This Florida house had a previous life as three shipping containers. Take a look inside

James A. Jones Jr.
·5 min read
37

After more than three years of planning, persistence, manual labor and financial investment in a dream that would not die, affordable housing activist Glen Gibellina wants the world to know about his shipping container home.

Looking at it, you wouldn’t know that the attractive split-level home started out as three shipping containers manufactured in China.

Gibellina bought two 40-by-8-foot containers for $5,000 each and a 20-by-8 container for $3,800 and picked them up at the Port of Tampa.

They are “one-trippers,” containers that were used to transport products only once. They make a better tiny home because they haven’t been through the wear and tear of older shipping containers.

Denise Jones and her special needs child, Dustin Muir, will be moving into the 744-square-foot home on Saturday.

“It took a lot of patience and prayer, and then this starts happening,” Jones said after getting her first look inside the home on Wednesday.

“The idea of being cutting edge is exciting for him, too,” Jones said of her 18-year-old son.

“I love it, too,” Dustin said.

The home is hurricane-proof and sound-proof as well, Gibellina said.

Dustin Muir and his mother, Denise Jones, stand in the main room of their new tiny house build from shipping containers by Glen Gibellina. The cabinets and other details were painted a special blue in memory of Denise’s mother’s favorite “Blue suede” of Elvis fame.
Dustin Muir and his mother, Denise Jones, stand in the main room of their new tiny house build from shipping containers by Glen Gibellina. The cabinets and other details were painted a special blue in memory of Denise’s mother’s favorite “Blue suede” of Elvis fame.

Inside, you wouldn’t know there is a concrete plant across the street. It’s that quiet. Inside are all the comforts: air conditioning, big-screen TV, full kitchen, laundry and more.

The kitchen cabinets are painted in a color dubbed “Blue Suede,” in honor of Denise’s late mother, who was a big Elvis Presley fan. Gibellina carried on the Blue Suede theme with a fountain that he made in the front yard.

“He McGyvered it,” Jones said of how Gibellina crafted the fountain.

How it happened

Competition for home rentals in the Bradenton area became more fierce during the COVID-19 pandemic, making a place to stay more and more expensive.

Gibellina has lived in the Bradenton area more than 40 years. About 20 years ago, he looked around for available affordable housing and could find little.

That was the start of his outspoken advocacy for affordable housing.

He credits a tiny house built in Utah by Jeffrey White in 2013 as the inspiration for his tiny house.

Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking dwelling that he says is hurricane and soundproof.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking dwelling that he says is hurricane and soundproof.

Gibellina bought White’s plans and brought in architect Sean Williams, who he had met at the Florida Suncoast Tiny Home Festival, to work on the project. The goal was to build a tiny home that met state building code standards.

The home is a permitted use as an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), under Manatee County guidelines. Manatee County defines an ADU as a subordinate dwelling with cooking and bathroom facilities.

“Sean also saw the vision and greatly discounted his fees for this mission. I own the plans for duplication for anyone that would like to have a home like this,” Gibellina said.

Modifying the containers

Gibellina approached Sheriff Rick Wells and asked whether prisoners learning welding could use some practical experience by modifying the containers.

Gibellina provided all the materials, including the steel, the welding rods and plasma cutting tips.

An inmate who worked on the project at the jail continued to volunteer his skills after his release.

“He recently came back and helped finish the mission putting his own personal business aside for a week,” Gibellina said.

“If it wasn’t for Rick Wells and MTC, this project wouldn’t have got off the ground,” he said.

Manatee County Government also helped by fast tracking permitting for the project.

Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof.

The build

Gibellina’s tiny house project is on his own property in the New Pearce neighborhood, a more than 100-year-old community in southern Manatee County.

“We have no sewer, no water, no sidewalks. We are a very marginalized community and have been around longer than almost anybody,” he said.

“This street used to be where the cows came and where celery was grown,” he said.

Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking dwelling that he says is hurricane and soundproof. The bathroom has a fiberglass shower and the toilet goes to a septic tank.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking dwelling that he says is hurricane and soundproof. The bathroom has a fiberglass shower and the toilet goes to a septic tank.

Despite the lack of conveniences, New Pearce is an old-style community where folks know their neighbors, down to what beer they might drink, Gibellina said.

Among those who helped with the project was a neighbor and owner of Decker Masonry who set the foundations and installed the driveway, and many others who offered their services and skills — often at discounted rates.

Among the “not-so-professionals” that helped were students from Bayshore High School, veterans, neighbors and friends.

According to Gibellina, some of those helpers had fallen on hard times.

“I believe in second chances. Some worked out, some didn’t,” he said.

The financing

Twelve banks turned down Gibellina’s request for financing, saying that there were no comparable projects, and the risk was too great.

In the end, Gibellina provided his own financing.

“That’s why it took three years and not three months,” said Gibellina, a 71-year-old career carpenter.

“This has been a three-year mission, a struggle at times, and at the end I just plain ran out of money,” he said.

Friends, family and neighbors helped provide the gap funding to complete the project.

“Can I fix the tens of thousands we are short affordable housing units? No. Can I change one family’s life for the better? Yes, I can make a difference in one family’s life,” he said.

Dustin Muir and his mother, Denise Jones, stand in the main room of their new tiny house build from shipping containers by Glen Gibellina. The cabinets and other details were painted a special blue in memory of Denise’s mother’s favorite “Blue suede” of Elvis fame.
Dustin Muir and his mother, Denise Jones, stand in the main room of their new tiny house build from shipping containers by Glen Gibellina. The cabinets and other details were painted a special blue in memory of Denise’s mother’s favorite “Blue suede” of Elvis fame.

Making a difference

Denise Jones, who will be renting the container home for herself and her son, calls it a miracle.

“It provides such a sense of serenity for me, and a feeling of security for Dustin,” she said.

She has friends who were homeowners and fell into homelessness. Now she doesn’t have to worry about that.

“It’s my utopia. I’m never leaving,” Jones said.

The need

Gibellina serves on the Manatee County Affordable Housing Advisory Board.

He hopes that his container house can serve as a model for more ADUs that could potentially be built in neighborhoods to provide more affordable housing.

An open house is planned for the shipping container house 2-4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at 2750 71st Ave. E., Sarasota. Although the home has a Sarasota mailing address it is in southern Manatee County. A house blessing will be at 2:30 p.m.

Representatives of Bonaparte, a Wauchula-based container home and tiny house builder will be present to answer questions.

Know more

For more information, email Gibellina at uncontained360@gmail.com.

Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof. A detail on the front of the roof is a whimsical weathervane.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof. A detail on the front of the roof is a whimsical weathervane.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof.
Glen Gibellina built this tiny home from three shipping containers, modifying them to create a modern-looking home that he says is hurricane and soundproof.