I spent £4,000 converting a container into a compact house in London

A frugal man has tried to sidestep the cost of living crisis by moving into a converted container for which he pays just £50 a month.

Harrison Marshall, 28, started living in the specially adapted container on a patch of grass in Bermondsey, south-east London, a month ago.

The artist, from south London, explained that this was the only way he could afford to live in the central area near where he works.

He plans to live in the converted dumpster for a year with the intention of drawing attention to the “insane” price of renting a room in the British capital during the cost-of-living crisis.

Mr Marshall returned to London after a spell abroad and said he was struggling to find accommodation due to housing shortages.

Mr. Marshall in the container, which he has converted into a home. He plans to live in it for a year

He applied ‘Skip House’ in black to the classic yellow container normally used for construction waste

He explained, “As was the case with thousands of people in the city and across the country, prices had gone crazy.

“Rent was insane and even if I found something that was in my price range, like 100 others would be looking for that room.”

UK consumer price inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1 percent in October and remains in the double digits, fueling a cost-of-living crisis as wages fail to keep pace with rising food and household bills.

Mr Marshall has made a small kitchen in his tiny house and has access to the neighbour’s garden hose

Mr Marshall spent £4,000 building a timber canopy with a curved roof and attaching it to a lorry bed and was given the land by an arts charity

Mr. Marshall has explained how the dumpster has given him the chance to make a small house for himself

He was even able to create a garden path that leads to an access ladder and a portable toilet in the corner of the site

Mr Marshall’s creative solution to the problem was to spend £4,000 building a wooden canopy with a curved roof and attaching it to a container.

Inside it has a small kitchen and a mezzanine sleeping area.

He applied ‘Skip House’ in black to the classic yellow container normally used for construction waste.

He continued: ‘The container gave me the opportunity to make my own tiny house.’

Inside it has a small kitchen and a sleeping area on the mezzanine floor, which here is decked out in Christmas 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 Skiphuis is only ten minutes by bike from his office and he has access to water via a garden hose from the neighbor’s yard

An arts charity has loaned him the land and Mr. Marshall has even been able to construct a garden path leading to an access ladder and portable toilet in the corner of the grounds.

However, he showers at work, which is only a ten minute bike ride away, or the gym, and has access to water through a garden hose from the neighbour’s house.

He said, “All the neighbors are actually great. Everyone supports me a lot.

“I have neighbors who bring homemade meals.”

He added: “That’s a huge bonus to the whole project, just that this area seems to have a really good community.”