Last year I posted a few threads regarding alternative living spaces, which my readers thoroughly enjoyed. In 2018, I plan on continuing with this popular topic since I must admit it is of great interest and fascination to me as well.
Today’s alternative living space concept is that of airplane houses (and other buildings made out of airplane conversions).
House number 1 – Bruce Campbell’s Boeing 727 house
The house featured above belongs to retired electrical engineer, Bruce Campbell. Much of the original interior of the plane has been preserved by Bruce, who believes that ‘every old plane should be recycled into a wonderful home’ (source of information and images used: www.airplanehome.com 2nd image credit: John Brecher)
House number 2 – C-47 “Peasant” house in Chile
In January 1974 a C-47 aircraft with seven souls aboard, crashed in Chile. Luckily there were no casualties. Many years later, The pilots son, who was one of those aboard the plane at the time of its crash, learned from one of his friends that a group of ‘peasants’ had turned the craft into a functional house (complete with a chimney)! (Image credit: http://www.douglasdc3.com)
House number 3 – Arthur Bedford’s house
In 1947, Arthur Bedford who was a businessman from London converted an old World War II Horsa glider into a three roomed house. The project was part of an effort to combat the housing shortage of the time. (Image credit: www.shedworking.co.uk)
Hotel 1 – Hotel Costa Verde 727 Fuselage Home
In its previous life, The 727 Fuselage Home two-bedroom hotel suite (which can be found in Hotel Costa Verde in Costa Rica) was a 1965 Boeing 727 passenger airliner used by South African Air as well as Avianca Airlines in Colombia.
The gorgeous suite is perched upon a 50-foot pedestal which enables breathtaking ocean as well as jungle views. Not only this, but the entire suite has been refinished in stunning hardwood. (Source of information and images: https://costaverde.com )
Hotel 2 – Jumbo Stay Hostel in Stockholm Sweden
Another fabulous airplane hotel is the Jumbo Stay Hostel in Stockholm, which is a refurbished 1976 jumbo model Boeing 747. The hostel has 33 rooms which can accommodate up to 76 people/guests. The hotel/hostel offers a variety of different rooms ranging from the cockpit suite to the motor room. For more information you can visit the hostel’s website on the following link http://www.jumbostay.com/. (Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org ).
The pros and cons of airplane houses/buildings
Airplane house conversions hold many pros and very few cons. For starters, homes of these types are well insulated making them incredibly energy efficient. They are also quite secure and rust resistant. The entire conversion project costs way less than the purchase of an average suburban home and the finished product often requires much less maintenance. The one downfall however is that buildings of this type can get quite chilly in the winter. This problem can luckily be very easily corrected by making sure you install an adequate heating/cooling system.
And there you have it, some fabulous plane conversions! Would you consider living in a home such as these?
Till next time,
Debbie Nel
xxxxx
Mortal Life Modes 2018
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Showing posts with label Alternative living spaces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative living spaces. Show all posts
Monday, 16 April 2018
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Lifestyle trends: Shipping Container Houses!
Traditionally when we hear of steel shipping containers we think storage, shipment and/or handling. However, the latest trend sweeping the world right now is the ‘shipping container house’ fad.
But why shipping containers you may ask? Well, for starters steel containers are virtually indestructible. They are also relatively inexpensive, ranging anywhere in price from $800 to around $5000; depending on the size of course. With the average house price in the United States standing at a whopping $250 000 these days, cheaper alternatives are always a welcome and much needed suggestion.
The rectangular shapes of containers also make for numerous stunning design choices; think ‘Lego dream home’. Other benefits include the fact that houses built out of shipping containers can easily be taken apart and moved; pretty much eliminating the need for owners to ever purchase another house again.
Many container companies worldwide have even started offering the services of container conversions whereby they create houses (out of shipping containers) to order for their clients!
Below are a few stunning image examples of shipping container houses (from around the world). Enjoy!
Matt Mooney (whose house is featured above) decided that for his next home he wanted to use shipping containers. More than 14 containers were used in total to build the gorgeous house you see above.
The Manifesto House featured above is internationally one of the most famous shipping container homes to date. It was created/built using 85% recycled and eco-friendly materials. It was designed by James & Mau Designers.
The Casa Incubo house/home was built in Costa Rica. As can be seen above, the home was built around the existing cedar tree. It was built using eight cube containers and was designed by architect Maria José Trejos.
The WFH house is one of the first to feature in China. The external walls have been lined with bamboo in order to protect the containers from the elements of nature and to provide natural insulation.
Above we have the Nederland Colorado Container House that was designed by Brad Tomecek and built in Colorado (as the name suggests).
The stunning and sunny Redondo house above was designed by DeMaria Designs and was constructed using traditional building materials and shipping containers.
The cons of building a house out of shipping containers
Although all the houses featured in this article are indeed magnificent, there are some cons to building homes out of containers. For instance, many owners reported that the wind noise the containers make tend to be quite frustrating and even unbearable at times. Also, since shipping containers are made out of metal they can get extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter so proper insulation is a total must.
I hoped you enjoyed this piece.
Till next time,
Debbie Nel
xxxxxx
If you like my blog why not follow Mortal Life Modes on the NewsDog App?
But why shipping containers you may ask? Well, for starters steel containers are virtually indestructible. They are also relatively inexpensive, ranging anywhere in price from $800 to around $5000; depending on the size of course. With the average house price in the United States standing at a whopping $250 000 these days, cheaper alternatives are always a welcome and much needed suggestion.
The rectangular shapes of containers also make for numerous stunning design choices; think ‘Lego dream home’. Other benefits include the fact that houses built out of shipping containers can easily be taken apart and moved; pretty much eliminating the need for owners to ever purchase another house again.
Many container companies worldwide have even started offering the services of container conversions whereby they create houses (out of shipping containers) to order for their clients!
Below are a few stunning image examples of shipping container houses (from around the world). Enjoy!
1. The PV14 House
Matt Mooney (whose house is featured above) decided that for his next home he wanted to use shipping containers. More than 14 containers were used in total to build the gorgeous house you see above.
2. Manifesto House
The Manifesto House featured above is internationally one of the most famous shipping container homes to date. It was created/built using 85% recycled and eco-friendly materials. It was designed by James & Mau Designers.
3. Casa Incubo
The Casa Incubo house/home was built in Costa Rica. As can be seen above, the home was built around the existing cedar tree. It was built using eight cube containers and was designed by architect Maria José Trejos.
4. The WFH House
The WFH house is one of the first to feature in China. The external walls have been lined with bamboo in order to protect the containers from the elements of nature and to provide natural insulation.
5. The Nederland Colorado Container House
Above we have the Nederland Colorado Container House that was designed by Brad Tomecek and built in Colorado (as the name suggests).
6. Redondo Beach Container House
The stunning and sunny Redondo house above was designed by DeMaria Designs and was constructed using traditional building materials and shipping containers.
*******
Although all the houses featured in this article are indeed magnificent, there are some cons to building homes out of containers. For instance, many owners reported that the wind noise the containers make tend to be quite frustrating and even unbearable at times. Also, since shipping containers are made out of metal they can get extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter so proper insulation is a total must.
I hoped you enjoyed this piece.
Till next time,
Debbie Nel
xxxxxx
If you like my blog why not follow Mortal Life Modes on the NewsDog App?
Friday, 3 February 2017
Lifestyle trends: “Going Underground” Has A Whole New Meaning!
Normally if we hear someone speaking of “going underground”, we would assume that person means “going underground” in the sense of disappearing out of society for a while. However, the term “going underground” can literally mean you plan on living underground! What might surprise you even more is the fact that the concept of living underground is not a recent one and there even exists an underground town in Australia known as Cooper Pedy, which has been around since 1915! You can read more about the town by visiting http://www.cooberpedy.net/
Interested in building an underground house of your own? If so, there are many companies that specialise in green building. For example you can visit http://kirknielsen.com/project/underground/ if you wish to view such a company. Incidentally they are the same company that built the structure you see below.
Many tourists flock to The White Cliffs Underground Motel in New South Wales Australia every year. Now I am not sure about all of you but I sure as heck won't be able to stay here! Hello claustrophobia!
Cooper Pedy is by no means the only underground town around, in fact there are at least nine others scattered in different parts of the world. A good example of one being Dixia Cheng, situated in Beijing China. This city originally started out as an underground shelter for use during disasters and attacks.
A few years ago the concept house featured in this photograph below (known as Casa Brutale) was designed by a company known as Open Plan for Architecture. It was meant to be built overlooking the Aegean Sea in Greece but to my knowledge, up until now the company has not managed to find an investor for the project.
If going underground is not your thing, you can always choose to live in a cave like Angelo Mastropietro. His house which he affectionately named The Rockhouse Retreat is all the rage!
So what do you think? Is underground living for you?
Till next time
Debbie Nel
************
If you like my blog, why not follow Mortal Life Modes on the NewsDog App?
Interested in building an underground house of your own? If so, there are many companies that specialise in green building. For example you can visit http://kirknielsen.com/project/underground/ if you wish to view such a company. Incidentally they are the same company that built the structure you see below.
Many tourists flock to The White Cliffs Underground Motel in New South Wales Australia every year. Now I am not sure about all of you but I sure as heck won't be able to stay here! Hello claustrophobia!
A few years ago the concept house featured in this photograph below (known as Casa Brutale) was designed by a company known as Open Plan for Architecture. It was meant to be built overlooking the Aegean Sea in Greece but to my knowledge, up until now the company has not managed to find an investor for the project.
If going underground is not your thing, you can always choose to live in a cave like Angelo Mastropietro. His house which he affectionately named The Rockhouse Retreat is all the rage!
So what do you think? Is underground living for you?
Till next time
Debbie Nel
************
If you like my blog, why not follow Mortal Life Modes on the NewsDog App?
Monday, 23 January 2017
Lifestyle trends: Van living!
In the past when we thought about vans, we thought of them
in the lines of being transport for mass amounts of people or even as little
take away businesses at best.
However these days vans have become a lifestyle trend for
many in that vans have become the housing solution of choice for quite a few
couples! Even families with children are choosing to live in vans!
But just why has this trend picked up though? Well for various reasons actually. For starters the cost of living/housing has become so expensive that humanity has decided they need a cheaper alternative and what could be cheaper than living in a van?
Others have decided that they are tired of living stressful lifestyles and opt to live in vans due to the freedom and stress free existence that living the life of a van nomad will grant them.
Since van living is so cheap, many bloggers and other “internet employees” have opted to live in vans so that they can quit their day jobs and just survive on the small incomes their online jobs supply them with. In fact, some are even calling van living the “New American Dream”!
This is all good and well but I must say that to me, van living is a sure way to live the “American Nightmare”! Why I say this is simply because we are living in the 21st century. An era filled with crime, especially rapes and murders. Therefore I do not see living in a van (or any mobile home for that matter) as being a smart life choice.
This rings true for any country in the world and not just
America (since van living has turned into an international modern day trend). It
is simply just not safe enough anywhere anymore for people to go around
living in vehicles that offer little to no security whatsoever.
The idea is nice, this much I will say, but unfortunately reality is a bitch.
Till next time.
Xxxxx
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