shipping container prefab guest house

12 Prefab Guesthouses You’ll Want to Put in Your Own Backyard

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Texas architect Jim Poteet helped Stacey Hill, who lives in a San Antonio artists’ community, wrangle an empty steel shipping container into a playhouse, garden retreat, and guesthouse for visiting artists. The container—the prefabricated element in this construction—measures a narrow and long 8-by-40 feet. The architect added floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows; heating and air conditioning; a green roof; bamboo flooring and wallcovering; and a small sink, shower, and composting toilet, and placed the structure on a base made from recycled telephone poles.