I spent £4,000 converting a skip into a compact home in London after the rental market went ‘crazy’ – now my living costs are just £50 per month
A thrifty man has attempted to swerve the cost of living crisis by moving into a converted skip that he pays just £50 a month for.
Harrison Marshall, 28, moved into the specially adapted skip on a patch of grass in Bermondsey a month ago.
The artist, from south London, explained that it was the only way he could afford to live in the central area near where he works.
He plans to live in the converted rubbish skip for a year with the intention of drawing attention to the ‘crazy’ price of renting a room in Britain’s capital during the cost of living crisis.
Mr Marshall returned to London after a period abroad and said he struggled to find somewhere to live given the shortage of housing.
Artist Harrison Marshall, 28, (pictured) converted a builder’s skip into a home for himself to he could live in London close to work
Harrison pictured inside the skip, which he has converted into a home. He plans to live in the slip for a year
He has emblazoned ‘Skip House’ in black across the classic yellow container normally used for builder’s waste
He explained: ‘As was the case with thousands of people across the city and across the country, the prices had gone crazy.
‘Rent was mad and even if I found somewhere that was in my price zone, then there’d be 100 others or so looking for that room.’
British consumer price inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October and remains in double digits, fuelling a cost of living crisis, as wages have failed to keep pace with rising food and household bills.
Harrison has managed to create a small kitchen inside of his tiny home and has access to a neighbour’s hose pipe
Harrison spent £4,000 building a wooden hood with a curved roof and fixing it onto a skip and has been granted the land from an arts charity
Harrison has explained how the skip has been able to provide him with the opportunity to make a small home for himself
Harrison has even been able to create a garden path leading up to an entrance ladder and a portable lavatory in the corner of the site
Harrison’s creative solution to the problem was to spend £4,000 building a wooden hood with a curved roof and fixing it onto a skip.
Inside, he has a small kitchen and a mezzanine bed space.
He has emblazoned ‘Skip House’ in black across the classic yellow container normally used for builder’s waste.
He continued: ‘The skip provided me the kind of opportunity to make my own tiny little house.’
Inside, he has a small kitchen and a mezzanine bed space, which is pictured here decked out with fairy lights
Harrison wants to live in the skip house for a year to raise awareness about how expensive it is to rent a room in London
The Skip House is only a 10-minute bike ride away and he has access to water from a hose pipe from a neighbour’s property
An arts charity has lent him the land and Harrison has even been able to create a garden path leading up to an entrance ladder and a portable lavatory in the corner of the site.
He showers at work however, which is only a 10-minute bike ride away, or the gym, and has access to water from a hose pipe from a neighbour’s property.
He said: ‘All the neighbours are amazing, actually. Everyone’s very supportive.
‘I’ve got neighbours coming and bringing homemade meals.’
He added: ‘That’s a massive bonus to the whole project is just that this area seems to have a really good community.’
