Courtney and Iain’s Temporary On-site Tiny Home Saves Them Time and Money While They Build

When Iain and Courtney Miles bought a block of land in Burpengary East, in Queensland’s Moreton Bay region, in August 2020 with plans to build their dream home, the pair optimistically expected to be moving in to their new home by the start of 2022.

“In the end, by the time plans were finalised and lodged with the local council we sold our existing house in January 2022 and moved in with my parents ready to start the build. But delays with building approval meant our new build wasn’t even approved until June 2022, with an expected completion of the end of 2022. Then, like everyone else during this time, we had major build delays and we started looking for another solution so we could live on the block and start some landscaping work,” says Courtney.

“At first we thought of living in our own shed on the property but shed companies were experiencing six-month delays. Then I Googled ‘shipping container homes’ but they cost about $50,000 and upwards to buy one large enough as we both work from home and have two small dogs. Then a few months later I saw we could hire one from PennyGranny! We were so surprised at how affordable their portable prefab homes are to hire and it seemed the perfect solution.”

A two-bedroom shipping container home, The Brooklyn, was available in a couple of weeks, so Courtney and Iain quickly applied to their local council for a permit for temporary accommodation on their building block. “It took about four weeks to get permission from council but PennyGranny held the container home for us and we had it delivered the next week,” recalls Courtney. “It only took a day to install and within a week we had the plumbing and electricity connected. The hot water took a little longer but cold showers for a few days were quite bearable.”

The convenience of being on-site full-time soon became evident as the couple saved time on commuting to check up on progress with the build, could deal with problems and decisions as they happened and could begin the process of landscaping the site. With turf laid around their temporary home and a fence erected for their dogs, Courtney and Iain soon settled into their new accommodation in The Brooklyn, which is a 12m x 2.4 metre refurbished shipping container with two bedrooms, a bathroom and combined living/dining and kitchen area.

The container home is fully insulated with a split system air-conditioning unit installed, and sliding glass doors and windows fitted with fly screens and blockout blinds and costs $363.50 per week to hire on a six month contract.

“We’re enjoying living here,” says Courtney, “I worried that it might be too small but it’s perfect. It’s a proper little apartment with everything we need and we’ve set up a home office in the second bedroom. Even our builder says ‘You don’t need to build the house now, this is perfect!’. Our experience with PennyGranny has been fantastic. The whole process was super easy and the savings as compared to renting locally are substantial. We’re really happy and not in such a rush now to get into the house.”

Can we solve your temporary accommodation problem with one of our comfortable and affordable prefab portable homes for hire? Whether you are building or renovating and need on-site accommodation like Iain and Courtney, are looking for a granny flat for an elderly relative or adult child saving for a home or seeking affordable farmstay accommodation to monetise your rural block of land, speak with us today.

We can also help you with affordable rental accommodation if you have a friend or relative happy to place one of our prefab portable homes on their land. Alternatively, if you own land take a look at our Income model and learn how you can earn a steady passive income from a no-cost granny flat! It’s a great solution to supplementing a pension or paying off the mortgage faster.

See our full list of portable homes available for rent here! Or if you would like to purchase a building outright, see the portable homes available for purchase here.