Man lives in skip for £50 a month due to ‘crazy’ rents

A struggling artist has decided to move into a skip in protest of high rents in London.

Harrison Marshall, 28, has been living in the skip house since January this year and has attracted a lot of attention from passersby interested in his quirky accommodation.

“All the neighbours are incredibly friendly,” said Harrison. “If I’m outside for five minutes, I’ll have at least one or two people from the area come up to me and ask what I’m doing and how I am.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SKIP House (@theskiphouse)

Skip House was built in a collaboration between Marshall’s Caukin Studio and Skip Gallery, the latter of which has created a number of art projects involving skips, including a skip ice-cream parlour and a skip library.

MORE: 9 most creative uses of a skip we’ve ever seen

The unique abode – in Bermondsey, south-east London – is made up of an eight-yard skip kitted out with an insulated timber frame and a barrel roof.

To keep costs down, Harrison negotiated a great deal on the skip hire at a mere £50 a month (SunSkips offers great value on skip hire in East Anglia, but not quite that good) and spent £4,000 on building the home itself.

With no plumbing in Skip House, Harrison has to pop out to a portaloo and rinse off at the gym or at work. The interior of the unconventional property is decorated with artwork from friends and will soon boast an energy source to power a cooker and heater.

Image courtesy of Katie Edwards 📸 / SKIP House / Caukin Studio

But according to the artist, it’s not a lifestyle he would wish on anyone.

He said, “No-one should have to live in a skip.

“I don’t expect other people to pursue this or replicate it. In fact, it’s very hard to replicate… It’s more of a statement and something which tackles or talks about the issue in a light-hearted way and highlights just how crazy it is to live in central London.

“For me to live in this area, this was the only option for me to do that, which is just mad.”

Image courtesy of Katie Edwards 📸 / SKIP House / Caukin Studio

Harrison was shocked to discover how difficult it was to find accommodation in London after having worked abroad in 2022.

“People were getting hundreds of messages for a single room,” he said. “It was at the point where if you weren’t willing to put your deposit down the same day as viewing it, you didn’t really stand a chance.”

But although Harrison doesn’t recommend the skip house life, he’s certainly not short of guests desperate to catch a glimpse of the inside of such an odd place to live.

Harrison added, “I’ve had friends come over already, everyone wants to come and see the new place!”

SunSkips does not recommend using any of our containers as a home, but they’re excellent for clearouts, landscaping and construction projects! Get in touch with our team for a quote, or book online at sunskips.co.uk 

Feature image courtesy of Katie Edwards 📸 / SKIP House / Caukin Studio