I built a tiny ‘UFO’ home straight out of the 70s - the whole thing costs just £50,000 and comes with cool features
Michael Hansen
Published Sep 15, 2026
A SPACE enthusiast built a £50,000 tiny "UFO" home straight out of the 70s that is packed with some mind-blowing features.
Nick Mcquoid restored and renovated the spaceship house that is located in Christchurch, New Zealand.
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The futuristic home, also known as a Futuro House, was originally designed in 1968 by Matti Suuronen as a blueprint for what people originally thought modern houses would look like.
And with only a handful of UFO homes built, Nick got his hands on one and transformed it into an incredible, extra-terrestrial masterpiece.
In an interview with the YouTube channel Living Big In A Tiny House, the homeowner said: "Only 100 were built and 12 of them were in New Zealand and there's only about 60 left worldwide".
The rare futuristic home renovation was inspired by Nicks love for spaceships as a child, so when he came across the opportunity to purchase one of the bizarre structures - he jumped at the chance.
Speaking to the channel, Nick told how the entire home is made from fiberglass, with a layer of foam insulation between the sheets to retain heat in the building.
The UFO house is eight metres wide and four metres high but many guests are left stunned at how much more spacious it actually feels.
Nick spent one year renovating the original Futuro home into the modern, liveable structure it is today.
Outside the home are two buttons - a red one and a green one - which control the hatch to get in and out of the home.
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After pressing the red button, a set of stairs extends from the house - tying into the intergalactic theme.
The stairs lead to a foyer with a bright blue wall and oval windows where colourful Teletubby figurines keep watch alongside potted plants.
Nick then shows viewers the small kids bedroom that has a bunk bed and the matching circular UFO windows.
Then the spaceship enthusiast reveals the bathroom, dotted with alien figurines and a colourful spotted showercurtain.
"This room you can get wet from the roof all the way down to the floor no issue," Nick explained, thanks to the fiberglass being completely waterproof.
The main living area is filled with 70's inspired décor including vibrant, patterned pillows, a long red sofa, purple curtains and a green chandelier.
"This is as close to an original Futaro house that you can get in the world," Nick said.
The room is also stacked full of memorabilia such as 70s televisions and an old-fashioned radio.
Nick even fit a kitchen into the space, while keping the retro UFO theme running through the space.
"This is all moulded out of fiberglass as well," Nick said, "so the whole point of Futuro is that it was all made out of moulds so everything is made out of fiberglass".
Finally, the renovator showed viewers the impressive bedroom that is tucked away behind a hidden wall.
"The layout I've done here is exactly to spec from the original [Futaro home]," Nick revealed.
But not only did he deck out the interior with cool, futuristic features, but he also did some "outrageous things" with the outdoor lighting.
The entire structure is lined with LED lighting as Nick's vision was for home to look as if it had jumped straight out of Avatar.
And as it sits next to a pool, colourful statues, a sauna and a colourful seating area, the whole setting looks as if it has been plucked straight from the galaxy.
Nick's Airbnb post of the "Dome" states that it can sleep up to nine and has a whopping 4.98 star review.
One previous visitor wrote: "WOW!! The online photos were pretty amazing but not as wow as being there in person. It was like being in your own private resort, it had everything you needed, plus more".
Another said: "Incredible otherworldly stay! You have to visit to believe. Decor is impeccable and there is so much to do at the property. 100% worth it!"
A third added: "Such an amazing place to stay with the family. Facilities have everything you could possibly need and the 60s/70s details are a nice touch. 10/10 would come back".
Nick paid £40,000 for the unit when it was in a "pretty bad state," before he had to fork out another £2,360 to helicopter it out in three pieces.
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He then worked effortlessly on transforming it into the incredible home it is today.
This comes after a DIY whizz built an iconic Beatles-inspired yellow submarine tiny home as a side hustle and now makes a fortune from renting it as an Airbnb.
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