Where did the SMALLisSMART (container based) HOUSE start?
After Geoffrey Fulton completed his architectural studies, he did what most young Australian architectural graduates do, he decided to do the "grand tour" of Europe getting up and close to the old classic buildings of the world!
Before leaving Australia, he ordered and paid for a new Mercedes Benz sedan to be picked up at the factory in Sindelfingen, Germany once he arrived in Europe. He also booked a seat on the Indiaman, a bus that travels from Madras in India to London. To get to Madras, he travelled by ship from Perth to Colombo, Sri Lanka, then by local ferry to the Indian mainland, then by a slow, slow, very very slow train to Madras where he met up with 42 people from around the world, all gathered together prior to starting an amazing 3 month bus journey across the Middle East to Europe.
During those event filled 3 months, he had time to work out how he was going to travel around Europe as economically as possible, hopefully without having to take on jobs along the way.
The logical answer was to provide his own accommodation at no cost! He designed a collapsable caravan to be fitted to the pack rack of his new Mercedes Benz.
By coincidence, a detour in the road in Germany saw the bus pull up outside the Mercedes factory where Geoffrey said good bye to all his travel friends and walked in to reception, still in his shorts and with his luggage from the trip, to pick up his new car.
He had been invited to visit a German friend of a friend in Australia, and it was while staying in Munster the engineer friend helped him build the roof top caravan for his car. At the same time he built a rack on the front and back of the car to which he strapped a minimotorcycle and a Bultaco off-road bike. He took the rear seat out and replaced it with a steel trunk to carry his cameras and paper work and maps.
Lunch at the kerb in Hamburg!
It was while staying in Munster that Geoffrey first met Carla Salomon Kerkering who showed him around her architectural school. 32 Years later, they met again and she joined him as his partner heading the interior architecture side of the design practice.
A month after completing the construction of the caravan, Geoffrey was on the road on the grand tour. He first headed north to Scandinavia and Russia, then south as far as Africa and to cross the Sahara. Every night was spent sleeping on top of the car in a small "house" 10 feet by 6 feet (3m X 1.8m), that's only 60 square feet (5.4sq.m.) in area! He was able to take a shower using only a pint of hot water. He cooked all his meals either upstairs in the house during poor weather or outside on a table mounted on the rear pack rack.
"Imagine! I slept on top of the car for 5 months outside the front doors of John Lewis' Department Store in Oxford St. in London, and 3 months on the Champs Elysise in Paris. I often parked at ports at night because there was always a fresh water supply. In Helsinki, I woke in the morning to find myself in the middle of the city market. Never mind, the locals showered me with fresh produce for breakfast!
I could go to bed anywhere I could park the car. The London Daily Express newspaper had me on their front page in long johns going to bed outside the front doors of Claridges Hotel. I tried to take a lady friend that I had traveled across Asia with to dinner at the hotel next night but I wasn't welcome! I always thought any sort of publicity was good publicity!! Obviously not for Claridges."
Because such an outfit had never been seen before, local journalists were always wanting to write about Fulton's travels and experiences for their local paper. He came to the party as long as the newspaper paid for the petrol to the next city he was to visit. Then manufacturers, seeing the stories and photos in the newspapers, started offering him free products for the newspaper exposure they could get.
He was given 3 motorcycles, an inflatable boat, a fibreglass speedboat "Goldfinger" and 4o horse power outboard motor, the first portable TV set, all his film from Kodak, a movie camera and film from Bell and Howell, Tupperware for storing everything on-board the car, and best of all, free servicing of his car every time he traveled through Germany. He was given a pass to the experimental department at Mercedes Benz. It was here that Mr Uhlenhaut (chief of Mercedes Benz Racing) serviced the car and fitted new accessories and modifications so the they could be tested under load. The car with the "caravan" or tiny house, two motorcycles, a speed boat and all his living needs in it had the car loaded beyond factory specifiation, so it was ideal for testing. In three and a half years, the only problem was that the tyres blew out because of the high road temperatures while crossing the Sahara between Algeria and Tunisia. He and a hitch-hiking friend had to abandon the car, travel to the nearest town on one of the motor cycles to get a new set of tyres before continuing the journey driving only during the cool hours of the night.
Geoffrey's journey ended after he was caught at the Russian Finnish border by the Russian customs with a priceless collection of art that he had purchased in Russia. They confiscated the car, "invited" him to stay a few nights, then allowed him and his hitch-hiker friend to leave on one of the motor cycles. (That's a fascinating story in itself!)
It was then a case of head back to Australia to start a working life!
Since those days, he has always thought about the possibility of living in very small spaces. (He has produced a new refined model of the car-top camper... with a few more luxuries) Plans are available.
For those interested in traveling the same way, he has designed an upmarket version of the roof-top house. Detailed plans will be available for DIY.
Currently on the drawing board and being costed is a new house boat for long term cruising on the French canals and other European and American waterways. This project will be able to be containerized for economical trans ocean shipping!
For land based compact economical housing, so became the SMALLisSMART HOUSE!
©SMALLisSMART HOUSE
This shipping container based complete house in a forty foot (12 meter) container has been produced to show that the recycling of shipping containers can provide comfortable to luxury very economical living, and to show that we can down-size from McMansions! As a result of the interest in this project, We have recently designed a house for 2 persons in a 20 ft container. Yes, it has a full bathroom and kitchen, sleeping for a couple or single and a 2 meter long desk for students who need study space.
SMALLisSMART HOUSES are ideal for owner builders
Buy the container with all steel modifications completed and a manual and set of drawings and specifications and construction instructions (like what you get from IKEA when you buy a piece of furniture from them!) It’s for the owner builder.
You purchase a detailed manual, set of drawings and specification for the person who wants to start from scratch to build their SMALLisSMART HOUSE. The manual will provide a material and cutting list down to the number of nails and screws and step by step instructions for building the SMALLisSMART HOUSE. It may include a weekly tele-conference with us and other owner builders.(This is still in preparation.) We will negotiate an agreement to franchise the sale of plans for SMALLisSMART HOUSE and/or part constructed SMALLisSMART HOUSES locally and internationally.
External and internal finishes can be varied. The display model has the most up-market Alucobond finish on one side. The other side, for minimal cost, has just been painted with a special thermal insulating paint (previously developed for the space shuttle).
The house can be solar powered, (skylights have been left out of the display model because of road transport restrictions.) Waste grey and black water can be treated by a worm farm with the resulting effluent fertilizer used to feed the vegetables on the Edible Wall.
The Edible Wall will provide a family’s vegetables year round, with the unique and patented Autopot hydroponic system feeding the plants only according to the plants needs. They will grow on racks fitted to the wall that is exposed to the sun (ideally north facing.)
It’s ECO FRIENDLY!
Its tornado proof, fire proof, termite proof, flood resistant,
It meets all building codes,
Its fast and easy to build... can be built by 2 teenagers, - There is minimal ground disturbance
- It surpasses 5 Star Energy Rating.
- It’s carbon footprint is very low!
- It’s a great example of sustainable building practices.
- The house uses recycled material and is recyclable!
Check out our Nesletter page for an update on where we are progressing with our 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom standard pre built container based houses and modules for designing and constructing buildings "Leggo" style!