. Blending our engineering knowledge with technical skills, we build unique, sustainable living solutions that represent the best of what we have to offer.
Whether you’re looking for shipping container homes for your Victoria, NSW, or SA residence, our systems, designs and services give you the best in off-grid, alternative living. Contact us today by calling 03 9364 8797, emailing enquiry@sonicsteel.com.au or visiting us in Brooklyn, VIC by appointment.
With Tiny Home Expos in VIC, NSW and WA in the coming months, we are offering DISCOUNTED DELIVERY (*up to $5000) to each state the Expo is in exchange for using your project as a display at the show. Offer expires 12 weeks before each expo and is limited to one project per expo. Reach out to us now to secure your spot!
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