Our quirky Airbnb airship site makes us £100,000 per year... now we're putting it up for sale

If you are looking for an unusual place to stay in the Scottish Highlands, they don't come much more quirky than this. 

Architect Roderick James, 79, and his wife, Amanda Markham, 73, an interior designer, are the proud owners of a holiday home complex overlooking the Sound of Mull which includes its very own Airbnb airship. 

Aluminium-clad AirShip 002, which the couple built themselves, is one of Britain's most wish-listed properties on the website. 

Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of a streamlined airship, the property has a curved form and distinctive dragonfly windows. Every detail, inside and outside, has been carefully designed. 

Roderick qualified as an architect in 1974, launching his own firm, Roderick James Architects, the same year. Roderick and Amanda now run a firm, Out of the Blue, together. 

The idea for AirShip 002 was first conceived in 2016, when Roderick and Amanda bought the piece of land on which it sits. 

Roderick told This is Money: 'We already lived in a house we built nearby, so the new site was always intended to be a business opportunity.'

A client of Roderick's had initially been interested in having a home built on the new site, but that didn't pan out, so a different use for the plot had to be found.  

Always brimming with ideas, in 2017 Roderick decided to embark on a 'fun project', designing and building a tiny airship-style property. 

It was completed and in storage when he decided to move it to the site he'd purchased.

'We had, as you do, a spare airship and wanted to put it to use,' Roderick said. 

Roderick said: 'At first we weren’t intending to rent it. We just thought it would be an ideal location, but then it became incredibly popular. Sandi Toksvig once described it as "like a womb with a view".'

Building on the success of AirShip 002, in 2019 Roderick decided to build a new property on the four-acre plot of land, PilotHouse PH5. 

PilotHouse PH5 is a two-storey submarine-style mini home, comprising an oval-shaped living space on the first floor with a bedroom, study and shower room on the ground floor. A balcony overlooks Tobermory and out to the sea.

Roderick said: 'Everyone is so used to living in rectangular boxes, so with Pilot House and the other sites, we wanted to create something completely different.'

Completing the Airbnb trio of properties on the site is The Captain's Cabin. 

This property has a nautical-inspired interior, authentic marine artefacts and a rooftop balcony. Some of the chairs inside come from the former Arcadia passenger cruise ship. 

The site is also home to The Old Chapel, located below The Captain’s Cabin, which currently serves as a two-bedroom accommodation for owners or housekeepers.  

In total, the Scottish site generates an income of around £100,000 a year, but Roderick thinks it could be higher under new ownership. 

'It is an extraordinary site, and wildlife spotters can see anything from otters to deer nearby,' he added.  

The entire site is now for sale, as the couple shift their priorities and look to spend more time abroad. 

Roderick said: 'Our Airbnb venture has been incredibly successful, but it is time for a change and we are selling up. 

'We have set up a major charity in Rwanda, where I was born, and are focusing most of our efforts on that instead. It's time for someone else to take it all on and make a living from it.'

The site is listed for sale for offers over £750,000 with Savills. 

Roderick added: 'I think the site in Scotland could appeal to many people, including perhaps an investor or someone in a city like London or Glasgow who wants to up sticks and enjoy a completely different way of life. 

'Someone could sell their flat in London and own our site in Scotland instead. We only used the Airbnb platform, so if the complex was marketed on more platforms, I think it could make more money.'

Roderick believes that if the site was at 100 per cent occupancy throughout the year, it would still only require around 12 hours a week of work to maintain and run.