Ship ship hurray! British family move into dream home in Colombian mountains they built entirely from shipping containers for £52,000

• Fiona Rivadeneira, 43 builds dream Colombian home using shipping containers 
• Surrey-born actor and her husband completed their gruelling 18-month project 
• Couple are now putting finishing touches on the unique £52,000 property 

A British family will move into their dream home tucked away in the lush Colombian mountains after building it entirely from shipping containers for £52,000. 

Actor Fiona Rivadeneira, 43, had long dreamed of building her own home in an exotic location when she grew up in the suburbs of Surrey.

Once she found the perfect location in the Colombian mountains, Ms Rivadeneira and her husband, Juan Carlos, 46, took the unusual step of using old shipping containers to build a new place for their family to grow up.

After an 18 month battle which included logistical headaches in hauling multiple containers up the mountain, the couple are putting the finishing touches on their unique £52,000 project.

The couple and their two children, Sofia, 11, and Sebastian, 10, are now finally preparing to move into the stunning property.

For the same price, you can currently buy a single car parking space in a multi-storey car park in Islington.

At first friends reacted with disbelief to Fiona’s unusual plans and said it would be impossible to even get the 40ft shipping containers to the site.

Fiona said: ‘People said we were crazy to try and get the materials up a winding mountain road and often asked us why are we building with containers?

‘Now when they see the transformation, they say wow.’

Actor Fiona Rivadeneira, 43, and her husband, Juan Carlos, 46 had long dreamed of building her own house in an exotic location. They eventually decided on the remote Colombian mountains for their dream family home

After a 12 month battle which included logistical headaches in hauling multiple containers up the mountain, the couple are putting the finishing touches on their £52,000 project

The 43 year-old actress describes herself as a country girl who loves nature and wanted to build her own home.

The renovation started in June 2020 on the site of a house which had collapsed due to a flood.

Fiona added: ‘We built on top of a house which had collapsed due to a flood, and had then been slowly taken apart.

‘We had to take down some chimneys and old bits of wall to get the containers up.’

Fiona started the design and building process by looking at similar designs online and then asked an architect to draw up a house layout.

Fiona said: ‘We took it from there with a builder and his team.

‘I was in charge of buying materials, organising and overseeing the builders and I loved it.

‘I felt in my element and I am learnt so much. It’s cost roughly 250 million Colombian pesos – around £52,000.

‘The stress was normal, but I had absolute faith that I could do it, I never doubted that.’

At first friends reacted with disbelief to Fiona’s unusual plans and said it would be impossible to even get the 40ft shipping containers to the site.

Inside the modern and spacious kitchen in Fiona’s new home entirely fashioned from disused shipping containers

The veranda will provide stunning views of the remote Colombian mountains in the summer

Fiona added: ‘I have always had a fascination for containers and would look at pictures and ideas online.

‘I love reusing and recycling, seeing something transform into something else that is useful and I love their shape and adaptability.

‘I took as many precautions as I could possibly foresee.

‘There are mistakes now that I regret, but everything can be fixed with money and effort.

‘For example we should have put in some extra foundation columns because one of the containers slightly buckled, so we have put two more columns underneath to support it.’

But after a year, Fiona’s vision was almost complete and now her favourite room is her bedroom.

She said: ‘I love my bedroom with its big windows, light and beautiful view. I love the terraces as well.

‘Reusing all the window frames from an old apartment was a good thing, the container can be adapted to anything, you just cut and go.

‘We are still work in progress, we have more terrace roofs to put up, glass coverings, curtains, closets, and beautiful gardens to surround the container.’

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