Shipping Container Guest Home

Shipping Container Guest Home AG WORLD “Most of the time when people re-use a shipping container in Texas they turn it into a hunting shack a tool crib or maybe storage on their farm ” says Jim Poteet an architect from San Antonio who turned an electric blue 40 by 8-ft container into a very contemporary guest house     Poteet’s client for the unique project was Stacey Hill an artist and mother of two girls who wanted to turn a shipping container into a guest house and oversized playroom in her San Antonio back yard Hill paid less than $6 000 for the container and had a crane place the bright blue 320 sq ft metal box in her yard     “Stacey lives in an artist’s community so she wanted a unique design that was inviting and vibrant yet simple and functional ” says Poteet His design for about 2/3rd’s of the container is an open living area fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding glass door that maximizes light and air flow Spray foam insulation keeps the home cool in summer and warm in winter “The inside is insulated like an oversized Coleman cooler with 2 in of foam ” Poteet says     The bathroom is 4 by 8 ft with an electric composting toilet and an open shower It has a non-slip epoxy floor and the walls are red sheet metal A 10-ft section on one end is used for garden tools and storage Entrance is gained through the container’s original double-wide access doors which still have the I D numbers on them     Covering the structure is a rooftop garden that absorbs sunlight and collects rainfall Gray sink and shower water from the home can be used to water plants There’s an air space between the platform and the roof to provide a barrier that conserves energy for cooling A small energy-efficient air conditioner is used only on the hottest Texas days “It stays very comfortable inside ” says Poteet     The container sits on a base of telephone poles An 8-ft wide patio is made of plastic from recycled soda bottles and the exterior light fixtures were made with blades from an old disc plow     Hall says her container house is a great escape because the space is pure uncluttered wonderfully sunlit and has a great view of her garden Getting the design approved in the city of San Antonio required several planning meetings but Poteet says “anyone who lives in the country or a small town where restrictions are less of an issue could easily do something like this ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jim Poteet Poteet Architects 1114 S St Marys San Antonio Texas 78210 ph 210 281-9818; jim@poteetarchitects com; www poteetarchitects com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.