Unique Ecofriendly Farmstay

Two shipping containers enhanced with a shapely design were transformed into a unique ecofriendly farmstay.

- Kim Arendse

THE HOMEOWNERS Claire and Duncan Dicey

WHERE Wolseley, Western Cape

SIZE 106m²

The pod is made up of two connected containers covered with Chromadek. To boost the pod’s structural integrity, support beams were added between the container ceiling and the sloping steel container roof.

Indigenous garden design by Johann van Biljon of Intaba Environment Services

Heat-resistant steel panels cut from the containers, such as this one behind the fireplace on the stoep and another one in the living area (see right), were built in to enhance structural integrity. Sustainable Lunawood was used for the deck.

Storage seating by Sublime Cupboards; cushions and covers by Tannie Elmarie; kist from Carl Stassen Auctioneers; sarong from Arabesque

The view of the Mostertshoek mountain through the curved frame of the deep undercover stoep is a showstopper.

The wooden cladding in combination with the curve creates a sense of being nestled. –Claire

In 2018, we featured Claire and Duncan Dicey’s first shipping container conversion: a self-contained guest cottage on their fruit farm Palmietvlei in Wolseley.

That conversion boasted the typical box shape of an old shipping container; but since then, Claire and Duncan have come up with many more creative plans and they couldn’t wait to get stuck into their next project.