Life in the skip: meet the artist making a statement about London’s renting crisis
Sean Boyle / July 23 / Housing
We are all familiar with skips – those hulking yellow shapes that sit outside houses, often overflowing with building waste, raw materials and the odd crisp packet. While opinion may be split as to whether they are useful storage tools, or simply local eyesores, most would agree that they are not a place you would like to call home.
However, Harrison Marshall, 28, is not most people. He is the (literal) architect behind the ‘Skip House’ – a residential project that is equal parts home, cultural landmark and statement on London’s twin renting and cost-of-living crises. The ‘property’ is located in Bermondsey, Southeast London, on a barren plot of land nestled between two houses, and sits among patches of flowers, shrubbery and a small vegetable garden.
Marshall, who is the co-founder of the architecture firm CAUKIN Studios, first approached the idea of living in a skip as necessary evil in response to the crippling cost of renting in the nation’s capital. When asked about the genesis of the idea, he said: “When I first moved here, prices were somewhat manageable, but in the last few years they have skyrocketed. I had the choice of moving out of the city, getting into debt, or doing something drastic.”
That “something drastic” took the form of a builders skip (3.6m x 1.8m in size), which, with the help of colleagues and friends, he remodelled to be waterproof, insulated and contain an office space, heater, cooker and sleeping area. The shell has been reinforced to ensure his safety and the interior has been decorated with artwork donated from colleagues, friends and fellow members of the SKIP Gallery artist initiative – of which Marshall is a member.
During our interview, Marshall stated that while the initial start-up costs were “upwards of £4000 for the cost of raw materials and the hours put in to building the shell” and that “annual rent for the plot of land would be round £600”, the £4600 price tag came well under the average annual rent cost of a zone 2 London property, which was reported to be approximately £18,000 for a two-bedroom flat (in 2023).
When questioned on the practicalities of living in the property, Marshall noted: “Showering is a bit of a lengthy, but very possible, process. I mostly use either work or gym facilities. I have access to electricity grid from the landowner who I am leasing the plot from.”
He continued to discuss how the project had developed in scope and scale since its initial conception and seems to have “really resonated” with the under-30 demographic of renters – who have been hit hardest by the spike in prices. Although pleased with the feedback he has received, Marshall stressed that it was unwise for others to attempt to follow in his direct footsteps, as the completion of the Skip House was only possible due to his architectural experience, and the help of a friend who was permitting him the plot to stay on and granting him access to the electrical grid.
The story of the Skip House has not just resonated with those living in the capital. Avid social media buzz around the project has elevated it from a personal endeavour to a symbol of renting inequality and the shortage of affordable housing that is being felt nation-wide. Rents in and out of London have spiked as much as 9.9% between 2021 and 2023, which has forced some to move outside of the city or move in with friends and family.
Zac Horne, 26, an engineer who previously lived with his partner in a two-bedroom flat in Waterloo, “had to move north, outside of the M25”, as the increase in renting prices city-wide had made it “impossible” to save for a potential mortgage or eventual property ownership. He continued that that despite “creative solutions” such as Marshall’s being “a fantastic way to stress the pressures we’re all under just to have a roof over our heads”, the crisis needed to be “seriously addressed” by London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, whose response thus far has been “pretty underwhelming” and “seemingly non-existent.”
The very existence of the Skip House brings into question the larger issues of functionality, survivability and practicality of life within the M25. The notion of living in remodelled waste units feels like it has just walked off the pages of Orwell’s 1984, or a particularly innovative, if not ridiculous, episode of Grand Designs. While stories such as Marshall’s speak to the adaptability of individuals in times of economic stress, there are many that will be unable to replicate such efforts or have access to the materials and resources to avoid debt or a severe drop in available income. Action is needed by London City Council to address the situation, before the crisis deepens further.