A CANADIAN man has built a beautiful dream home inside three ugly shipping containers and now pays next to nothing when living in his secluded woodland getaway.

    Joseph Dupuis, 29, who does renewable energy research at Algonquin College in Ottawa, has created his cabin roughly 35 miles (56,327 meters) west of the city with shipping containers from Asia.

    The engineer and entrepreneur bought the containers that brought goods to North America for C$3,400 (US$2,738) each, and has fashioned them into a self-sustaining home on a plot of land owned by his family.

    Solar panels on the roof of his nearby workshop power the home, and Dupuis said that when at the cabin his most expensive bill each month is his phone.

    He has now moved closer to Ottawa after two years in the home, but says that he is going to continue adding pieces such as a fourth container on top for a bedroom and glass ceiling with a view of the stars.

    Japhet Alvarez, a photographer who lives in Ottawa, said that he is jealous of his friend Dupuis’s serene environment that cost less than C$20,000 to make.

    He was surprised by the beautiful interior of the house after seeing the containers, which create 355 square feet (32.9 square meters) of interior space, from a distance when approaching by car to take photos.

    Some who have seen pictures of the home say that the metal containers must become unbearably hot in the summer and frigid cold during Canadian winters that reach minus 42 Celsius.

    However, Dupuis outfitted the containers with a heating and a cooling system during three months of 2012 when he worked up to 14 hours a day by himself.

    He keeps the floors heated to around 15 degrees Celsius and supplements with a wood stove.

    “It’s like a giant science experiment so I’m observing and making modifications,” he said.(SD-Agencies)