Along Elm Street in St. Charles is a a home that is turning heads. Not for the upside down windows, but the building materials. Eight shipping containers that traveled the world before Zack and Brie Smithey bought them and turned them into their home.
"We stacked them up and wielded them all together in a day," Zack explains.
The outside still needs some work, but step inside this steel structure and you might be surprised.
"Every time they walk up these stairs and enter this room they're like this is not what I expected. And that's a good thing I didn't want to do anything that somebody would expect."
It is a 3,100 square foot home filled with all sorts of reclaimed wood.
"These are all antique spindles just the way I found them," he points out.
The kitchen table is part of an old bowling lane. A couple of steps away an old fountain is now their bar.
"We drilled out the middle, installed plumbing so you can fill it up with ice and drinks and the ice just melts and goes down the drain."
It's a project this husband and wife started working on in May of 2016.
"This is a claw foot tub fixture and for a wash out you've got your shower head."
It's a home they built with mostly recycled stuff.
"These windows came from an old church, they're about 100 years old," Zack says.
A three bedroom, two and a half bath home.
"Our sinks are bird baths from World Outdoor Emporium," Brie explains.
The faucets in the half bath is a seashell Brie picked up in St. Martin.
"Even our toliet paper holder is repurposed," she says pointing to an antique ladder.
Every corner leads to another ohh or ahh.
"These are dowel rods from an old puppet factory that was going out of business." Brie says.
The crown molding and baseboards are pieces of an old pallet. There's an 8 by 8 pantry with an old door for a shelves.
"All of these countertops here are made out of wooden cable spools and they're covered in white paint. And then all the stair treads are wooden cable spool tops as well," Zack adds.
It is an artistic masterpiece which is fitting since Zack is an artist.
"That was one of the main features that we wanted out of the house, to have a lot of wall space to showcase the art," Zack says.
Every piece you see is his even the shower is a work of art. And well as far as those upside down windows.
"Well, they're not upside down any more because that's the way we want them," Zack adds.
To learn more about Zack's art go to zacksmithey.com
