Being a total convert to container housing, Brenda Kelly has not looked back since building her own first container home.

In fact, the entrepreneur set up her own company, IQ Container Homes, and her last house in the bush at Parau, Auckland was the first 8 Homestar container house to be built in New Zealand.

Now, Kelly has built a new container home for herself in Taupō, and is opening it to the public for the first time this weekend – she already has more than 300 people "interested" on Facebook.

"I moved to Taupō around  six months ago for a change of lifestyle and to better service our central and lower North Island clients," she says. "My two-bedroom container home (built from three 20-foot containers) will double as a display home for the region."

READ MORE * Brenda Kelly's 8 Homestar container home * Innovation in container housing * Off-grid container house sold after unprecedented interest

Kelly's 43.2 square-metre house is elevated on poles, which ensures she has a view of the lake. It also provides space for the carport below. 

A large covered deck virtually doubles the living space. Having positioned the three containers next to each other, rather than at right angles, Kelly benefits from the increased width inside the house. Some walls within the house are painted, while others are lined with plywood.

But Kelly says she is especially excited about the second container house she will put on the site. This one will be Lifemark rated, which means it will be accessible for the elderly and less abled clients.

"As a Lifemark design partner I've been keen to build a minimum 3-Star Lifemark home that can double as a display model to educate people. Features will include a level entry, wider doorways and an accessible bathroom. I'm still working through the design – as it's going to be a small home there are a few challenges to meet the minimum clearance requirements, but I'm confident I can make it work."

Other projects on the go include an off-grid home for a client with a bush-clad Coromandel site and a single container for a retired couple in Pirongia. Kelly also has plans with council for a two-storey build in Piha.

Kelly says she has also done a feasibility study and is on the lookout for an investor and site for a new lodge-style concept "in the wings".

Kelly's passion for small spaces started in childhood: "Even as a teenager I would draw little rooms and work out where to put the furniture."

Her container houses are defined by adaptability – Kelly imports her own furniture and fixtures, which can include sofas with storage beneath, sofas that can convert to double beds, lift-down beds and portable wardrobes that can double as room dividers.

And the cost? Prices for a single container house (fully fitted out) begin at $70,000, including GST, while her Taupō model is $180,000, including GST.

And Kelly says despite some common misconceptions about container homes, they are very well insulated, with closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation to one-and-a-half times NZ building code requirements.

Kelly says many clients take advantage of a turn-key solution.

"We can also provide Code Compliance Certificates for container houses leaving the factory. The beauty of constructing in Auckland is that I've yet to encounter another council that does not accept an Auckland-issued CCC."