This Boeing 737 Is Now a 2-Level, 4-Person Backyard Retreat with a Jet Engine Jacuzzi

Steve fits the bill, because his airplane knowledge is limited to the fact that airplanes fly, as he admits himself. As it turns out, he didn’t really need to know more to get this amazing project off the ground – not in a literal sense, though, because this bird will never fly again. Steve’s project is an old, discarded Boeing 737-200 that he turned into a cozy home for as many as four people.

Steve is Steve Northam, an award-winning entrepreneur and university professor from the UK, with somewhat of a reputation for his preference for quirky projects like this one. Right now, he’s in the news for the way he’s been able to transform an old aircraft into a cozy backyard retreat slash home slash potential Airbnb rental. That last one will happen as soon as he gets approval from the local council, but he’s already doing the media rounds to promote it.

It would do a fine job promoting itself, because the conversion is impressive. Steve calls the final result the Marwell Mile High Club on the Steve-Air, offering incredible amenities as in-flight entertainment and WiFi, sleeping for four people, kitchenette and full bathroom, no luggage limits, and on-site barbecue area, with the jet engine jacuzzi teased in the headline. There’s also a full flight simulator located, you guessed it, in the cockpit. For a backyard retreat built out of the front and the nose of an airplane, this is quite something else.

Perhaps the funniest part is that Steve bought the 29-foot (8.8-meter) section of the airplane for “fun.” It might sound as if he did it on a whim, but whimsical behavior is the last thing you should expect from a savvy entrepreneur, so chalk this up to scripted, made-for-TV drama. The section came off one of the earliest 737s, so it probably rolled off the production line at the end of the ‘60s. Steve found tickets and leaflets hinting it was last operated by Tunisair.

Not that this would have made any difference in any significant way: he came across it on an auction website, where it’d been posted by Winchester College, which had used it for aircrew training for more than 15 years. It was a “bargain” for £5,000 ($6,058 at the current exchange rate), even if his plan of converting it wouldn’t have worked out, because he estimated he’d get more for it if he sold it for scrap.

Transporting the 737 section to his home outside of Winchester was another £4,000 ($4,850), to which Steve added £15,000 ($18,200) in the actual conversion, which lasted three full months and was documented on a March 2023 episode of the series George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. Steve kept whatever he could of the original plane, including three seats with the original seatbelts, the toilet, the overhead storage compartments, and signage on the walls throughout.

Everything else was brought in new, with extra pains to make the furniture fit inside this very uniquely-shaped space. Steve turned the cargo bay into the ground floor that holds the master bedroom, adding a plexiglass floor to allow some natural light inside. The first floor offers two more beds (singles, this time), a kitchenette over one of the emergency doors, a dining table that can also double as a work station, and a full bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink with vanity.

The most spectacular part of the build, though, is in the nose, where the original cockpit was once. This area has now been turned into a flight simulator, with a 49” curved 4K screen. It’s a boy’s toy, Steve told Clarke with a smile, and it will definitely add value to an already interesting experience for future tourists.

Outside the “home” is a relaxation area built around two jet engine cowlings Steve got from a parts dealer in Suffolk – at an extra charge, of course. One of them is a jacuzzi, while the other has been turned into a seating area. There’s also a BBQ and two regular lounges nearby, but it’s probably safe to say not many will be paying much attention to those.

Here’s Steve’s very homey take on the mile high club, if you’re looking for inspiration for similar conversions and fun projects. Converted aircraft homes aren’t exactly new, so it’s not like Steve is writing history with his, but it’s amazing to see new variations on the old theme. It’s also quite inspirational to see someone who’s not a “plane guy” breathe new life into an old, decrepit aircraft in the name of fun.