Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 tips for getting a fair price from a tradie

5 tips for getting a fair price from a tradie

What you need to know before building an outdoor shower

What you need to know before building an outdoor shower

5 ways to stop deck screws, joists and fasteners from rotting or rusting

5 ways to stop deck screws, joists and fasteners from rotting or rusting

{headline}

{headline}

How one mum made her son a cubby house bed for under $400

How one mum made her son a cubby house bed for under $400

How one mum created an enchanted garden for her daughter

How one mum created an enchanted garden for her daughter

Reader project: It only cost $200 to transform this fireplace

Reader project: It only cost $200 to transform this fireplace

{headline}

{headline}

Inside the home renovation of Jules and Guy Sebastian

Inside the home renovation of Jules and Guy Sebastian

21 different deck lighting ideas

21 different deck lighting ideas

16 modern pool deck ideas that’ll impress your guests

16 modern pool deck ideas that’ll impress your guests

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

How to get on top of your to-do list in 2020

How to get on top of your to-do list in 2020

6 ways to use concrete as a design feature in your home

6 ways to use concrete as a design feature in your home

How to storm proof your home in 4 easy steps

How to storm proof your home in 4 easy steps

  1. Home
  2. Decorating

How to transform a shipping container into a stunning holiday house

Aussie mum creates a stunning Vanuatu holiday home on a tiny budget - by Nicola Conville
  • 16 Jan 2020
How to transform a shipping container into a stunning holiday house

After visiting Vanuatu and falling in love with the beautiful island, Australian mum Jonica Bray came up with a novel way to create a holiday home there so she could split her time between both countries. She invested in land and a shipping container, and so "Coco Cabana" was born.

"While I was on my maternity leave we moved to Vanuatu to take some time out. While we were there things took an unexpected turn and we ended up adopting a beautiful baby too. With that Vanuatu became part of our lives forever," she explains.

"We knew that being able to go back and forth between Australia was important to keep in touch with our son's culture, his birth family and their customs and so we scraped together our savings and bought a small piece of land near the beach in Pango."

bedroom in shipping container
Supplied

Being a small island, resources are limited when it comes to building a home, so Jonica decided to utilise a shipping container, which was fairly easy to source. The idea of reducing her eco-footprint and upcycling was also hugely appealing.

After purchasing the land it took around two months to settle and Jonica drew up plans "on a napkin at the gym". Her builder then converted them into a basic digital drawing and the build got underway.

"My workers dug our foundations with crowbars. I offered to hire machines but they wisely pointed out that this way they had a week's work and wages to feed their families," she explains. "If I hired an excavator then an international company would see that profit.

shipping container bathroom
Supplied

"Most gardeners in Vanuatu chop down anything that’s not useful, even trees. If they don’t provide fruit then what’s the point? They just call them a bush and they are gone. I used to go to the land every day and remind them that I wanted to keep as much as possible even if it was a 'bush'.

"I walked behind them yelling 'no' at everything they swung their machetes at. They thought I was a crazy woman wanting so much in the garden, but it was already a tropical oasis that we spend thousands of dollars and years trying to achieve at home. Packed with papaya trees, banana trees, lime trees, palms, Noni fruit and other amazing native plants. There is even a few mango seedlings coming through now."

alfresco dining area
Supplied

Jonica's original budget was $30,000, but says after spending that amount the home still looked like an old shipping container - albeit one with a roof, plumbing and electricity. She began looking elsewhere for inspiration.

"That’s when I started following some amazing Instagram accounts, binge-watched Netflix shows on tiny houses and also signed up for the Three Birds Reno school and suddenly my ideas were a lot bigger," she says.

"We decided on an outdoor kitchen, a full, free-standing bath tub, a feature wall and a bar cart. No longer striving for essentials, I now wanted a beautiful space that had an authentic Tropicana feel. In total I would estimate it at around $80,000 by the time we were done. But it was 'Island time'. Many naps were taken and it took more than a year to complete."

bar car island
Supplied

Jonica chose not to insulate the container, instead she installed a huge natangura local roof made from weaving palms, to offer air flow and shade.

"My son's village made them for us so it has a very special meaning for us," she explains. "We added vents throughout and a reflective paint. That reflective paint is absolutely amazing. Even in the direct sunlight in the tropics it’s cool to touch." 

bunk beds kids room
Supplied

"While it was a shipping container and a tiny house I realised it could still be amazing. And I was so excited by the idea of having that creative freedom."

Jonica now shares her beautiful home with guests through Airbnb for just $99 a night, and says visitor feedback has been really positive.

"Guests love the quirky element," she says. "It’s got a fun holiday feel - maybe not something you would want at home on a daily basis, but when it’s a week away it’s bright and bold and different.

"I had never renovated or decorated a single room prior to Coco Cabana. I had always been a renter. And it was such joy to do it from scratch with no reservations about being brave and taking risks.

"The home is footsteps to Honeymoon beach so it really feels like you are far far away from the stress of the daily grind on this beautiful tropical island. Guests can also pick fruit from the garden for breakfast. We have papaya and bananas all year and pineapples in season too."

holiday home shipping container
Supplied

When Coco Cabana is not booked out, Jonica loves to spend time there with her young family.

"Once we are there it just feels like a step back in time - a slower pace. The people are so friendly, the country is very safe and you can drink tap water! The sea is this sensational shade of bright blue and teeming with tropical fish.

"There is a reason that Vanuatu has been named the happiest place on earth. Twice. You will just have to go for yourself to find out why."

More info: Coco Cabana is available to rent on Airbnb for $99 AUD a night. The property sleeps up to five people and you can hire a double cabin ute for AUD $58 a day. A nanny is also available on request. The home is just footsteps from the white sandy shores of Honeymoon Beach and nestled in the village of Pango, a surfer-friendly village that offers Vanuatu’s best waves, coves for exploring and world-class snorkeling.

This story originally appeared on Home Beautiful

You might also like:

Before and after: an amazing porch transformation

How to give your laundry a makeover

  • DIY
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
Nicola Conville
Nicola Conville
Nicola is a writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in print and digital media. She specialises in health and wellbeing, parenting, travel, beauty, lifestyle and human interest stories.

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 new home design trends we’ll be seeing in 2021

5 tips for getting a fair price from a tradie

5 tips for getting a fair price from a tradie

What you need to know before building an outdoor shower

What you need to know before building an outdoor shower

5 ways to stop deck screws, joists and fasteners from rotting or rusting

5 ways to stop deck screws, joists and fasteners from rotting or rusting

{headline}

{headline}

How one mum made her son a cubby house bed for under $400

How one mum made her son a cubby house bed for under $400

How one mum created an enchanted garden for her daughter

How one mum created an enchanted garden for her daughter

Reader project: It only cost $200 to transform this fireplace

Reader project: It only cost $200 to transform this fireplace

{headline}

{headline}

Inside the home renovation of Jules and Guy Sebastian

Inside the home renovation of Jules and Guy Sebastian

21 different deck lighting ideas

21 different deck lighting ideas

16 modern pool deck ideas that’ll impress your guests

16 modern pool deck ideas that’ll impress your guests

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

How to get on top of your to-do list in 2020

How to get on top of your to-do list in 2020

6 ways to use concrete as a design feature in your home

6 ways to use concrete as a design feature in your home

How to storm proof your home in 4 easy steps

How to storm proof your home in 4 easy steps

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!