A guy I know did this in a midlands town that I won't mention because he's still there. He leased a big industrial unit/small warehouse - the kind with a big storage space below a small office unit. It had a kitchen, toilets and a shower.

His way around the zoning issue is that he was officially registered as a resident at a buddy's house in the town, and he worked as a sole trader who needed to be "on call" sometimes, hence the sofa/bed/full living setup. He's been there for years, has a big car workshop in the warehouse area and a kind of party area with sofas, a projector, and a beer fridge. Upstairs is more or less a shoddy-looking apartment. I don't know how much he's paying, but when he moved in five years ago, it was almost nothing.

He seems happy out, has huge parties, friends over staying from other countries, builds dune buggies that he brings to competitions in Europe, does whatever he wants. However I think it's a pretty miserable way to live. The whole building is freezing all winter. He's living in an industrial estate outside the town that's literally desolate after six and at weekends. He has constant arguments/complaints with the council who are on to him. At night, there's boy racers making a racket.

Women also think his place is dire. He's always calling friends for spare rooms when he pulls, which is a step up since he used to try to bring girls to his camper van.