St. Charles couple lives without mortgage in art gallery shipping container home
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ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO (KMOV) — A home built out of shipping containers was built by a Missouri couple who has no desire to fit in.
Eight 40-foot shipping containers make up Brie and Zack Smithey’s 3,100 square foot home. The shipping containers circled the world carrying various types of cargo before being turned into a home in St. Charles County – that could double as a fine art gallery.
The metal masterpiece is defined by creativity and reflects the couple that lives inside. And by using shipping containers, the first-time home builders are able to live mortgage-free.
“Renovating several older homes, we thought let’s build something more unique to us. I’m a professional artist so I was looking at something more creative. Shipping containers worked for what we wanted to do for economic reasons, recycling and repurposing,” explained Zack Smithey, who said he did encounter issues when building the home.
“I’m not a trained architect or carpenter, so I solve problems using my art. I see it as one giant sculpture and carving away at it. Each day was a new challenge,” said Smithey, who wondered what he would run into each day.
Smithey said the toughest part of the construction was the walls, which were extremely thick. Cutting through the container walls and opening up space was challenging, according to Smithey.
“I went through over 200 cut off disks each disk. Each would get me six feet of cut before it would wear out, then I would switch to a new one. That was tough,” explained Smithey.
Smithey said his two favorite parts of the home are the painted staircase and the floating bed.
Smithey said if you would like to live in a shipping container, you should do your research.
“If you plan to do it yourself, plan on it being really hard – especially if you don’t have a construction background,” said Smithey. “Otherwise, hire someone to do it.”
It’s probably no surprise Smithey gives design consultations all over the United States, and the couple has been featured on Netflix and the real estate website called “Curbed.”
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