A company is upcycling old shipping containers used to bring PPE (personal protective equipment) to the UK during the pandemic into - bespoke 'eco-lodges'. Cousins Eddy Peet, 25, and Freddy Goodall, 24, convert the containers into plush living spaces packed with all mod cons. Each unit, which cost £40,000 each and take approximately three months to convert, are suitable for both permanent and temporary accommodation. The pair, who both have a background in construction, launched Coolhurst Lodges, in Horsham, West Sussex, in April 2022. The containers were originally brought to the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic bringing PPE on a one-trip voyage and are sourced from a local business. They are currently converting the containers to be sold as individual homes, but they hope to expand into more commercial ventures such as holiday sites. Eddy Peet said: "We have created a start-up specialising in shipping container adaption, for both, residential and commercial purposes. "Presently, we just sell the containers. However, we have an ongoing planning application to create a site in order to rent them out as short-term holiday lets. "We currently carry out the majority of labour on the containers ourselves and have a team of contractors to assist in the technical side of things - electricians, plumbers etc. "We also create and manage everything social media/marketing related ourselves." Dubbed 'eco-lodges', the container homes, as well as being comfortable, boast a wide array of benefits for the environment. The building materials are locally sourced and the carbon footprint is reduced due to the lack of concrete and bricks. The containers are also more energy efficient thanks to their size with metal being a particularly good conductor of heat. Eddy added: "Our adopted shipping containers are environmentally conscious due to various reasons. "They have the potential to be fully powered by reusable energy (solar panels). "Often shipping containers sit dormant in warehouses or shipyards after their first use, due to the fact it’s cheaper to receive new shipping containers than it is to send back empty ones". Coolhurst Lodges use both 20-foot and 40-foot containers, depending on the size needed for the project. The dimensions are, 6.1m long x 2.44m wide x 2.89m high or 12.19m long x 2.44m wide x 2.89m high. The floorplans show a bathroom at one end, with the bedroom at the other, with an open-plan kitchen and living area in between.