One of the best things in the world is not having any debt or a mortgage when you wake up. Most homeowners in the United States spend almost a quarter of their lives paying for their dream homes. Others have come up with more creative ways to deal with the ridiculously high down payments and interest rates needed to buy a home that can be lived in. That is exactly what Jaimie and Dave from Cowlitz County did!
Dave doesn’t like mortgages. He is also very good at working with metal. “…we thought, How hard could it be to stick two containers together? It’s like legos, right? “Jaimie was joking. Everything in the shipping container home was built by Jaimie and Dave, including the plumbing, electrical wiring, substructure, welding, and everything else that goes into building a house.
Even though the design and layout of the couple’s home are outside the norm, it is still on the grid and has all the necessary permits. In fact, the county was behind them all the way. Their house was approved, and they were able to get everything done in record time. Wanting to get out of a rut is what made Jaimie and Dave decide to change how they live. Everyone seemed to be too busy with the day-to-day grind of paying bills.
The couple lived in a condo in Kalama, Washington, for a while after remodeling a house in Vancouver. Then, they decided to build their home out of shipping containers. But the path to a home without a mortgage is not as cheap as some might think. Jaimie and Dave figured out how much it would cost to build and design their home, including the process of hooking up water, septics, and electricity.
Since a regular loan wouldn’t work for their dream house, the two of them worked Monday through Thursday and worked on the project on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for ten months. Before you go inside the couple’s house, you’ll see a big, beautiful garden. All of the plants on the property make it feel like you’re in the Garden of Eden. The green grass, trees, rocks, and soil are a nice change of pace from the busy city.
When you walk in, you’ll see pictures of the couple’s kids in frames and a lot of succulents, which Dave collects. The living room has a modern feel to it. Jaimie decided not to get a custom couch with built-in storage. Instead, she chose a regular couch. The sofa is a good size for the two of them, and in the fall and winter, when they like to curl up in front of their fireplace, it has served its purpose as a place to cuddle.
Even though Jaimie and Dave live in a small house, their kitchen is bigger than you’d think. The beautiful granite countertops can seat up to six people for meals. The long galley-style kitchen isn’t too different from what you’d find in a regular house. It has full-sized appliances like a dishwasher, stove, tall fridge, and a lot of cabinets. There is a door to the bathroom.
And, like the kitchen, it almost looks like a bathroom you’d find in any suburban house. Jaimie and Dave wanted a bathroom where they could move around while getting dressed. Just past the bathroom is a room that was used as both a closet and a pantry. It used to be their son’s room, but now that he’s older, he lives in the shop. To get to the bedroom on the second floor, you have to go up a spiral staircase.
The room that Jaimie and Dave share is pretty simple. It has three windows and a queen-sized bed. The bedroom of the couple has a beautiful view of the forest. Even bird feeders were put near the windows to bring in more chirping friends. Watch the video below to get a full look at their house: