Hello
My name is Ike Morinigo, with a background in earth-link architecture. I live in Central Florida on a cattle farm very close to The Villages. For more than 15 years, I have been interested in tiny homes on wheels, mainly due to the small footprint of this type of housing and their mobility.
Moving to the countryside was a big challenge, especially coming from the urban area of South Florida, going from a two-story 5/3 house with a double garage to living in a 36ft fifth-wheel RV for almost 3 years while we decided what and where to build.
Originally, the only viable option was a manufactured home, typical of the countryside, but after evaluating the conditions exceptionally exposed to the climate of our site, we decided to build with containers because their better resistance to the weather and greater flexibility building it as owner-builder, considering my own timing and possibilities... the decision was the right one.
That’s where my journey with this type of construction began !!
My Story
I currently live in one of the few shipping container homes built in Florida as a permanent residence. My house is very special; built with 2x40HC one-trip containers with original side doors, it makes the most of the structure without weakening it or making major cuts in the containers. Both are welded together and connected to the ground with 13 footings and reinforced concrete columns, with a double sloped roof to improve thermal protection and have storage space in the attic with access from the inside.
The result: 1,075 sqm covered with just 2 containers of 320 sqm each.
So far, I don’t know anyone who has used containers in this way in the world !!, which makes this house unique. We call it 'The Container Home on the Prairie'....(no Ingalls family here !!).
In my search for minimal living spaces with great outdoor expansion, I previously built a unique houseboat that could stay off-grid away from the dock in the middle of the water (which was very successfully used as an AirBnB); a very comfortable classic look 30ft tiny home on wheels; concluding that a container is the strongest structure against the elements, this BoXedra Studio model (which can be visited on-site), is the result of my combined experience living in an RV, a houseboat, and in a permanent container house.
Let me help you in this journey !!
My Houseboat
My Tiny Home on wheels
