Builder, 40, says he saves £600 a month by living in eco-home he built in his mate’s garden

A builder who lives in a small, minimalist eco-home that he built in his friend’s garden says he saves £600 a month.

Chris Marsh, 40, is used to living in tiny homes as he has done so over the past five years, on and off. 

Last year he created a mini wooden home to fit in his friend’s back garden in Riding Mill, Northumberland.

The builder said he used to rent a two-bedroom house in Hexham, which cost him £800 a month, with bills coming to a total of £135 in 2018 – before the cost of living crisis and energy increases.

However, now he says his expenses come to £150 a month, which he pays to live on the plot of land and his electricity bill comes to £80 a month. But it allows him to leave his underfloor heating on all day. 

Mr Marsh gets his water for free, as the homeowners who he pays to live in their garden are on a standard rate. 

Mr Marsh told The Mirror: ‘I’d always had a vision of building something and living in it and living in a garden rather than a traditional house.

‘When you rent, it’s just disposable money that you never get back really. Building something of my own was a bit of a win-win.’ 

Although he said there was other costs involved with building the mini-home, Mr Marsh says that he believes it is worth it as it saves him hundreds of pounds a month. 

He says that he enjoys the freedom that tiny homes provide – such as not worrying about landlords or committing to a mortgage.

According to RightMove, houses in the NE44 area, which includes Riding Mill, had an overall average price of £345,167 over the last year. 

His former home was 180 square feet but it was too large for this plot of land, so he had to build a smaller property.  

Mr Marsh lives around 15 to 20 metres away from the houseowners, but luckily he says he ‘gets on well’ with them. 

The micro-house comes with a fully-fitted kitchen with an oven and a two-burner hob, a living space, a bathroom, a mezzanine bedroom with a double bed and a separate bedroom with enough space for just a mattress on the floor.

Mr Marsh has his own business, with a team of five, where they builds and sells these mini-homes to people across the UK, who say they wish they had moved into one ‘years ago’. 

The homes are fully mobile, although most are made to fit on particular spots. 

He even offers curious people the chance to stay to stay in one of their tiny homes for £150 a night. 

Mr Marsh says his future plans involve buying his own land and to build one with a ‘totally different design and lay out’.