Smaller in Texas
Texas architect Jim Poteet helped Stacey Hill, who lives in a San Antonio artists’ community, wrangle an empty steel shipping container into a playhouse, a garden retreat and a guesthouse for visiting artists. The container measures a narrow and long 8 by 40 feet; Hill asked that a portion of the square footage be retained as a garden shed and the rest serve as the living space. The architect added floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows, heating and air-conditioning, a green roof, bamboo flooring and wallcovering, a small sink and shower and a composting toilet, and placed the structure on a base made from recycled telephone poles. “The container, as we call it, is a great escape for me because the space is pure, uncluttered, wonderfully sunlit, quiet and has a great view of my garden,” says Hill. “My two young daughters love it because it’s practically an empty box ready to play, create and pretend in.”
Check out the slideshow to see more images of the project.
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I absolutely love this container. It seems that we've simultaneously been building somewhat similar studios in our backyard. Mine is a bit less polished and more industrial, but I love it all the same. I've had similar plans for a green roof and cantilever planters and will likely move forward soon.This one is VERY COOL. I hope to see more of this re-use of otherwise wasted structures. Bravo.
I meant to leave my website/blog as well. http://shippingcontainerstudio.blogspot.com/
Cool. Kudos to PA.
Very cool. But, it's going to be a bummer when the wooden support beams that the container is sitting on, rot.
Fantastic. An outstanding example of what can be done. After planning my retirement home for 30 years, and spending more on architectural books than the house will cost, I finally found the ideal house: a 16x70 mobile home, which is really just a bigger container. It's a no-brainer - everything is complete and built in. Move in and start living. Lots of possibilities to alter the basic structure, like adding decks and lean-to greenhouses. Modern mobiles have high ceilings and quality material. Not your bubba house any more. I'll strip away the vinyl siding and replace it with corrugated steel.
Paul, we've recently purchased a 32 x 70 doublewide for exactly the same reason. Once our teenager moves on we're hoping to move it to a place outside town. Meanwhile, the amenities of the community make this a nice place to live. And I'm enjoying the front and back porches as well as the pavilion with my bbq. I'll be eligible to retire in about 10 years, exactly the same time as I'm finishing the mortgage. Great minds think alike!
Not bad, but shipping container conversions are rapidly becoming a worn out idiom. By the time you are done with all the necessary and desired modifications, you have spent more money and time than if you had started the design from scratch...and you still have an ugly steel shipping container. What makes this particular one nicer is its surroundings and that's about it. Its scary to consider, but perhaps this trend is a portent of what desperate measures humans will have to take in the future in order to have minimal safe shelter...like when the earth's population hits 20 billion.
Great work. Industrial simplicity with vibrant colors. Fantastic. A very nice post-modernistic interpretation of Mieses "Less is more". Most of modern projects are Less is Bore. But this one is definitely more. Rock-n-roll, baby. http://archialternative.com/2010/07/30/architecture-rock-n-roll-are-dead/
Love the colors - the blue and the orange and the creative reuse of existing materials in an innovative way. Here are some other cool shipping container redesigns: http://www.urbansherp.com/shipping-container-homes
Beautiful. Very cool. But what was the budget? Why do they leave out this essential detail, would it be just too depressing for the rest of us?
A really lovely example of a container based studio / workspace. Like christine I would have been interested in the budget.
How much????Would I be better off buyng a trailor like trimtab 21 says????
Materials and architect's fees were not revealed, but the container was in the several-thousand-dollar range, and as the architect told me, it was relatively cheap to hire a crane for about $250/day to move it around.
Yeah, I'm not sure I get it. The cost to retrofit the container can not be less than it would cost to build a simple structure of a similar size to your own specifications. If the container is salvaged and recycling/conservation is the point, then OK. Otherwise, ???
Yeah.....Reclamationdesign, Depending on the finish out and materials chosen....I've found that it IS, in fact, cheaper than standard construction and will last a lot longer too. There are other side benefits like the ease of relocation and transportation of it being cheap. There's also the obvious fact that if you built this using standard construction and utilized wood-framed walls (the cheapest route) then the option of having trick features like a heavy cantilevered planter or green roof would make the cost of construction sky-rocket to deal with the extra load and forces. This is one structure that will need MUCH less maintenance and refurbishment over time. The strength of it all is simply unparalleled.
Great work! Would love to see more projects like this finished. More details on the steps of creation would be nice...
Some people get it, some people don't. As a contractor I can tell you it is more expensive to build a subfloor, frame the walls and roof, install roofing, put siding on a paint similar structure than it is to buy a used shipping container which go for about $1800. They did not even have to paint the outside of this one. It is apparent that some of the people posting have no idea how expensive a new build is. That said this is one of the nicer single unit ones I have seen which fufills its stated purpose nicely. Well done.
Curious if there are any planning controls that would stop this type of construction elsewhere in San Antonio? Currently looking at land in the area - but have never owned land before (been a renter until present)
hello I am very interested in the Jim Poteet container guest house but can't connect to his web site please would you have any email address to give me to contact him ? thanks best RM
Prob. be an oven in the summer.
It seems these things are mostly pie in the sky dreams. In Texas, there are a few companies that claim to offer these. Some are even listed with photos of container cabins on their websites. However, it seems this is not a feasible market and/or the people offering them are unprofessional. I called one Falcon Container after seeing their website listing, yet they say they dont even sell them. If you dont offer it, then take it off the website and stop claiming they are available. For whatever reason, it seems these are not economically feasible. If this was a realistic option, you would see various models with listed prices, a few live models you could tour. http://www.falconcontainers.com/40-shipping-container-home-layouts/
I love this studio! Wish it were in my back yard. I currently live in a caboose and have been searching for a way to put an art studio / gardening space in back of the lot . The compost toilet takes care of septic worry. Love the light that was created with widows. The roof top garden is truly over the top. This would be a perfect addition to my caboose. With containers for sale close by....i just need to be hooked up with the right people. Anybody know somebody in dyi looking for unique prodject please send my way! Awesome job! My woman cave dream!
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