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young couple from Texas has built their dream home using two 40-foot shipping containers, all for a modest $60,000. Lexi Newkirk and her husband Diego, both in their mid-twenties, wanted to escape the fast-paced city life of Austin and start anew on 12-and-a-half acres of rural land they purchased for $180,000.

    The couple, who met while working in digital marketing and mold removal respectively, fell in love with unique homes and decided to build a tiny home using shipping containers. They bought each container for just $5,500 and have been doing the work themselves as their finances allow.

    Diego has spent the last year constructing the containers into a 640 sq. ft. home with one bedroom and a bathroom. The couple hopes to finish the project by early March and live there while they work on the rest of their land, where they plan to create a homestead.

    Lexi said: "We love it. We're living on 12-and-a-half acres and I love it – it's like our own little city." They had originally wanted to turn their land into an exotic tiny Airbnb ranch but couldn't get the necessary permits. Instead, they decided to build a small home just for themselves.

    The couple has been making progress bit by bit, spreading costs out over time. Diego has done most of the labor himself, and once the drywall is up, they'll decorate and aim to complete the project in just a month's time. Their two-story tiny home will have both sunset and sunrise views.

    Lexi said: "The living area and kitchen are all underneath. Then we have a bedroom, master bath, and office. The bedroom wakes up to the sunrise, and from the bath you can see the sunset." They plan to save up and build a barndominium – a barn conversion – and have already purchased chickens and two cows to start their homestead dream.

    Lexi said: "We didn't want to put that money towards an apartment. We want to give people inspiration for different projects you can do."