Jolene Durrheim lives in a 12m shipping container with her husband and two sons.
It's been seven months since the family of four moved into the tiny abode after their home on a smallholding in Plettenberg Bay was razed by the fire that ravaged the seaside town in June.
Until they are able to rebuild, the little container - which was meant to be rented out to holiday-makers - is home for the Durrheims.
Whether by design or necessity, "tiny living" is catching on in South Africa as the average three-bedroom brick-and-mortar home makes way for nano-pods, shipping containers and compact apartments little bigger than a parking space.
The global trend towards smaller living spaces is starting to take off locally as millennials who value location over space are embracing micro-luxury living.
Soaring property prices have put even entry-level homes and apartments beyond the means of many people, persuading prospective homeowners to be satisfied with far less space than previous generations thought normal.
"We actually bought the container to rent as an extra source of income, but for now it's our home," said Durrheim.
"Tiny homes have become quite a trendy movement, and we thought it would be nice to give people the chance to experience it for themselves for a weekend or a holiday."
The container - with the permission of the local municipality - is on the property where their house once stood."It is very deceptive. If you were blindfolded and put inside the cottage, you would never guess that you were actually inside a single 12m container," Durrheim said.
"It is small but actually quite spacious. It has everything you need, except perhaps a dishwasher."
According to property investment company IP Global, millennials are opting for "an 'on-demand' lifestyle that delivers on location over space".
George Radford, head of the company's Africa division, said: "Younger demographics - including students, young professionals and start-up entrepreneurs who aspire to live in large cities as a lifestyle choice - find micro-apartments attractive because they are more concerned with getting out and exploring new places than spending time indoors."
Harry Smith*, 34, a first-time homeowner, was shut out of the Cape Town property market because of exorbitant prices.
But hope for Smith came when the Dogon Group launched a micro-living development in Woodstock. The group is offering units from a 21m² studio at R799000 to a 75m² two-bedroom apartment at around R950,000.Dogon Group MD Rob Stefanutto said 70% of the scheme had already been sold. "The apartments offer a complete integrated living solution with every possible space being used," he said. Included in the deal are integrated beds, 40-inch smart TVs and kitchen appliances like "Smeg toasters and kettles".
Container-homeowner Finton Cassidy, of Tzaneen, said his little home had allowed him to enter the property market without actually owning real estate.
"I live in a luxury container that will pay for itself in three years. Container housing used to be for weird students, but now professional people and the more eco-conscious are embracing it."
Berman-Kalil Housing Concepts, a Cape Town company that specialises in converting containers to homes, has sold more than 120 fully fitted containers locally and internationally. They range from 6m bachelor pads to 12m units, with prices ranging from R139,000 to R229,000.
"We have spent a lot of time refining our processes and materials so it doesn't feel like living in a shipping container," said Bradley Berman, co-founder of the company.
One of South Africa's first nano-pods - a prefabricated home offering 26m² of living space that can accommodate two people - is being used as an artist's residency unit in Muldersdrift.
Architect Clara da Cruz Almeida joined forces with product design company Dokter and Misses to create nano-pods that potentially open the property market up to young South Africans."It's an ideal starter home or getaway; it sleeps two in the mezzanine," said Almeida.
"Downstairs can accommodate a guest and doubles as a studio or laundry room. The outdoor deck encourages indoor-outdoor living.
"Complete with custom-made furniture, delivered with all finishes and services installed, on-grid or off-grid, the non-permanent structure can be moved to any other site in the future as long as you have 64m² of open space," she said.
FNB property analyst John Loos said there had been a gradual increase in creativity "when it comes to affordable housing alternatives".
"It's an increasingly constrained household financial situation for the country, and as these constraints intensify, smaller units are more sought after," Loos said.
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