From Containers to Cozy: How One Family Built Their Dream Home for Just £52k

For Fiona Rivadeneira, a 43-year-old mum from Surrey, and her husband, Juan Carlos, 46, this dream became a reality when they constructed their family home for the remarkable cost of just £52,000—equivalent to the price of a single parking space in London’s Islington district.

This innovative and eco-friendly project wasn’t just about creating a place to live but also about reusing materials and fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Here’s the story of how they turned an unconventional idea into a dream home.

Dreaming Big: A Vision for a Unique Home

Fiona Rivadeneira had long harbored dreams of building her own home. With a passion for recycling and a fascination with shipping containers, she envisioned constructing a house that would not only be functional but also sustainable.

Alongside her husband, Juan Carlos, she embarked on a journey to create a home in the scenic mountains of Colombia, far removed from their life in Surrey.

The decision to use recycled shipping containers wasn’t just a random choice—it was driven by Fiona’s deep-rooted interest in upcycling and sustainability.

By using materials that would otherwise go to waste, the couple hoped to craft a home that reflected both their eco-conscious values and Fiona’s creative vision.

Their children, Sofia, 11, and Sebastian, 10, also played a role in the decision, as Fiona wanted to teach them the importance of reusing and recycling in a world increasingly dominated by consumerism.

Overcoming Challenges: Building in the Mountains

Building a house in the mountains comes with its own set of unique challenges, but transporting shipping containers to a remote location adds an entirely new layer of complexity.

Fiona and Juan Carlos had to figure out how to get the heavy containers up a winding mountain road to their chosen build site.

It wasn’t an easy task, and many people questioned their decision.

“People thought we were crazy,” Fiona admits. “They couldn’t understand why we would want to build with shipping containers, especially in such a difficult location.”

However, Fiona and Juan Carlos remained undeterred. With the help of a skilled builder and his team, they managed to transport the containers and begin work on what would eventually become their family home.

The couple had to take down old chimneys and walls from a previous structure that had collapsed due to flooding.

This allowed them to place the shipping containers on the existing foundations, which saved time and resources.

Despite the initial struggles, they completed the basic structure in just 12 months—an impressive feat for such a unique and complex project.

The Build: A Labor of Love

Fiona didn’t just leave the construction to the professionals—she was heavily involved in the entire building process.

As the project manager, she was in charge of purchasing materials, organizing the builders, and overseeing the daily progress.